Welcoming the Class of 2014, Meeting the Class of 2015

This is an exciting time of the year, with school is in full swing after Class of 2014 orientation last month. My favorite part of orientation is the Day in New York, when the entire incoming class trains in to New York for lunch at the Yale Club followed by company visits and a gala reception at the New York Stock Exchange. This year, Laszlo Bock '99, senior vice president for people operations at Google, gave a wonderful address to the class -- and essentially told them what they need to do to get a job at a place like Google (not a bad way to start your MBA career). Senior Associate Dean Jeanette Gorgas and I then led a group of students on a visit to McKinsey's New York office, where some Yale SOM alumni and others shared their insights about the firm. And then it was off to the Stock Exchange. As I've spent time with them over the past few weeks, I am constantly reminded what an incredibly impressive group the Class of 2014 is, and it is always a personal thrill to welcome them to campus each year. The 249 students are not only smart (with an average GMAT of 717 and an average undergraduate GPA over 3.5), but they are diverse and interesting along many dimensions -- from their varied personal histories to their many professional backgrounds and career aspirations. Already they are learning from each other. At the same time that we are welcoming the Class of 2014 to campus, we in Admissions are already beginning the process of meeting members of the Class of 2015. I recently returned from a trip to South America, for example, where I spoke with some terrific candidates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru (and was briefly mistaken for Adam Levine from Maroon 5 in Lima, which is another story altogether). While I was in South America, other colleagues were hosting events both domestically and internationally. Looking ahead, I am excited to connect with alumni and potential future students next week in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where we will host two Yale SOM receptions and conduct some company visits (at Google, not surprisingly, among other places). And of course we have many more events (both in-person and online) coming up later this fall and into the winter, where I look forward to meeting more future members of the Class of 2015.