Warning. Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home ahead.
Peter Parker’s desire to attend MIT alongside his best friend and girlfriend is a key plot driver in No Way Home. While by the end MJ are Ned are headed to MIT, without any memory of Peter, Peter’s own higher education plans are left ambiguous. The ending makes it seem likely though that Peter will be attending some sort of local community college in New York.
Which got us thinking: what if three years after the movie Peter decides to finally fulfil his high school dream of attending MIT by…applying to MIT Sloan’s deferred MBA program!
Deferred MBA programs are a way for students in the final years of their undergraduate degree to apply to MBA programs. Successful applicants are given “deferred” entry. In MIT Sloan’s case this means that those who are admitted are responsible for getting between two and five years of work experience, and then join the MBA classroom once they feel they’re ready.
No Way Home makes clear that Peter is a scientist and mathematician at heart which makes it likely that his undergraduate degree will be in a hard science. This is great news for Peter’s chances at Sloan since deferred MBA programs typically have a preference for non-traditional applicants with science and engineering backgrounds.
Find our imagining of his application below.
Here’s MIT Sloan’s prompt for the cover letter, and below it what we imagine Peter’s response looking like:
MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity and respect passion.
Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Assistant Deans of Admissions Dawna Levenson (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).
Dear Dawna Levenson,
I am writing to highlight all the ways I fit the criteria Sloan seeks in the hopes of being offered a place in the Deferred MBA Program. I start by revealing to you that I am Spider-Man. I do this because my alter-ego tends to attract trouble, leaving me to grapple with the ethical dilemma of applying to programs without informing the admissions committee about the risk I bring. By preemptively revealing this I hope to have shown how I preempt unconventional dilemmas.
As is befitting an institution that has had 37 Nobel winners amongst its faculty, MIT seeks those of excellent intellect. Being selected for mentorship by MIT alumnus Tony Stark, easily the greatest intellect of the 21st century, is testament to my intellectual capability and potential.
Before I met Mr. Stark though, I’d already become Spider-Man having designed the persona, suit, and (cutting-edge) web shooters. In a world filled with colourful heroes I’ve left a mark. I’m not the only hero based in New York: Jessica Jones has capabilities arguably more impressive than mine and there remain persistent reports of a “Devil in Hell’s Kitchen”. Yet I’ve stood out, showcasing my creativity and determination to put my stamp on the world.
Sloan also seeks thoughtful leaders. I demonstrated my thoughtful approach to leadership when I stood up to Dr. Strange and refused to abandon Norman Osborn, Otto Octavius, and the other multiverse visitors to their fates and instead fought to rehabilitate them. My willingness to hold firm to my convictions and disagree with someone of Dr. Strange’s caliber is an indication of my independence, integrity, and fearlessness – all qualities Sloan expects in its students. My approach to leadership is best summarized by my Aunt May’s final words to me: with great power there must always come great responsibility.
Sincerely,
Peter Parker
MIT Sloan is unique amongst elite MBA programs in asking applicants for an organization chart. While candidates for the deferred MBA program aren’t required to submit one, they have the option to. Click on the image below to see a larger version of how we’d imagine it:
The prompt is:
Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!
One can imagine the video looking something like this:
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