We have just posted the transcripts from our recent chat with MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School . Here are a couple of excerpts.

First from the CBS Chat with Linda Meehan, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions, and second-year MBA student Ed Cotler: 

Linda Abraham (Nov 1, 2006 9:49:39 AM)
Can you comment on Early Decision application volume this year and how it compared to last year’s volume?

LindaMeehanCBS (Nov 1, 2006 9:50:02 AM)
Linda: Early Decision applications are up, significantly.

Col2009 (Nov 1, 2006 9:53:12 AM)
Sound likes a competitive year to get admission. :(

LindaMeehanCBS (Nov 1, 2006 9:53:36 AM)
Col2009: It is competitive every year. :)

hams (Nov 1, 2006 10:13:50 AM)
Ed. People have commented that CBS is not as communal because people are mainly from NY. Is this your experience?

EdCotlerCBS (Nov 1, 2006 10:15:13 AM)
Hams: Mainly from NY? You should tell that to my friends from Kenya, Israel, Italy, Russia and Singapore. I definitely don't get the feel that it's a mainly "NY" school... people are from all over.

And now an excerpt from the MIT Sloan chat with Rod Garcia, MIT’s Director of Admissions; Jon McLaughlin, Assistant Director of MBA Admissions; and Alex Slawsby, MIT second year student.

kla1980 (Oct 31, 2006 9:51:35 AM)
Question: I am polishing up my essays for submission. Is the 500 word limit a hard cutoff, or is there some wiggle room? I have heard that +10% is considered an acceptable overage for many schools -- will Sloan look unfavorably at a 540-550ish word essay that still fits 1 page? I want to make sure I provide the proper details in my essays.

JonMcLaughlinMIT (Oct 31, 2006 9:53:34 AM)
Hi KLA- the 500 word limit it is not a hard cutoff, just use it as a guide and come close to the mark. Think of it like a meeting where the client has given you 1/2 hour. You don't want to run an hour.

gg (Oct 31, 2006 10:02:47 AM)
Hi Rod, I have a question - I have two options - to submit a not-so-furnished application in round 1, or review the application further and submit a fool-proof application in Round 2. I also would get the chance to visit MIT Sloan during these two months. What do you suggest? Would R2 be really bad?

RodGarciaMIT (Oct 31, 2006 10:03:26 AM)
GG: better to submit your application in R2 than submitting a half-finished work in R1.

MCuyegkeng (Oct 31, 2006 9:59:10 AM)
Thanks Alex. Is there any particular program / course specialty that you found truly excellent?

AlexSlawsbyMIT (Oct 31, 2006 10:01:20 AM)
MCuyekeng: Wow...there's a lot that I found excellent...I loved the core Strategy class, perfect combination of case method and theory. I'm taking a class right now in Practicing Management...this is a new course...much more than just theory without application or real-world challenges...we're simulating real business challenges in class and thinking through how to prepare for them, act on them, and then learn from them....

AlexSlawsbyMIT (Oct 31, 2006 10:04:00 AM)
What's amazing is that if you take the initiative, you can truly impact Sloan and MIT - so many opportunities to do so...to be a student, to TA/teach, to do original research and make an impact on an area that you're passionate about...I'm doing a thesis in organizational structures and innovation to better understand how organizations can structure themselves to be more competitive and to capitalize more quickly on new ideas.