MBA Student Life

bm2012,

I suppose my perception of MIT was that it was a top MBA school that had the added bonus of the technical resources that couldn't be matched anywhere else. The sense of innovation here as well as the program's emphasis on leadership were very important to me.

Since coming here and attending class, I'd say my perceptions were matched with reality. Leadership, particularly in the LGO program, but also in the standard MBA program is definitely emphasized. Outside of my expectations, I've been pleasantly surprised by the concern of the faculty. In my engineering undergrad experience, I had professors that presented the material but didn't worry too much about whether they were actually helping us to absorb it. The faculty I've come across in this program actively work to make the material intuitive. I think this is an extension of the motto of the university, "Mind and Hand". There is a drive to nest everything in the real world and to emphasize real-world applications.

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

robbieh wrote:bm2012,

I suppose my perception of MIT was that it was a top MBA school that had the added bonus of the technical resources that couldn't be matched anywhere else. The sense of innovation here as well as the program's emphasis on leadership were very important to me.

Since coming here and attending class, I'd say my perceptions were matched with reality. Leadership, particularly in the LGO program, but also in the standard MBA program is definitely emphasized. Outside of my expectations, I've been pleasantly surprised by the concern of the faculty. In my engineering undergrad experience, I had professors that presented the material but didn't worry too much about whether they were actually helping us to absorb it. The faculty I've come across in this program actively work to make the material intuitive. I think this is an extension of the motto of the university, "Mind and Hand". There is a drive to nest everything in the real world and to emphasize real-world applications.

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

Robbie

Your views of MIT makes me just jump out at it.

Since I hope to develop certain leadership skills which I find wanting in our trade, could you please elaborate on the leadership aspect? What sort of activities, culture and/or events help you develop your leadership skills which you feel you can take forward in your professional career ahead. It's my personal reflection that the leadership skills I developed while in college were not 'that' effective when pursued in a professional work space.

Considering your engineering undergrad experience, how do you find interacting with candidates coming from a non-engineering undergrad? Diversity is a key element in almost all MBA programs, but given the inclination towards technology at MIT, how did you find candidates from a non-technical background adding value to learning process? [I guess it's obvious, I come from a business background ]

Regards

Mohit.

Mohit,

It's great to hear about your interest in the program. Leadership education is something that the LGO program has tried to develop for years. Starting off, we spend the entire first week in a short-course on leadership. That culminates in an off-site "field trip" to observe how we've implemented what we've learned amongst other things. Over the first summer, we've had a class devoted to leadership centered around readings, films, cases, and some other assignments. It's really been an eye-opener to investigate some of the different leadership models and skills and how they are interpreted. This real-world interpretation has been pretty important in making the information useful. That course actually extends throughout the two year program in the form of another semester-long class during the final semester and a speaker series over the first year. The speaker series brings in interesting leaders from industry to talk about their experiences once a week. I'm actually on the student-run committee that is bringing in the speakers for this series. These are all, obviously, specific to the LGO program. However, there are other leadership education components within Sloan, in general, that follow this same ideology. The goal is not to "teach leadership", but rather to teach the frameworks of leadership that have been proposed (including those proposed by faculty here at MIT), and allow each student to build their own concept of leadership. Real-world implementation and interpretation is always emphasized.

As for as interacting with non-engineering students, I haven't had that pleasure, yet. The first semester for the LGO program is actually the summer before the rest of the students get here. So, aside from bumping into a few other students who are around during the summer for other Sloan programs (MFin, Sloan Fellows, SDM, etc.), we are pretty much surrounded by LGO fellows all summer. In two weeks, when the rest of the Sloanies get here, however, that will change. The LGOs are evenly divided amongst the different Sloan groups, such that each of our prescribed small teams will only have one LGO. I'll be able to let you know how that goes later.

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

Hi Robbie,

Thanks for taking the time to represent Sloan and the LGO program. I am very interested in the LGO program as it offers clear strength in all three areas of my interests: Aerospace/Aviation operations, Leadership, and Sustainability Certificate through Sloan. And, I have few questions if you would be welling to help me out:

1- Almost all LGO student I read about come from a very technical backgrounds. Are there are any LGO students that come from consulting for example? I have an undergraduate degree in engineering, but I have worked in consulting for the last four years (3 years of System Implementations, and 1 year of Sustainability Strategy).

2- How would you describe the culture and the atmosphere of the LGO and/or MIT ?

3- Have you visited campus before applying? How do you think that helped your application? I live and work in the Middle East, and I am debating the merits of visiting campus.

