The EMBA Admissions Team’s Top Tips for Applicants
Advice for putting together your best application, from resume to recommendation and beyond.
With our Round 1 application deadline approaching in a few weeks, it is a busy season for the admissions team! We are looking forward to getting to know you and reading your applications. Here’s some advice from our team to consider as you start your application.
Your resume is a great foundation for your application and an opportunity to showcase your skills, leadership, and professional experience to the admissions committee. Aim to keep your resume to one or two pages and focus on your professional history, educational background, and career trajectory. Use your resume to tell us about yourself; feel free to briefly include other meaningful experiences (such as volunteer work, committees, or activities) that shape who you are on a more personal level. Be sure to proofread, include dates, and use spell-check before you submit!
—Liz Lewis, associate director of admissions
Each year, we work to build an incredibly dynamic incoming class. We thoughtfully review each candidate’s individual profile while taking care to consider their potential to contribute to the EMBA cohort as well as the broader Yale community. As you develop your application, be sure to focus on the unique perspective and voice you bring. These elements can be brought into focus through sharing your leadership experience, functional roles, career trajectory, academic exposures, management style, core values, interests, and background. It’s important to convey who you are to the admissions committee—communicating both how the program would positively impact you and how you would offer value to your potential classmates.
—Emily Whitehouse, associate director of admissions
Identifying a recommender is often stressful for applicants. A current supervisor who knows you professionally and can speak to your current work and accomplishments makes a great first recommender. I’d advise applicants to connect with their recommender as soon as possible and have a conversation to remind them of your contributions to your company so that they can write you a great letter of recommendation. Be sure they know the application deadline so that they have plenty of time to craft and submit their letter, and so that your application isn’t missing a critical component when it’s time for the committee to review your file.
—Wendy Tsung, assistant dean
Another important area to consider is standardized testing. We require the submission of a score as part of our holistic application review process, and we value this opportunity to consider your readiness for an EMBA program. We accept three exams: the Executive Assessment (EA), GMAT, or GRE. I recommend the EA; this exam is relatively short (90 minutes) and requires less prep time—key for a busy working professional. Check out our recent webinar on the EA for more information and tips, and be sure to sign up for a test date well in advance of your EMBA application deadlines. When those deadlines loom, you’ll be glad to have it in your rearview mirror!
—David Daniel, associate director of operations and marketing
We really want to get to know you personally. Your essays and the optional video questions give you the opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions committee and to let your character and personality shine through. The essays are short, so I recommend getting right to the point. They should have a beginning, a middle, and an end (just like when you wrote essays in high school!) and they should engage the reader so we will want to read more. You are welcome to ask a friend to review, but keep in mind that this should be entirely your own work. We encourage you to review our AI statement at the beginning of the application for guidelines on appropriate use of AI in this process. While optional, I also encourage you to complete the video response section, which will allow you to tell us more about your background, your experiences, and yourself in your own voice.
—Keith Gallinelli, director of admissions
We hope you find these tips helpful and that you’ll take the time to get to know us this year! An MBA is a major investment, and it is important that you take the time to explore how a program aligns with your personal trajectory, goals, and mission. This research will be invaluable for you, both in deciding on where to apply and in enabling you to put forth the strongest and most authentic application you can. Whether you’re wanting to apply in Round 1 or in the spring, now is a great time to begin that journey! Take the opportunity to submit a resume for pre-assessment, join an information session, or attend one of our upcoming webinars. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at emba.admissions@yale.edu.
