Welcome to Yale SOM! Here are Some Things that Might be on Your Mind…

Additionally, with the holidays and admissions decisions/deadlines this month, now is a great time for some reflection and introspection for those looking to move into a business school program, and I wanted to provide some answers to some FAQs that we get on campus with regards to Yale SOM.  Hopefully they help address some questions prospective students may have about life at SOM, and provide some more insights into areas of interest. 

What is life in New Haven like?

It’s a bit chilly in the winter!  Definitely get a nice warm coat!  New Haven is certainly a quintessential New England city, and it has a ton to offer.  I came to New Haven from New York and was pleasantly surprised by the number of food options (SO much good food, wine, and beer options here, foodies! Not to mention an incredible selection of pizza and sweets/dessert shops), the arts and culture scene (Yale Repertory Theater, Yale School of Drama, Yale Symphony Orchestra, and the Yale Cabaret are all incredible, along with the Yale University Art Gallery, and Yale Center for British Art), and the general walkability of the city. 

At SOM, there are 3 main neighborhoods that students live in: East Rock (north of the school), Downtown (south of the school), and Mansfield (southwest of the school). East Rock and Mansfield tend to be family-oriented, homey neighborhoods with many old Victorian homes which have been converted into apartment units. Meanwhile, Downtown is more active, with a variety of apartment building units tucked between restaurants and bars.  All are great, safe options for students, and tend to be pretty affordable (especially if you’re coming to us from New York, Boston, D.C., or San Francisco!). These neighborhoods are all within 20 minutes’ walking distance of SOM (most are closer), though Yale has a robust free shuttle service to help make commuting as easy as possible.

What is recruitment like on campus?

Recruitment is something that students and the Career Development Office (CDO) take very seriously here at Yale SOM.  As such, the student body as well as the CDO have incredible resources to help with recruitment on campus, regardless of which industries students would like to enter.  Multiple companies visit campus just a few weeks after classes begin in the fall, holding corporate presentations, happy hours, and lunches to show students what their openings are, as well as to provide a sense of each firm’s culture.  These on-campus recruitment events are an opportunity for students to network with different companies, and determine whether a specific firm is a good fit.  Outside of corporate events, firms also post positions online through Yale SOM’s CDO website.  The CDO provides a wide variety of job search tools, trainings, and opportunities for career coaching to ensure students are the utmost prepared for recruitment.  Meanwhile second-year students head up career clubs (for example, I am part of the Consulting Club leadership team, and my peers head up the Human Capital Club, Finance Club, Private Equity/Venture Capital Clubs, Marketing Club, etc.) to help students with on-the-ground experience from their own recruitment processes.  The broad experience of Yale SOM’s student body means that peers frequently put one another in contact with connections who can help in job searches.  Access to Yale SOM alumni as well as Yale University alumni is also a boon.  Overall, the resources for recruitment at Yale SOM are incredible and make the stress of the recruitment process much easier to bear!

What extracurricular opportunities are there?

Extracurriculars at Yale SOM are many and varied, and most students engage with multiple clubs during their time at SOM.  My first year, I was a member of Consulting Club (as I was recruiting for consulting), Outreach Nonprofit Consulting (students are assigned to teams which help a local nonprofit organization with a business problem), and Nonprofit Board Fellows (students sit on the boards of local nonprofits to assist with an issue the board faces).  My peers are involved with Women in Management, Student Government, Marketing Club, Finance Club, Black Business Alliance, SOM United Soccer Club, Net Impact Club, Education Club, Energy Club, and many, many more.  Whatever your passion, there is an opportunity at SOM to get involved with it through a club (and, if not, getting a club started is an easy process).  Leadership positions are open to both first- and second-year students in some clubs (Women in Management, for example), while other clubs (many of the professional clubs, such as Finance Club, Consulting Club, and General Management/Operations Club, etc.) are predominantly led by second-year students due to their recruitment and work expertise.  Outside of clubs, there are also countless speakers who come to campus, both at SOM and at Yale University in general; one of the most recent speakers we had was former President Jimmy Carter. All in all, there are a huge number of extracurricular opportunities from which to choose at SOM; the hard decisions, unfortunately, will come from determining what to attend and what to miss.

As you consider business school options, I hope the above helps provide more color regarding what Yale SOM has to offer, and answers some of the questions you may have about SOM.  If not, feel free to reach out to me (susan.zhou@yale.edu) and send along what else is on your mind.  Have a great holiday season, and thanks for thinking of us here at Yale SOM!