Thanks and I really appreciate your help ...

robbieh wrote:Mohit,

It's great to hear about your interest in the program. Leadership education is something that the LGO program has tried to develop for years. Starting off, we spend the entire first week in a short-course on leadership. That culminates in an off-site "field trip" to observe how we've implemented what we've learned amongst other things. Over the first summer, we've had a class devoted to leadership centered around readings, films, cases, and some other assignments. It's really been an eye-opener to investigate some of the different leadership models and skills and how they are interpreted. This real-world interpretation has been pretty important in making the information useful. That course actually extends throughout the two year program in the form of another semester-long class during the final semester and a speaker series over the first year. The speaker series brings in interesting leaders from industry to talk about their experiences once a week. I'm actually on the student-run committee that is bringing in the speakers for this series. These are all, obviously, specific to the LGO program. However, there are other leadership education components within Sloan, in general, that follow this same ideology. The goal is not to "teach leadership", but rather to teach the frameworks of leadership that have been proposed (including those proposed by faculty here at MIT), and allow each student to build their own concept of leadership. Real-world implementation and interpretation is always emphasized.

As for as interacting with non-engineering students, I haven't had that pleasure, yet. The first semester for the LGO program is actually the summer before the rest of the students get here. So, aside from bumping into a few other students who are around during the summer for other Sloan programs (MFin, Sloan Fellows, SDM, etc.), we are pretty much surrounded by LGO fellows all summer. In two weeks, when the rest of the Sloanies get here, however, that will change. The LGOs are evenly divided amongst the different Sloan groups, such that each of our prescribed small teams will only have one LGO. I'll be able to let you know how that goes later.

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

Hello Robbie

I believe the campus must be filled with new faces as First Year students start coming in.

Do share with us your experiences. In case you maintain a blog, kindly share the link to it. Would like to read your views.

Mohit.

Polarmar,

I'm glad to provide whatever knowledge I can, and I'm certainly glad to answer your questions.

1- Almost all LGO student I read about come from a very technical backgrounds. Are there are any LGO students that come from consulting for example? I have an undergraduate degree in engineering, but I have worked in consulting for the last four years (3 years of System Implementations, and 1 year of Sustainability Strategy).

All LGOs must have some technical education (see this link: https://lgo.mit.edu/apply/qualifications/), BUT they do not all have to have come from engineering jobs. In fact, several of my LGO classmates come from consulting backgrounds like yourself.

2- How would you describe the culture and the atmosphere of the LGO and/or MIT ?

The culture of LGO and MIT are fairly parallel, in my view. The mission of MIT was evoked several times during our summer classes. That mission, generally, is to advance knowledge for the good of the world. Mottos like "in the world, for the world" and "mens et manus" (mind and hand) are ingrained in the culture. That means that many of the students are inclined to not only come up with great ideas, but to also come up with great ideas that will solve great problems and do the work to implement them. Of course, this feeds into the collaborative nature of the school. It really is less about performance and more about learning. That's reflected in the actions of the professors as well as the students. Sometimes the competitive sides of a bunch of MBAs come out, but the main focus is always about learning, and there's a great sense of camaraderie here.

3- Have you visited campus before applying? How do you think that helped your application? I live and work in the Middle East, and I am debating the merits of visiting campus.

If you can get here, that's great, but it's certainly not necessary particularly for applicants overseas. This year was actually my second year to apply, so I had visited only because the previous year I was here for an interview. Of course, that means the first year I applied I had not visited. I got to the interview round that year, so I don't think a visit is absolutely necessary.

Good luck, Polarmar!

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

Mohit,

Yesterday was our final day of orientation. All 400+ Sloanies are all here now. Towards the end, one of the other students mentioned that the class seems to demonstrate "excellence without ego". That's probably the best, concise description I've heard of the class. Everyone I've met this week has some great accomplishments, but none of them are arrogant. Usually, they just seem to be normal people who have done extraordinary things.

There are two groupings that are important during the core semester (the first fall). The Ocean and the Core Team. All of the core classes are taken with the same Ocean, which is made up of about 65-70 students. All of the group projects during the core are done with the Core Team, made up of about 7 students. A lot of orientation was spent in these two groupings, so that we would be prepared to take on the core.

Finally, the first day of orientation the entire class of over 400 was gathered, and the president of MIT delivered an address to us. I thought this was a gesture that may not be common at other schools. To me, that emphasizes how important the MBA program is to the president and the rest of the school in terms of accomplishing the school's mission.

Those are some of my impressions for the orientation week. I don't maintain a blog myself, but some of my LGO classmates do. The rest of the new Sloanies haven't had time to set up a repository for blogs, yet, so I can't point you to any of them. Check out the LGO blogs here h[url]ttp://lgo.mit.edu/student-blogs/[/url]. Unfortunately, I don't see any orientation-related topics there, yet, but I think those blogs are a good resource.

Good luck, Mohit!

-Robbie
MIT Sloan LGO Fellow 2014

Hi Robbie

Its amazing to see how this thread is working. u guys are really taking the pain to help others. Its really nice.

i have a query. i want to pursue the LGO course with Civil & Environmental Engg, as i have done graduation in Environmental Engg. Also, i am more inclined towards giving GMAT rather than GRE. So i want to ask, is it necessary to apply through the Sloan School of Mngmt if my giving the GMAT score, & not the GRE score.
Also, whether it'll affect my chances of selection if i'll apply through School of Mngmt stating for a particular field (i.e. Civil & Envt Engg).......or whether do i have an added advantage if i'll apply through Sloan School of Engg ??

