From the Assistant Dean for Admissions: My Top Insights for Applicants

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been sharing application advice with potential applicants through our Inbox Application Insights email series. As we approach our Round 2 application deadline on January 7, 2025, I want to share a “greatest hits” summary of this advice for those of you who might have missed the emails or who would like a refresher. These insights should give you some just-in-time advice; for a more comprehensive companion to the Yale SOM application, view our Application Guide.

The Essay

We have one required essay question with three prompt options: (1) Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made; (2) Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you; or (3) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced.

Insights:

• We give you a choice of three prompts to ensure that you’re able to write about the topic that is most important to you. We have no preference among the prompts; you can focus on personal or professional experiences.
• The most important aspect of the essay is to describe in detail the behaviors underlying the topic. Point to the specific actions you have taken relating to your chosen commitment, community, or challenge.
• You don’t need to explain how the topic connects with why you want to get an MBA, either in general or at Yale—there are other places in the application to do that.
• And, of course, don’t forget to proofread!

Letters of Recommendation

If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to speak to your recommenders about writing a recommendation on your behalf.

Insights:

• We care more about the quality of the relationship you have with your recommender than the title they hold. A supervisor who knows you well will provide us with the most meaningful perspective on your accomplishments, experiences, and professional background.
• It’s a good idea to have a conversation with your recommenders to prepare them and reflect on some of your experiences together.
• We encourage applicants to have at least one recommendation from a current supervisor. If this isn’t possible, consider your most recent former supervisor as the next best option.
• Entrepreneurs and employees of family businesses might consider getting recommendations from clients, vendors, suppliers, board members, or VC funders.

Your Academic Profile

One of the key elements the admissions committee assesses is your preparation for the SOM classroom. We do this by looking at your undergraduate (and, if applicable, graduate) transcripts, standardized test scores, and our Behavioral Assessment.

Insights:

• Your undergraduate record and standardized test scores are strong predictors of your performance in the MBA classroom, but they are just two data points. We look at your entire application holistically and don’t assign a fixed weight to any element.
• When looking at our average student test scores, you should focus less on the median GMAT or GRE score and more on the range of scores represented across each class. By definition, half the class is below the median, so using it as a benchmark can be misleading.
• We don’t have a preference between the GMAT and GRE.
• When evaluating academics, how well you performed in college is much more predictive than where you went to school. We analyze your overall GPA as well as individual course performance.
• The Behavioral Assessment, a non-cognitive instrument, helps us measure a set of intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies related to success in business school. It gives a fuller picture of each applicant and broadens our evaluative scope.

Your Work Experience

Just as we look at your academic performance, we also evaluate your past work experience to gauge your professional potential.

Insights:

• Your résumé is an excellent one-page encapsulation of your candidacy, especially your professional experiences. Make sure it highlights your roles, responsibilities, impact, and achievements. Try to quantify them whenever possible.
• If you’ve worked at a smaller, less well-known organization, including as an entrepreneur or in a family business, provide a brief description of the organization in your résumé for context.
• Use the Work Experience section of the application to highlight your professional impact and career progression. The Reason for Leaving section can showcase the thoughtfulness and intentionality behind your career moves.
• Silver Scholars applying as undergraduates should include internships and other professionally-oriented opportunities to give us a sense of your professional exposure.

Career Interests

We ask about your post-MBA career interests—but rest assured, admissions decisions are not based on them. We know the goals you express are variable and fluid.

Insights:

• While we don’t need a detailed road map of your future, we hope you’ve thought generally about how your graduate management studies will launch you into your desired post-MBA career.
• A good response in the Career Interests section will include not just your post-MBA goals but also the origins of these goals, how you’ve developed them, and how you’re positioning yourself to achieve them. Reflection and self-awareness are key.
• Your career interests will likely come up in your interview, offering another chance to expand on details that might not fit in your written application.

I hope these resources and insights help as you finalize your application. You might also be interested in viewing recordings of two of our recent events: Our Best Application Advice and Inside the Application, Literally.

We look forward to getting to know each of you better. Best of luck! If you aren’t already getting emails from our admissions team, you can introduce yourself on our website—stay tuned for more tips!

Bruce DelMonico
Assistant Dean for Admissions