How to Get into Yale School of Management
- Yale School of Management Program Overview
- Yale School of Management Curriculum
- Yale School of Management Extracurriculars
- Yale SOM Notable Professors and Classes
- Yale SOM Statistics
- Four Tips for Committing to Yale SOM
- Application Requirements for Yale SOM
- How to Answer Yale SOM’s 2024−2025 Essay Prompts
- Yale SOM FAQ
Yale School of Management Program Overview
Do you want to immerse yourself in an education that will provide you a full passport stamped with complex business issues and personal interactions that traverse the globe? At the Yale School of Management (SOM), you will be surrounded by global talent from across all sectors and regions with a broad range of backgrounds and interests—the latest incoming class consisted of 44% international students and represented 40 countries and more than a dozen industries.
Being a SOM student, you will learn that passion is the main agent driving students’ purpose. Even though such traditional post-MBA career options as consulting and financial services are very popular among SOM graduates (34.2% and 25.1%, respectively, of the Class of 2021 accepted jobs in these fields), you can still find a plethora of other options, including retail (10.0% of the Class of 2021), consumer packaged goods (5.8%), and media/entertainment (3.8%), all of which are represented within the SOM elective course catalog. Or you may even find yourself pursuing a career in economic development, foreign government, and environmental policy; these fields are not only celebrated among your peers at SOM but also supported by both faculty and administration. “The career center is great,” a Yale student and former Stratus client told us. “I am happy to say that the resources provided by the CDO and professional clubs helped me land two internship offers. I highly recommend meeting with different coaches until you find someone who you really connect with. I meet with two CDOs almost every week!”
If you are interested in taking an integrated, rather than functional, approach to business learning, SOM may be the program for you. At Yale, you will develop a unique approach to problem solving and strategic decision making that encompasses the priorities of all stakeholders. By design, SOM is distinctively global. The ability to work cross-culturally is a core skill that students can practice further beyond the classroom through exchange programs and International Experience courses that culminate in ten-day trips to various capitals. SOM is a member of the Global Network for Advanced Management, which brings together students from top-ranked business schools via virtual courses and such events as Global Network Week.
The relatively small class size (349 students within the latest incoming class) allows for a close-knit, supportive culture. The beloved SOM tradition Closing Bell brings students, faculty, and staff together each Thursday after classes wrap up for the week—some Closing Bells have themes, such as the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival. Before starting classes, you will be placed in a diverse team that will work together throughout the first year. Working successfully in teams is crucial to your success at SOM and beyond.
Yale SOM uses a “raw case method” that is vastly different from a “cooked case,” which consolidates a business scenario into a ten-page narrative focused on a specific learning outcome. In the raw-case method, students are presented with particular issues and must research and analyze disaggregate pieces of information from vastly different sources to develop strategic action. The raw-case curriculum is critical because it best prepares students for work in industry post–business school.
Yale School of Management Curriculum
The Yale SOM core curriculum is notable in how it connects the pieces of a business school education into a meaningful whole. Courses include the fundamentals, such as CAPM and net present value; however, the first-year courses are carefully planned to create an understanding of the entire organization, eventually building to address business’s impact on society. Unlimited elective choice throughout Yale University enables students to pursue intellectual interests and develop habits of inquiry and analysis that will benefit them as leaders. The curriculum also equips students with a global approach to problem solving, evident in the presence of international students, strong emphasis on students’ travel abroad, and international raw-case examples. The global nature manifests in all spheres of the SOM experience. Leadership development is essential to the SOM curriculum. The courses are rooted in equipping students with a personal knowledge of strengths and weaknesses, emotional intelligence, managing and delivering feedback, diversity, organizational design and culture, as well as civic engagement and community building. All of these competencies are continuously reinforced in the structure of the curriculum.
SOM students can start taking electives in the spring of the first year, and the second year consists solely of electives and global study and travel. Global study course options include weeklong trips to business schools around the world, virtual courses, and working abroad with an international nonprofit organization. Yale SOM doesn’t have concentrations. Students have the flexibility to select from the vast array of electives in such areas as corporate strategy, technology, finance, impact investing, sustainability, and corporate governance. In addition, SOM is well integrated with the larger university, and students can leverage the course offerings at Yale’s other graduate and professional schools.
One Yale student and former Stratus client said, “‘Customer’ was my favorite core class so far! I was working in the marketing space before coming to SOM, but this was my first academic marketing class, so I loved learning more formally about the frameworks and approaches marketers often reference. I am also really enjoying ‘Operations Engine’ with Lesley Meng because she is just the coolest.”
