[MBA] Reception - Sloan

After going through the usual downtown ritual of getting lost while trying to locate unnecessarily expensive parking, I and a friend of mine finally walked into the Marriott center right on time. (Adcoms - would it kill you to have your sessions outside of downtowns?)

The Reception started with the usual slide show. The most interesting slide had results of a survey asking graduating students what the deciding factor was behind their job acceptances. I was really surprised to see that compensation ranked last on the list (6-9%) . So much so that I have forgotten what was at the top of the list (job content, growth opportunity or something like that). From friends who are in IB and sell-side finance, I have heard of the free for all that breaks out around bonus time. So either my friends are in bad environments, or Sloan students are different or they were not being entirely honest while answering this survey.

As for the admission process there are a few things which are different about Sloan. Since I am quoting from memory, the actual numbers may be slightly different.
1. They invite only 30-35% of the applicants for interview of whom around 50% get the admit. So if you get an invite you have already crossed a major barrier.
2. They have just 12 people who read the essays. And just 8 people who do the interviews. So if you have an off campus interview one of those 8 will fly out to interview you. This I think is something which is very unique (in a good way) about Sloan. All those horror stories about inconsistent alumni interviewers shouldn't apply to Sloan.
3. The interviewer will have full access to your application.

Ok, back to the info session. The slide show was followed by a short video made by current Sloan students. I watched the video, waiting anxiously for signs of Yetis (Indian Male Engineers). Didn't see any - except for one fleeting glimpse (further justifying the name). Maybe the people who made the video didn't have any Yeti friends. At least that's what I told my 'MBA applicant panicky' self.

The video was followed by alumni introductions and the networking session. The alumni were very enthusiastic about the 'Global Entrepreneurship Lab' as apparently back then it was one of its kind. But I guess that's no longer a unique factor about Sloan. Every school I have investigated so far (Kellogg, Wharton, Chicago) has something similar to offer. I was however really impressed by the vibes that the alumni displayed towards each other. It was almost like a college reunion for them. I have to go to a few more receptions before I can draw any conclusions from this.

The networking session wasn't very productive for me. I hadn't done too much research on Sloan, so had nothing to ask. And my attempt to benefit from other people's insightful questions failed as most people were focused towards professing their admiration for Sloan. To make matters worse in all my Geeky glory I haven't yet figured out how to end a bloody conversation. So I spent way too much time on conversations which had ended for all practical purposes a while back. Next time round, I'll either research the school and have some questions to ask or just hang out over there and discuss the affairs of the world.

I had already decided to apply to Sloan and this session only reinforced that decision. Next week it is Stanford. Unfortunately Tuck has scheduled a reception on the exact same day. Since I am planning to visit Tuck's campus I should have been able to skip this reception without a second thought. But the reception is going to be at a Tuck alumna's house! I am so curious to see how that's going to work out. But Stanford it will be eventually.