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I was fortunate enough to sit down with Jeff Carbone, Associate Director of MIT Sloan MBA Admissions, to learn how he is thinking about this upcoming application season. See below for a transcript of our interview. Sloan has not released their essay questions yet for the 2016-2017 application season, but stay tuned as they will come out soon.

MIT Sloan Admissions Interview
Jeff Carbone: Associate Director, MIT Sloan MBA Admissions and Scott Edinburgh, Personal MBA Coach

Personal MBA Coach: How did you first get involved in admissions?

Jeff Carbone: When I was an undergraduate, I worked in admissions managing the student visit program. The student and prospective student interaction was exciting and I found myself wanting more. In lieu of taking other positions at various corporations, I decided to stay in admissions and worked in the undergraduate admissions office at Babson College.

Personal MBA Coach: What excites you most about your work?

Jeff Carbone: Meeting prospective students and working with current students. MIT Sloan attracts smart, driven and most importantly grounded students. The class has such a breadth and depth of interests that it is exciting to see what is going on and stay close to what students are doing on campus. MIT has various resources that help bring students together across disciplines, including the MIT Media Lab and the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, among others. The students contribute to making MIT Sloan a dynamic place and an energizing environment. Every day I learn something new from my interactions with prospective and current students. It is one of the reasons that I am excited to come to work every day.

Personal MBA Coach: How has the volume of applications changed over the last couple years?

Jeff Carbone: It has increased. A lot! As an admissions team, we are being more vocal about what MIT Sloan has to offer students of all backgrounds and not being just a place where engineers come to study. We are traveling more and holding additional recruiting events in order connect with as many prospective students as we can. We are seeking a globally diverse class and in order to do that, we are finding new ways to reach out to this audience. In addition, MIT Sloan has an increasing number of programs such as new action learning labs and our MBAn analytics degree, that students are interested in taking advantage of.

Personal MBA Coach: Why do you think more applicants are applying to Sloan?

Jeff Carbone: MIT Sloan is attracting a more diverse well-rounded class today than ever before. I think today's applicants are informed and extremely self-aware. They see the value of being at a school that is conducting cutting-edge research and understand how this will have a positive impact on their ROI and career options. Our applicants aspire for careers that matter and to make a difference in the world. Self-awareness comes into play, as applicants are asking themselves questions such as, how do I learn best? And what community and culture will thrive in? The variety of teaching styles offered through our program is very attractive to candidates especially those who like to roll up their sleeves and who learn by doing. A tight knit community, MIT Sloan is just over 400 students, and a collaborative learning environment are also appealing characteristics that applicants are looking for in an MBA community.

Personal MBA Coach: What are some trends you saw in applicants this past year?

Jeff Carbone: We have seen an increase in more applicants with an interest in Fintech, sustainability and healthcare this year. This is an exciting time for innovation, technology, analytics and management in these industries. MIT Sloan has a strong reputation as being a home for innovation.

Personal MBA Coach: What % of students fill out the optional question? Do you think it is over / under utilized?
Jeff Carbone: Initially students used the optional question to explain extenuating circumstances on their application. Now, more applicants are now using the optional question as an opportunity to share additional stories and to demonstrate their creativity. I would say around 50% of applicants take advantage of the optional questions. It shows the human side and reveals what else is interesting about the applicant. I find this to be one of the best pieces of our application.

Personal MBA Coach: What do you wish applicants would do differently when applying?
Jeff Carbone: Be yourself. Don't try to fit a mold because there is no mold we are looking to accept.

Answer our question. Don't try to repurpose an essay from another school.

Visit if you can. Every school is unique and to be on campus and see what is going on provides the applicant an opportunity to understand our culture, community and diversity.
...... Click below for the full transcript

https://bit.ly/1XjagTj

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Contact me [email protected] if you would like help applying to MIT Sloan or any other business school.