MIT Admit Weekend

After work on Thursday, I hopped on a plane to Boston, having taken Friday off. Went straight to my host's house (a current MIT student) and dropped off my luggage. My host had arranged dinner for me with some other students and new admits with interests similar to mine. Dinner was awesome - Thai food (really spicy) in a relaxed atmosphere and we had such a great time that we lost track of time. Since the night was still young, we then proceeded to one of the popular MIT bars were I met more students and admits. I must say that the music was really great- whoever hired the DJ should make sure they keep him. Even though I don't drink alcohol, I still had a great time but chose to retire early at 11am since I was exhausted.

Friday morning, I woke up late but still got to MIT Sloan in time to meet breakfast (provided by a Boston based company owned by two MIT Sloan Alumni). Picked up my laptop bag and materials, got to meet some more admits and then headed off to the events for the day.The mock class was very interesting and engaging, admit lunch had awesome desserts, lots of other activities (ended up with a gym bag and signed up for a trek before school), special career sessions with lots of time for questions (The Career Development Office was also available) and more receptions with alumni, students, faculty and MBA office(lots of wine). I must say that all the current students were very friendly and open and it was obvious that it was a tight-knit community. What I found amazing was that a lot of the current students I talked with went out of their way to hook me up with other students with my interests and made sure I met them during the Admit weekend. There was also lots of food and snacks throughout the weekend so there was always something to nibble on. By the end of day, I was tired so I declined to continue the party at the bar which I later heard continued into the wee hours of the morning.

Day Two- early breakfast organized by the MIT Sloan Women at a hotel. Great variety in the meal that I ended up eating so much that I hoped I wouldn't fall asleep. Had more one-on-one time with them. Moved back to MIT Sloan where students then shared their stories on all aspects of student life and addressed questions. Then Student and Academic Life Rotating panel sessions that addressed all possible aspects of students life from academics to trips&treks, consulting opportunities, housing and financial aid. Another breakout Q&A session to give students more one-on-one time to answer questions. Lunch, then finally an optional tour for housing both on-campus and off-campus. Some students even offered to give an independent tour of their homes to students who were interested in their area.

All in all, I think the focus of the MBA office was to ensure that all admits (whether introverts or extroverts)had an exposure to what an MBA experience at MIT Sloan truly means so that they could make an informed decision. I liked the fact that there was no undue pressure to choose Sloan. I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful students and admits I met and how open, down-to-earth and warm hearted they were. I also noticed that quite a number of didn't have quant backgrounds and were not technology majors. Their backgrounds were so diverse. Students shared a lot of experiences on how they helped each other even during interviews and even shared information about jobs that alumni brought to their notice. This seems to be so much easier in a smaller school than a larger school.Those I met in biotech/health care had 4-7 great job offers for internships.Significant Others (spouses) received special attention and were really integrated into the program. The host I stayed with really introduced me to students and alumni who had similar interests.

I had a great weekend and I would advise any admit to attend their schools' admit weekend. You would be surprised how much you would learn and would give a greater insight into the vibe of the school and whether it is a fit for you.