The first time I learned about the LGO program was through my Chemical Engineering advisor at MIT, Barry Johnston. We had just had a career discussion - one of many, might I add! I remember saying, wouldn't be great if we could build a strong collaboration between MIT and industry? There is, he replied. It's called LFM (the old name for LGO).
Many years have passed since that conversation. I graduated from MIT, and entered the working world as an engineer at P&G. But my conversation with my advisor never left me. I knew I wanted to go back to school, and I wanted to combine my engineering skills with an MBA. After many discussions with mentors and advisors, I decided I was ready to apply.
The application process was a great deal of work. After I sent mine in, I put it all out of my mind - the months of studying for the GMAT, searching for that perfect recommender, the many hours spent poring over those essays...
Before I knew it, March was here - when we would be receiving our admission notifications.
I received a personal phone call from the program director, Don Rosenfield, congratulating me for being accepted into the MIT Sloan Leaders for Global Operations program. A Fedex package arrived with all the program materials, official Sloan business cards with my name on them, an invitation to Open House. A welcome letter notifying me that upon graduation, I would be receiving 2 degrees, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and a Sloan MBA. And that I had received a 65,000 grant towards tuition.
It was a lot of work, but it was all worth it, just for this moment. I can't wait to see where this next step in my career will take me.
Dear Maxine,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being accepted into the LGO program!
I'm considering applying for graduate school next year and would like to ask you a couple of questions if you don't mind.
First of all, have you applied to other graduate programs? Do you recommend other dual-degree programs? Second, just like you, I would love to go back to school. I am passionate about Civil Engineering and would like to combine that passion with some knowledge in Business and Management. However, I don't have specific areas of interest in either civil engineering or management, and I worry about that when it the time comes to write my 4 essays. Did you have similar feelings while applying to LGO.
I wish you good luck in your LGO journey I thank your time.
Looking forward to hearing back from you,
-Hashim
Hey Hashim! Yes I did apply to some other graduate programs. When I was deciding on where to apply, I felt MIT does the best job of combining engineering with the MBA. The only other dual degree program that's similar is the MMM program at Kellogg but that program grants you a masters in engineering management.
DeleteIt's ok if you don't know exactly what specifically you want to pursue in civil engineering/management. I would encourage you to write about what you do know (even if it is fairly general) and also think big and long term, eg where you might see yourself in 10 years sort of thing. The MBA is definitely a great springboard for a great position upon graduation. I also see it as a long term investment, something where 10 years down the line you will find the degree is still helping you move forward in your career.
Also check out this link: http://lgo.mit.edu/ms-civil-and-environmental-engineering-mba/
Each engineering department has several tracks - would be good if you know what track you want to pursue. Hopefully one of these fits with your interests.
Hope that helps!
Hello Maxine!
DeleteThanks a lot for this valuable information. I really appreciate your prompt response and helpful comments :)
-Hashim
Hi Maxine,
ReplyDeleteI'm a rising college senior who wishes to join the LGO program in the next few years. Could you talk about what kind of position you held in the industry and for how long before/during the LGO application process. I'm a senior right now in college, and I know thinking about MIT LGO is little too far-fetched, however, I do want to get some idea on what kind of work I should be doing to better prepare myself for the LGO application. I'm interning at an aerospace company this summer, and next year when I graduate, I think I will join the company as a regular mechanical engineering intern, rather than in any leadership position. However, I do wish to get into LGO 3 years down the road. Do you think the position/role I hold within a company matters? What if I only get to do technical work within a company, nothing leadership based really, all due to lack of opportunities? What are your insights/suggestions?
Thanks!