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A Week in the Life at Yale SOM

By Shay Liu ’23 | March 17, 2022

Shay Liu ’23 takes you along for a packed week at Yale SOM and around New Haven.

One of my favorite things about Yale SOM is that there is a vast amount of potential activities that can fill up your day. No day or week is alike! Here’s an overview of some activities from my afternoons and evenings during a recent week. (You’ll notice I’ve excluded mornings: I’m not a morning person and generally like to pretend mornings don’t exist.)

group of people sitting at a table, working and eating
Monday

Afternoon: Homework session with my learning team. At the start of the year, the school assigns a group of students who will be your family for the next two years. We spend a lot of time together getting organized for the week and doing group work together. 

Evening: I’ve been attending karate classes at Yale’s Payne Whitney Gym twice a week. It’s a great time to relieve any stressors from the week and get some exercise! 

class room discussion
Tuesday

Afternoon: Pictured above is Professor Jim Baron listening intently to my friend Amy share some great insights from her time as a consultant during a class discussion.  

Evening: Yale provides excellent medical coverage, and I’ve been seeing a physical therapist at Yale Health for some lower back aches. I always feel great after every session!  

people in a classroom listening to someone speaking to them via Zoom
Wednesday

Afternoon: I attended a lunchtime panel discussion on healthcare innovation and VC Investment. The guest speakers brought lively dialogue and insightful discussions on the future of investment and innovations in the digital health space. Lunch was delicious and catered by Ali Baba’s Kitchen. 

Evening: Justin Willman, magician of Netflix fame, is currently on tour. I went to see his show at College Street Music Hall with friends from my dormitory.  

Thursday 

Afternoon: Met with Yale’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee as part of my part-time role with Yale’s Sustainability Office.  

Evening: Successfully escaped “Before Moonrise” at Escape New Haven (an escape room facility located a convenient two-minute walk from Evans Hall) with fellow SOMers. This was one of many small group activities organized by our wonderful student life chairs Alice and Jenna.  

people skiing
Friday

Afternoon: I went skiing with some friends from the East Asian Studies and Master of Advanced Management programs. Connecticut has a lot of local ski hills that are less than an hour away from Yale. I’ve also made the trek to ski resorts in Vermont on other weekends.  

Evening: We had dinner at Sonobana on the way back from skiing.  

person checking in for Fempire Conference at Yale SOM
Saturday  

Afternoon: Attended the Fempire Colloquium. We had great speakers who discussed vital issues facing women in the workforce. 

Evening: Had amazing mashed potato pizza at BAR, where I was celebrating a friend’s birthday.  

large group gathered around a dining table at a restaurant
Sunday  

Afternoon: Had brunch with all the ladies from my Gold cohort at Olives & Oil.  

Evening: Biweekly Student Government meetings happen Sunday evenings. As co-chair of the Student Government Academic Affairs Committee, I shared updates on some meetings my co-chair and I had during the week with various SOM staff and faculty.