That's why I chose Yale!

So here is the Yale SOM version of "That's why I chose Yale". The reasons I chose Yale can be essentially found in my trading mindset - favorable odds! SOM has a small class size compared to any other school. And we do not step on the next person throat to get ahead. We practice what John Nash once said “The Best for the Group comes when everyone in the group does what's best for himself AND the group.” Both these reasons can improve your odds in achieving anything you want during and post your MBA. When you have a class of 230 students who come from diverse backgrounds, you are not competing. You learn from each other and help each other. A small class helps in formulating more meaningful friendships. Its diversity in backgrounds and ambitions also helps because not everyone is competing for the same thing. More importantly it increases the amount of face time you get with your professors. In my first two months, I got a chance to visit the NYSE trading floor with my whole class. No other business school can pull it off because of logistical issues. I also got a chance to help a professor (former central banker in India), whose announcements I had followed as a trader. The face time I got while working with him has been a tremendous learning experience. When I told this to my friends in other schools, their response was "There is too much competition for such prestigious assignments". I also attended networking sessions hosted by top Wall Street firms and was amazed to see that no one was trying to elbow the next guy and all my friends would take a step back to allow me in the circle surrounding the banker who was talking. I love competition and there is no dearth of competition at SOM. However, we play fair. That improves odds and helps you in surviving the traditional "hell week" and "hell month" (popular for October and November in most B-Schools). Oh and I forgot to mention - cheap alcohol at GPSCY, Yale's architecture, my love for pizza and the dungeon were some other reasons.