Defining a Real Sloanie
A guide for first-year Sloan students
I still remember when I was about 5 years old, it was my first day at kindergarten and I was scared to meet so many new kids.
But I recall it being less scary for me than for most of them because I knew how to tie my shoes. Spending my first few weeks helping others learn how to tie their shoes was a great activity to make some friends and above all, made my first few days a whole lot better.
Taking this memory into account, I want to help people learn more about MIT. Researching the fascinating world of MIT Sloan, you stumble a lot when it comes to Core, Tracks, Oceans, SIP, and it takes time to wrap your head around all of it.
Already six months into my own MIT Sloan experience, I still do not quite get it all myself, but I can offer you a head start – your alternative, non-official guide to become a real Sloanie.
- Sloanie – Someone from the MIT Sloan School of Management school. Not necessarily an MBA Student. Your first interaction with all Sloanies, that is all students across the different programs such as the Executive MBA or the Master in Finance, takes part at the Sloan Olympics or at the C-Function.
- Sloan Olympics – a fun evening where different oceans[1] and programs compete at many different categories. Bring your “A” game for Wheelbarrow Race, Dizzy Bat and Barrel Full of Sloanies!
- C-Function – Monthly student-organized celebrations. Specially known as Celebrations of Diverse Cultures. Each C-Function is generally organized by a different Sloan Club, for example the Japan Business Club or the Sloan Women in Management Club. Feel free to stop by whenever, Sloan Time does not apply.
- Sloan Time – Each course starts 5 minutes after its official time and ends 5 minutes before. This is extremely useful to navigate across buildings between classes, but you’ll need more than that in order to get to your 8:30AM E62-223 class on time.
- E52, E51, E40, E62 – That’s what you put in Uber when you want to be on time for class. Be specific. The Sloan building names are your friends. (All buildings at MIT are numbered, classic MIT). If you have any doubt of where a building is located, the MIT App has an interactive map where you can find them.
- MTC – The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship (E40) is a great shared space to work on, well, everything and it’s part of Sloan. Alternative uses: The place for a quick free cup of coffee, ramen noodles and energy bars!
- Free food – Hold your lunchboxes. You are going to eat a lot of free food. If It is at a CDO company presentation, town hall meetings, or just a way to close an evening class – it is real.
- CDO – The Career Development Office could be a place to link you to your future job, a place to sharpen that resume or practice your interview skills. Make sure you are not scheduling a mock interview on Thursday morning, after a BHP night.
- BHP – The Beacon Hill Pub is a Sloanie tradition on Wednesday nights. Try to avoid those Thursday 8:30AM classes (but remember, you can get there at 8:35, Sloan time!).
Finally, my favorite activity is going to The Yarn, an event where Sloanies share their most personal stories with the goal to go deeper and become more tight-knit as a Sloan community.
I hope this will make your first weeks at Sloan a bit easier, and you can help others along the way. And always remember to tie your shoes before running from an event to a recitation, from a class to a C-Function or from mock interview at the CDO to BHP! Good luck!
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