2011-2012 Yale SOM application is now live!

I am very pleased to announce that the 2011-2012 online application for the Yale School of Management MBA Program is now live. To access the application and begin working on it, click here. In addition, although this information is contained in the application itself, below are the 2011-2012 Yale SOM application deadlines and essay questions.

Application Deadlines

Round 1 Application Deadline: October 6, 2011 Decision Notification: December 15, 2011

Round 2 Application Deadline: January 5, 2012 Decision Notification: March 22, 2012

Round 3 Application Deadline: April 12, 2012 Decision Notification: May 17, 2012 For those candidates applying to Yale SOM through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, whose mission is to enhance diversity and inclusion in American business, the deadlines for that application are November 15, 2011 (Round 1) and January 5, 2012 (Round 2). For both of these Consortium rounds, we aim to have decisions to applicants by the end of February. (Please note: If you are looking for information about the MBA for Executives: Leadership in Healthcare program, please visit their website.)

Essay Questions This year the application will continue to contain four short answer questions of 150 words each and two longer personal statements of 500 words each. Applicants must answer all four short answer questions. The personal statements contain a list of three essay topics, from which you must choose two topics and answer them in essay form. If you are a reapplicant, you must answer the reapplicant question as one of your personal statement essay responses. The questions are:

Short Answers Please answer each of the four (4) questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are going professionally, and why. (600 words total)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long‐term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA? (If you plan to use your Yale MBA to make a significant change in the nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. The intentions of our students to engage in a broad-minded business school community and to connect to an eminent and purposeful university greatly influence the Yale MBA experience. How do you plan to be involved in the Yale SOM and greater Yale communities?

Personal Statements Choose two (2) of the following topics and answer them in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

1. At the Yale School of Management, we believe the world needs leaders who:

• - Understand organizations, teams, networks and the complex nature of leadership;

• - Understand markets and competition in different contexts; and

• - Understand the diversity of economies throughout the world and the relationships between business and society.

What experiences have you had that demonstrate your strength in one or more of these areas?

2. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you perceive in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?

3. Imagine yourself meeting your learning team members for the first time in Orientation. What is the most important thing your teammates should know about you?

4. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

In the coming month we will post our fall recruiting schedule so that you will know how you can meet us -- both virtually and in person -- to learn more about the Yale School of Management. These events will include our online Application Tips Chat, which provides strategies and insights into the Yale SOM application. In the meantime, you can learn more through this blog (which I am committed to using more frequently this year!) and our online Discussion Board. Best of luck in the application process!