I am planning to apply next year for the 2014 admissions. If GRE score is preferred then i can prepare for that.

Hi lav01,

I'm glad to be able to provide some help. I remember really appreciating information from students when I was applying. As far as your question about the GMAT/GRE: the website says that the GRE is required if you are applying through the engineering school. If applying through Sloan, you can provide either. I'm not aware of any exception to that rule, but you may also contact the school directly if you want to confirm. I do not believe that there is an advantage in applying to one school or another. Both schools have to admit you to be accepted. That being said, there is a consideration here that may be important. If you apply through Sloan and do not get into the LGO program, you may still be considered for a non-LGO spot in Sloan but not the school of engineering. If you apply through the school of engineering, you may still be considered for a spot in the school of engineering but not in Sloan. Most people tend to apply through Sloan, but there certainly are some who apply through the engineering school. I hope this helps!

https://lgo.mit.edu/apply/application-process/

thnx robbieh

robbieh wrote:Hi lav01,

I'm glad to be able to provide some help. I remember really appreciating information from students when I was applying. As far as your question about the GMAT/GRE: the website says that the GRE is required if you are applying through the engineering school. If applying through Sloan, you can provide either. I'm not aware of any exception to that rule, but you may also contact the school directly if you want to confirm. I do not believe that there is an advantage in applying to one school or another. Both schools have to admit you to be accepted. That being said, there is a consideration here that may be important. If you apply through Sloan and do not get into the LGO program, you may still be considered for a non-LGO spot in Sloan but not the school of engineering. If you apply through the school of engineering, you may still be considered for a spot in the school of engineering but not in Sloan. Most people tend to apply through Sloan, but there certainly are some who apply through the engineering school. I hope this helps!

https://lgo.mit.edu/apply/application-process/

For all of you considering applying to LGO, one great way to learn more about the program is to attend Ambassador Day on November 5th. You'll have the opportunity to meet current students, meet faculty, ask questions, attend a class, tour MIT, and a lot more.

One of our regular LGO bloggers wrote an entry about Ambassador Day. Take a look:
https://supplyjaneoperations.blogspot.co ... r-5th.html

-Robbie
Sloan LGO Fellow, Class of 2014

Hi Robbie,
Thanks for the great info you are providing here. Further, I just attended the MIT Sloan as part of MBA tour in Bangalore (India) yesterday. I met someone from adcom and an MIT MS in Finance almuni. I am not considering applying to US schools and targeting only indian mba of 1 year.

But after meeting the representatives and later visit to web site made me feel this school fits and match my thought process. For example, first thing I liked on their web page was they interview only through adcoms and no almuni or other representatives. I always like such rigidity rather than the sexiness of reliability on almuni or other sources which at time are probably not as adapt.

Coming back to my profile it is having some plus and minus. On plus side I have an MTech(MS equivalent in US) from a top institute, IIT, through very competitive and rigorous selection process. Have two bachelor degree BE and BSC (4 and 3 year respectively). Have work ex of 10+ year with top US based in MNCS in india and have 5 promotions (all in technical) in my 10+ year work ex.

Negatives I feel are age (36 years), not so managerial exposure, no clear goal of attending an US MBA, other than it is a life changing aspirations and I have resources to fund my two year mba.

This year I will not be able to apply to any other US mbas. My GMAT score is 720.

Can you please provide insight to my profile. Request please also provide info on what exactly is seek in personnel setback in last three year. I have something very challenging 15 year earlier, which was life transformational against extreme challenges, can I focus on that instead?

Hi everyone,

Come learn more about MIT Sloan and get a first-hand account of the MBA experience. Please join four MIT Sloan students for a student-hosted information session on October 8th in Paris. We will discuss our experience, the admission process, the career opportunities, life in Boston, and answer any of your questions.

Here are the details:

Date: Monday October 8th 2012
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: McKinsey & Company, 79 Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 Paris
Registration: please sign-up here https://register.applyyourself.com/?id= ... 9149&rid=1

Hope to see you on Monday!

Best,

David

David request please reply to my queries as well.

david01234567 wrote:Hi everyone,

Come learn more about MIT Sloan and get a first-hand account of the MBA experience. Please join four MIT Sloan students for a student-hosted information session on October 8th in Paris. We will discuss our experience, the admission process, the career opportunities, life in Boston, and answer any of your questions.

Here are the details:

Date: Monday October 8th 2012
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: McKinsey & Company, 79 Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 Paris
Registration: please sign-up here https://register.applyyourself.com/?id= ... 9149&rid=1

Hope to see you on Monday!

Best,

David

Hello maihuna,

Unfortunately, I'm not able to give very useful feedback on the strength of an application. I'm not affiliated with the admissions office in any way, so my guesses about admissions would not be any better than anyone else's. I do think that, if there is an essay question on the application that gives a time frame, you should stick closely to that time frame. I will also say that if you think you might be a competitive applicant and you are interested in MIT Sloan, you should absolutely apply. It is worth it to pay the application fee.

-Robbie
Sloan LGO Fellow, Class of 2014