It’s a brand that gets instant respect no matter where you are in the world – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It already had a formidable presence in the technology world, and with the MIT Sloan School of Management, it ventured into management education. Its flagship proram, the MIT Sloan MBA, enjoys a high ranking and attracts the best students from all over the world.
We published an interview with the MIT Sloan MBA Admissions Officer. We switch perspectives now to reach out to a successful MIT Sloan MBA admit. Shahid Azad talks about how he managed to get a seat at one of the best MBA programs in the world.
My MIT Sloan MBA Application Journey
by Shahid Azad
Let me begin with my pre-MBA experience – I did my Bachelors from IIT Kharagpur (2010) and have been working with Caterpillar Inc. since then. I work on Digital manufacturing technology at Caterpillar supporting New Product Introductions. During this period I also spent a year in USA at Caterpillar HQ in Illinois.
I have been thinking of MBA since 2012 and hence got done with GMAT long back. I knew the next step – writing MBA essays – would be the most challenging one for me. And this is where I decided to take help from MBA Crystal Ball admissions consulting team.
MBA Application Strategy
My MBA application strategy was simple – I didn’t want to apply to a large number of schools and compromise on quality, so I focused on three and made sure that I had given my best to each one of them.
I am sure you would have heard this many times over, but to re-iterate, essays are the most important part of the application. You might feel that you have good experiences and good stories to tell but equally important is to convey it to the admissions team in layman terms and this is exactly what Manish is very good at.
Manish from MBA Crystal Ball was a guide, a mentor to me throughout the whole application process. He really helped me make my stories crisp and succinct and convey the message in the most effective way. He was always available for any quick question and as a result I had interview calls from all the three schools I applied too – Sloan, Kellogg and Ross.
MBA Interviews are basically meant to gauge whether you are the same person as you seem on paper. So it is important to prepare your story well and make sure you put forth all the points that make you unique as an applicant.
Manish again guided me through the questions that I could expect and how I can structure my responses well. So whenever I fumbled, the auto-mode kicked in and was able to navigate through the situation.
MBA Application Results
I ended up converting MIT Sloan MBA, was wait-listed at Kellogg and withdrew my Ross MBA application as I got the MIT Sloan result before Ross interview.
All in all I felt more confident throughout the process with Manish around and I am sure this would not have been possible without him. Thanks Manish again for everything!!
After going through the whole process I would like to add my two cents – the process is long and tiring, so it is important to plan it well and give yourself enough time so that you do not have to rush at the last moment and compromise on quality.
This along with some expert guidance could go a long way.
A little gesture of courtesy that many applicants forget in their euphoria of getting an admit from a top MBA college (especially if it’s your numero uno choice), is to let the MBA Admission Committees of other schools know that you aren’t interested in taking the application process further with them.
That way, rather than have those seats blocked till the last minute, they can offer an admit to another deserving candidate earlier.
Any queries about the MIT Sloan MBA application? Post them as comments below.
Hi Manish. Your story is real inspiration for me. I am also preparing for GMAT and regained energy after reading the story.
Jatin, this is Shahid’s story, not MG’s 🙂
All of the success stories I have seen are IIT grads, i.e., graduated of a prestige school. I’m waiting for the day a guy who does his B.Sc or B.Com manages to get into Wharton or Kellogg or Tuck. That’ll be some achievement!
Btw, I mean no disrespect to this candidate or many others.
Valid point, SK. Not too many stories of BSc grads getting into top bschools.
Here’s one where a Physics graduate who worked for a KPO went on to join Duke and became an investment banker after his MBA –> McKinsey Strategy Consulting to an Investment Banking career.
Thanks for the quick reply Sameer. I hate to get into an argument with you for two reasons, 1) I like what you do and 2) It’s kind of a mud slinging fest. However, permit me to say a few things – Although this guy has a BSc degree, it is from St. Stephens, a recognized college which has supplied many graduates to top B-Schools and is a regular hunting ground for MBB as well as IB’s. And he’s also worked for McKinsey KC, okay adcoms don’t see it in the same way as a regular rockstar consulting assignment, but the point I’m trying to make is this guy still went to a recognized brand name college (Maybe not in the same League as the old IIT’s in the eyes of the adcoms, but still a top top college and a regular feeder to great schools) and worked for a blue-chip firm.
I apologize for taking a very pessimistic view, but I do think that it’s really hard for a guy with a BSc degree from a good college (Not an Iconic one like Stephens or Xaviers) working for a company in a challenging role to break through not only into M7 but also perhaps the top 15. It’s not mission impossible and I hope I’m proven wrong spectacularly, just my $0.02.
P.S – I took the GMAT and got a 790, and I hope I’ll be matriculating by 2016 – Fingers Crossed!
Not a mud-slinging fest at all, SK. I do appreciate your points and where you are coming from. So happy to carry on the conversation.
Your query got me thinking and I could dig out a couple of posts from the pile.
Here’s one about a non-IITian who got into an Ivy league bschool. But again, going by your argument, he did have a good undergrad brand on his resume.
Though not a Top 10 story, here’s another one about a BCom graduate who got into a leading European bschool with a scholarship.
Coming back to the main points that you raise about not seeing too many such stories, I guess there are 2 reasons.
Most of the top bschools are spoilt for choice. There are too many strong candidates applying with high a GMAT score, good undergrad pedigree (not just from India) and excellent professional records. So, if the Adcom Officer has to choose between 2 applicants – one with a strong undergrad brand and one without – then her decision becomes easy. Unless of course the no-brand undergrad applicant has something significant to offer in terms of (wait for the drum-roll to end) – Diversity.
The second issue is the variety of folks from India who apply. Most guys overestimate the strength of their profiles and apply to the top 10. Many strong applicants don’t enter the race at all. They apply some self-filter and decide it’s not worth the trouble. For many, MBA scholarships have become as important as the bschool brand.
Your 790 GMAT score (well done, btw!) will definitely draw some attention. I hope you are able to buck the trend (of non-IITians cracking into the top bschools) and come back to share your story on our blog soon.
Hey Sameer! Thanks for the links to two great stories. And yes, I hope I can crack the M7! 🙂
Hi Sameer, Im working with Larsen and toubro , Mumbai since last 7 years, I’ve done my BE and now thinking of giving a GMAT and to get an admission in gud schools in US. I want to start the Aug-2015 session.
Could u pls help me as on the following points . —
a. Im trying to prepare for the exam from official guide – 2015 (all the 3 books, dont knw whether its sufficient)
b, By wat time shud give the exam so that in can apply for admissions.
c. I wll definitely come back to u guys after giving GMAT for further assistance with MAP.
Sorry sameer if this is not the right platform to get in touch with u but i guess its the only fastest way to contact u. Pls provide me your contact no.and e mail so that i can provide u with m details.
Pls do reply
@ Mehul: Our email id is displayed on the home page and several other places – you can always reach us 🙂
On your questions – earlier the better. Ideally, you should have already taken it. If you are only starting now, it appears that you will be able to apply for R2 only now. Do check our GMAT related blogs/articles
Hey,
I am not sure if you are still active on this blog. But if you are, please guide me. I am a 2014 IIT passout and have been selected to MIT this year in mechanical engineering SM program. Now the issue is about funding, It already 13 June and nothing has been cleared by graduate office. They are not giving funding. I am really worried about my future and am not am sure how will I arrange it. Any suggestions.
Shashank, I am afraid we aren’t the experts in funding. You can either look for non-cosigner loans or reach out to firms such as Prodigy Finance if not already tried.