With decades of experience in banking and investment management, Jean-Jacques Degroof has been a venture investor and teacher since 2000. A PhD graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, Jean-Jacques Degroof also serves as an educational counselor for the MIT Educational Council (EC).

1. By Jean-Jacques Degroof

2.  With decades of experience in banking and investment
management, Jean-Jacques Degroof has been a venture
investor and teacher since 2000. A PhD graduate of
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of
Management, Jean-Jacques Degroof also serves as an
educational counselor for the MIT Educational Council (EC).
Formally established in 1950, the MIT Educational Council
connects secondary schools and potential applicants
throughout the world with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. As a personal point of contact for the school’s
extracurricular, social, and educational opportunities, the EC
works with the admissions and alumni offices. To reach the
largest number of people, the EC is divided into regions
overseen by a regional chairperson.

3.  Every educational counselor is an alumnus and has the
experience and unique perspective that comes from being a
former student.
The MIT Educational Council’s counselors remain active in
and knowledgeable of the school’s current events and connect
well with the general public, applicants, and their parents. The
counselors not only participate in central meetings, EC
gatherings, and smaller seasonal meetings, but also perform
key interviewing and recruiting duties. Through meetings with
area students, the counselors serve as a community resource
and help every interested student understand MIT and its
admissions process.

4.  As another part of their recruiting duties
involves reaching out to possible students
they identify through local media and other
organizations. In their role as interviewers,
the counselors speak with applicants one-on-
one before communicating to the school’s
admissions office with a summary report.
Additionally, the EC maintains a conflict of
interest policy to ensure that the educational
counselors operate fairly for both the school
and its potential students.