Prepare a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program.

Sample One

I am writing to seek admission to the MIT Sloan School of Management Class of 2009. I bring to MIT Sloan considerable knowledge of technology gained from years of work experience with great entrepreneurs and executives in the heart of innovation—Silicon Valley. I am applying to MIT Sloan because I believe that your program is the best one to prepare me for an entrepreneurial career path in the technology sector.

I know you are receiving applications from many qualified candidates, and I would like to distinguish myself from other applicants. I feel that my extensive background in engineering, sales and marketing, as well as a demonstrated track record of commitment to community set me apart from other applicants. In classroom and team discussions, I will share the insight I have gained while working at Analog Devices, Telcom Global SolutionsInnovation Central and Texas Instruments Computer Tech and my fellow students will benefit from what I have learned about how technology companies operate. I have worked as a design engineer, marketing engineer, engineering salesperson and now worldwide account manager for Texas Instruments. Through this experience, I have learned that innovative ideas and great technology only succeed when coupled with sound business strategy and aggressive sales plans, and I would like to start a club during my time at MIT Sloan focused on teaching students the importance of sales when launching and running a new venture. I also plan to take an active role on the Student Senate because I believe in its mission and I can contribute to this program because I have experience with an organization with a similar vision—the Employee Council at CTTI.

My career aspiration is to lead a technology venture capital firm and MIT Sloan’s world renowned training ground for technology visionaries will give me the tools needed to accomplish this goal. I envision my path in four stages: first, earning my MBA at MIT; second, managing a high growth startup in preparation for starting my own company; third, leading a technology company of my own creation; and fourth, leading a venture capital firm. In parallel with my career path, I will stay connected to entrepreneurial students at MIT Sloan by guest speaking and offering internships to students interested in venture capital. The first stage of my career path is to obtain an MBA because my career to date has been rooted solely in engineering, marketing and sales. An MBA degree will complement my experience, provide frameworks for designing innovative strategies, help me to predict the cross-functional implications of my decisions and prepare me to meet the challenges I will face as an entrepreneur.

The focus on innovation and leadership training are all reasons why MIT Sloan is the ideal program for me. I have a lifelong passion for innovative problem solving which started off in my childhood inventing solutions to everyday problems I faced. MIT Sloan’s reputation for developing leaders that know how to use innovation to solve problems is why the program aligns with my aspirations. The “mens et manus” mindset fits perfectly with my own outlook, and I look forward to joining a community of future business leaders who share this perspective.

I anticipate an exciting transformational experience at MIT Sloan. I hope that my resume, essays and recommendation letters prove to you that I am a good fit for the program, and I look forward to the opportunity to provide any additional information you may need to convince you that I would thrive at MIT Sloan as a student and active member of your community.

Sample Two


Dear Mr. Garcia:


I am writing to submit my application for the MIT Sloan MBA class of 2009. I would like to explain my career goals and interests in pursuing an MBA education at MIT Sloan. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my application.

My background will provide a unique contribution to the MIT Sloan experience. I spent my early childhood in Argentina before immigrating to the United States with my Indian parents. My upbringing exposed me to a wide variety of customs and beliefs, from the Argentinian passion for tango to the Indian emphasis on spirituality. I am fortunate to have experienced many different cultures throughout the world. I have toured the villages of southern India with my grandmother and tried the local schnitzel in Germany during an extended work project. As a result, I am aware that my ideas need to be applicable in the well connected global marketplace and will apply this awareness to my time at MIT Sloan.

As a software vendor, I am invigorated by the idea that a key decision on a product or service can have far reaching implications on an entire organization. It is for this reason that my long term goal is to become a Vice President of Product Management, steering the course for an entire product line at a mid-size enterprise software company. In this role, I would ultimately be responsible for managing the product’s life cycle, ensuring a return on investment, and providing a high value to the business consumer. At Hammond International, I have played both a leading role in designing and developing our flagship product as well as managing multi-million dollar global implementations in the demanding financial services sector. However, my goal to lead product management necessitates that I diversify my experience and gain a broader insight into the software industry.

