The MIT Sloan Experience – Interview

I arrived in Singapore on Sunday afternoon. Because of the last minute changes, I was safe and sound, but my luggage somehow did not catch the flight. I stayed back in the airport, and with the help of the hyper-efficient ground staff, I was able to file a missing luggage report and head to the hotel with the typical Singaporean efficiency.

I checked in and called the Admissions Committee member, to let her know that I finally made it. We agreed on a time, and met in the lobby of the hotel about an hour after my arrival – just enough time to grab a shower, shave and caffeine.

The interview began after a few pleasantries and introductions were exchanged. After jogging her memory by reviewing my application package (MIT Sloan interviews are not blind), my interviewer asked questions most of which paralleled the essay questions.

Note: I did a thorough detailed write-up of the MIT Sloan interview technique to share. Upon re-reading the interview guide that is distributed to all interviewees, I noticed the fine print, which prohibits the distribution of all or part of the document in any form without permission. So……

Here is the mind-dump of the interview itself:

1. The achievement over the past year, of which I am most proud.
2. A situation during which I was most effective motivating people.
3. A situation where I had to deal with difficult peers.
4. General questions on my goals.

That said, there were many specific and probing follow-up questions in response to my answers to all of these. The interviewer was definitely well seasoned. At worst, I gleaned a few interview tricks. The whole atmosphere was professional yet friendly and was comparable to having a cordial conversation to someone you just met on an airplane. Although warned, I was surprised at how much the interview focused on the human equation. Most of the interviewer’s probing was geared toward stepping into my thought process, understanding my instinctive style, and how I would deal with people/team/individual issues.

I do not think that my rush to meet this interview hindered me in any way, because there is just no way to rehearse for an interview style like MIT Sloan’s. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to be certain about how you tackle problems, deal with people and deliver results.

After the interview, I had several questions. My overall impression is that MIT Sloan is more than the stereotypical haven for techpreneurs or quant-jocks. The program seems quite committed to leverage its undergrad reputation in engineering, media and sciences to a unique MBA experience. Cross-pollination and collaboration with the various campus think tanks and labs seems to be encouraged and fits well with my post MBA interests. My only regret was that I was not able to visit the MIT Sloan campus to meet a few students and get a feel for the vibe.

I was miffed to return ‘home’ only to see this article a few days after my interview! Information and tips like that are priceless. (Thanks for the link Dave). Dave also has a very informative and thorough post on his MIT Sloan visit. Regardless, I felt that I managed to allow the interviewer to see a very genuine picture of who I am and what I represent.

Much like Wharton interview, the MIT Sloan interview was difficult to assess. The interviewers seemed amicable yet well disguised. There were no giveaways whether positive or negative – Poker Faces. Just a few more antsy weeks left…..