Great questions - this shows you've done you're homework on this program! We always like to see that.

It's still possible for a strong candidate to get into MIT in Round 2 but it's not as easy, just based on the numbers. Your assessment is correct on that. It's always an advantage at any school to apply in Rd 1 - with MIT, it's a *real* advantage. But they still admit half the class from Rd 2! If it takes you that long to get a good app together, then that's a perfectly fine strategy.

Your statement is not quite accurate below though - you said "MIT is unique in that adcom interviews everyone" -- you're right that the adcom are the ones doing the interviews, and they interview everyone before offering a spot (interviews are mandatory for admission), but they don't interview everyone who applies. We think you probably had this straight in your head but it didn't come out exactly right when you wrote it, so we wanted to clarify for anyone else who may wander in.

Finally, Sloan is INCREDIBLY reapplicant-friendly - they love to get a stronger app the next time through and will most definitely be receptive to you if you end up in that boat.

Hopefully you don't though - maybe there's a way you can pull off the first round (it's not till later in October, one of the furtherest-outtest Rd 1s) - or if not, then good luck with Rd 2 instead!

EssaySnark

essaysnark wrote:Great questions - this shows you've done you're homework on this program! We always like to see that.

It's still possible for a strong candidate to get into MIT in Round 2 but it's not as easy, just based on the numbers. Your assessment is correct on that. It's always an advantage at any school to apply in Rd 1 - with MIT, it's a *real* advantage. But they still admit half the class from Rd 2! If it takes you that long to get a good app together, then that's a perfectly fine strategy.

Your statement is not quite accurate below though - you said "MIT is unique in that adcom interviews everyone" -- you're right that the adcom are the ones doing the interviews, and they interview everyone before offering a spot (interviews are mandatory for admission), but they don't interview everyone who applies. We think you probably had this straight in your head but it didn't come out exactly right when you wrote it, so we wanted to clarify for anyone else who may wander in.

Finally, Sloan is INCREDIBLY reapplicant-friendly - they love to get a stronger app the next time through and will most definitely be receptive to you if you end up in that boat.

Hopefully you don't though - maybe there's a way you can pull off the first round (it's not till later in October, one of the furtherest-outtest Rd 1s) - or if not, then good luck with Rd 2 instead!

EssaySnark

Thanks for this. Yes, I wrote this late at night, so it didn't come across right. I meant to say that adcom are the only ones who conduct interviews, no alumni interviewers. Among the top programs, kellogg is the only school that interviews every applicant.

I would love to apply round 1 at sloan, along with booth and columbia before november, but i need time to improve my gmat and also beef up on some extracurricular stuff. I just won't have as strong of an app for round 1, so it's pointless to force things through.

I'm also considering joint degrees in mba and public policy.

Hi ksc1940 -- quick correction (sorry to be always doing this to you!)

Tuck actually interviews all candidates who come to Hanover (often adcom-conducted), and Duke has a by-request interview policy at least in the Fall, after which they switch to interview only.

Getting a better GMAT score is always important and we absolutely agree with that strategy - but please don't delay an app due to boosting extracurrics. *Maybe* this is warranted, but possibly not. At most schools, ECs don't matter nearly as much as many people think, and also, a very recent EC implies that you just did it for your apps - the adcoms may be suspicious that it's not something you're genuinely committed to (they may think it's a ploy).

Of course, we don't know what exactly you've got in the works, so maybe it is worth it to delay apps for!

The public policy puts you in a unique category, are you looking at the HKS program with Sloan?

EssaySnark

essaysnark wrote:Hi ksc1940 -- quick correction (sorry to be always doing this to you!)

Tuck actually interviews all candidates who come to Hanover (often adcom-conducted), and Duke has a by-request interview policy at least in the Fall, after which they switch to interview only.

Getting a better GMAT score is always important and we absolutely agree with that strategy - but please don't delay an app due to boosting extracurrics. *Maybe* this is warranted, but possibly not. At most schools, ECs don't matter nearly as much as many people think, and also, a very recent EC implies that you just did it for your apps - the adcoms may be suspicious that it's not something you're genuinely committed to (they may think it's a ploy).

Of course, we don't know what exactly you've got in the works, so maybe it is worth it to delay apps for!

The public policy puts you in a unique category, are you looking at the HKS program with Sloan?

EssaySnark

No problem with the correction. I totally forgot about tuck!

I agree with you that in general starting an extracurricular right before app deadline is very fishy. In this case though I was involved with a major nonprofit (mentoring inner-city high school students) for a year, but i'm in the process of applying for a position on their associate board in charge of fundraising. If i get it, i will have 4 months of serious work to show adcom. So I felt that in my case, combined with a higher gmat, it could help. Ideally, i could have gotten a higher score earlier, but I have to make lemons out of lemonade. The one silver lining is that since i applied 2 years ago, i am NOT considered a re-applicant at sloan or columbia. So my app will be fresh, which is a good thing in terms of the essays.

My short-term career goal is either NY federal reserve's cross-market analyst program or sovereign debt/currency research focusing on east asia, ideally at a major investment firm with a strong presence in that part of the world (blackrock, HSBC, standard chartered, etc.). Hence, a joint MBA/MPP makes sense in my case. So yeah, i'm looking at wharton/booth/sloan/columbia for MBA and then HKS/johns hopkins SAIS/maybe columbia SIPA on the policy side. Princeton's woodrow wilson, georgetown, and tufts fletcher are a bit too focused on international relations theory, which would not be a good fit for my career goals. I need a rigorous combination of economics, stat, policy analysis, political economy, along with management and leadership skills that will allow me to run my own investment advisory firm in the future.

Wow - truly impressed with the specificity of those career goals - very unique and very targeted. You clearly know what you want to do with the MBA! Schools like Columbia will likely respond well to that.

Bummer you were unsuccesful the first time through but it sounds like you're doing everything right this time!

Wanted to let everyone know about a hot-off-the-presses essay strategy/application guide for MIT Sloan 2012 - check it out in case you're wondering how to position things: https://www.essaysnark.com/ssguide/mit-s ... say-guide/

Good luck and we'll be eager to here how it goes for you!!!

EssaySnark