An MBA from MIT Sloan will provide both a core set of financial skills as well as the tools required to assess a business’s strategy and organizational techniques. My good friend attended MIT Sloan, and he has spoken at length about the highly collaborative environment within the program. Because of MIT Sloan’s small, diverse class sizes and its strong focus on team projects, I will be exposed to the viewpoints of students from significantly different backgrounds in a work intensive environment. MIT Sloan’s emphasis on both research and application will provide me with an opportunity to study business concepts in one setting and use them in another. For example, the Tiger Teams course will allow me to apply what I learn in seminars to real-life client situations. The flexibility that MIT Sloan offers outside of the core classes will allow me to tailor the curriculum to fit my needs.

Guiding a software company’s line of services will require the ability to foster client relationships, key ideas, and product development strategies. My experiences to date have put me on the track to acquiring this skill set. An MBA from MIT Sloan at this time in my career will greatly increase my business acumen, vault me into product management, and bring me one step closer to fulfilling my end goal.

Sample Three

Dear Mr. Garcia:

This letter outlines my future aspirations and why I believe an MBA from Sloan will play an important and integral role in helping me achieve my goals.

Throughout my career, I have developed a keen interest in technology and its impact on our daily lives. I am constantly struck by the growing complexity of technology, and at the same time, the human need for simplicity. My specific interest is in innovative technology products that directly improve the quality of people’s lives by making daily tasks simpler and less time consuming. My goal is to build a company that develops such products.

My interest in such technologies was stimulated by the years I spent at KR Robotics, a flagship consumer electronics company in Israel. During four very intense years, developing six generations of robots, I participated in the entire cycle of development, market entry and sales. We built the world’s first robotic cleaner, KRKlean, and later teamed up with a Jensen company to develop a robotic vacuum cleaner for the home. Our objective was to rid people of the need to perform some of the menial tasks around the home, so that their quality of life could tangibly improve. I witnessed first-hand how our products affected our customers; they were thrilled to be free of a former chore.

These experiences sparked within me many new product ideas. However, while I understand what is involved in developing a product, I have also become aware of the diverse skill sets required to build a company that can successfully bring innovative products to market. It is for this reason that I am applying to MIT’s Sloan School of Management: to develop the business skills critical to successfully building a company that creates and markets truly impactful products.

Considering my ambitions of entrepreneurship, I have resolved to acquire those skills necessary for all-round management and leadership, including understanding the tools of finance, cost accounting, statistical analysis and marketing. An MBA from Sloan will provide me with this knowledge and skill base.

Having visited Sloan and having spoken extensively to current students, I am impressed by its strength in entrepreneurship, and specifically, technology entrepreneurship. Aside from taking the many courses that are offered in this area, I am interested in becoming involved with the Entrepreneurship Center. Programs such as E-Lab and Global E-Lab are exactly what I am looking for to help me cultivate and channel many of the ideas I have in the direction. I am also interested in those student clubs and groups that focus on entrepreneurship and technology, such as the MIT TechLink and the Entrepreneurs group, where members can share ideas and receive feedback.

Since I learn best through live interaction, a smaller class size that facilitates intimate interactions between professors and students and among fellow students suits me best. The flexibility in the Sloan MBA program – with only one semester of core classes – is also of great appeal to me.

As an engineer, I have always believed in a hands-on approach to learning and solving problems. At Sloan, it is my intention to become involved in activities such as the 50K Entrepreneurship Competition, where I will have an opportunity to put into practice many of the ideas an concepts that I will learn in class. I also plan on making full use of the opportunities Sloan provides to visit companies and to experience first-hand how successful organizations operate.

My goal upon graduating is to begin to identify the market niche, the strategy and the resources to build my technology company. In the long term, my goal is to make this company a market leader and to significantly impact the day to day lives of individuals worldwide. I believe MIT’s Sloan School of Management will offer me access to the skills, knowledge and networks to help me accomplish these goals.