Yale School of Management Extracurriculars
Yale SOM offers many opportunities to engage with classmates outside of academics. Hockey is especially popular because of the climate and because the Yale hockey rink, “The Whale,” is close to the school. If hockey isn’t your forte, perhaps you’ll find solace with the SOM United Soccer Club. SOM extracurriculars also include much more than sports: the school boasts a strong, supportive women’s network that has countless male allies. Women in Management successfully engages women’s support groups, like Yale Law Women, to promote and bring awareness to topics relating to gender equity and the advancement of women. Other clubs range from regional (including the Japan Club and the South Asia Club) and industry based (the Investment Management Club, the Marketing Club, and the Real Estate Club, to name a few) to affinity (the Christian Fellowship, the Arts and Culture Club, and the Partners Club).
Yale SOM, along with student groups from across the university, holds several student-run industry conferences. The conferences offer a wide array of leadership opportunities and serve as an integral part of the student experience. Hosted with students from the Schools of Public Health, Medicine, and Nursing, the 2022 Yale Healthcare Conference theme was “Taking the Pulse: Humanizing Healthcare Through Patient-Centered Innovation.” Panel discussion topics included “Breaking Down Barriers & Boosting Representation: Reimagining Clinical Research” and “Spotlight on Patient-Innovators.” Other SOM conferences include the Philanthropy Conference and the Private Equity and Venture Capital Symposium.
One of the most beloved SOM traditions, the aforementioned Closing Bell is a social event that takes place on Thursdays in Evans Hall and allows students to mingle with each other, faculty, and staff in an informal setting. Student-led clubs also have a chance to share more about themselves, and some Closing Bells have themes; recent ones have included Diwali, Asian Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chinese New Year.
Yale SOM Notable Professors and Classes
William N. Goetzmann
William N. Goetzmann serves as the Edwin J. Beinecke Professor of Finance and Management Studies, the faculty director of the International Center for Finance, and the faculty director of the asset management curriculum at Yale SOM. His expertise lies in such fields as behavioral finance, hedge funds, financial crises, real estate, and financial markets. Professor Goetzmann teaches such courses as “Portfolio Management: Alternative Portfolios,” “World Financial History,” and “Cases in Commercial Real Estate.”
Nicholas C. Barberis
Professor Barberis teaches the “Behavioral Finance” course at Yale SOM and has received both the Yale SOM Alumni Association Teaching Award and the Emory Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching numerous times. He is an expert on behavioral finance—“in particular, on applications of cognitive psychology to understanding investor trading behavior and the pricing of financial assets,” the school’s website explains. He is the Stephen and Camille Schramm Professor of Finance at SOM.
Gary B. Gorton
Gary B. Gorton is the Frederick Frank Class of 1954 Professor of Finance and teaches the courses “The Digitalization of Money” and “Capital Markets.” His research interests include financial markets, financial regulation, and financial crises. Prior to joining Yale SOM, Professor Gorton taught at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for 25 years.
Creativity and Innovation
With an aim to understand the creative process and creative development, this course uses case studies, lectures, reading materials, and group discussion to explore the topic. The course discusses creativity not only in the field of business, but also the arts as well as science and technology.
Interpersonal Dynamics
This popular course is “designed to help students learn some of the skills necessary to build more open and effective working relationships,” the course description reads. Using group exercises and reading materials, students learn to navigate small group settings in the workplace to become more efficient managers.
Financing Green Technologies
This course explores the topic of renewable energy via real case studies ranging from early-stage ventures to established companies. The course, which is also available for non-SOM students from Yale with a background in finance and business strategy, discusses the topic from the viewpoint of an investor and, according to the course description, aims to have students “leave the class better prepared to address major issues and seize new opportunities in clean energy finance.”
Yale SOM Statistics
Class Profile (Class of 2023)
Class Size: 349
Average Work Experience: 4.4 years
Average GPA: 3.69
80% GPA Range: 3.30–3.92
Women: 43%
US Minorities: 20%
International Citizenship: 44% (includes US permanent residents and dual citizens)
Average GMAT: 730
80% GMAT Range: 690–760
Average GRE Verbal: 166
Average GRE Quant: 165
Career Placement (Industries, Class of 2021)
- Consulting: 34.2%
- Finance: 25.1%
- Retail: 10.0%
- Technology: 10.0%
- Consumer Packaged Goods: 5.8%
- Media/Entertainment: 3.8%
- Energy: 2.9%
- Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals: 2.9%
- Government: 2.1%
- Nonprofit: 1.3%
- Law: 0.8%
- Transportation: 0.8%
- Real Estate: 0.4%
Geographical Placement (Class of 2021)
- Outside the US:
- Asia Pacific: 40.0%
- Europe: 30.0%
- Central America and the Caribbean: 10.0%
- South America: 10.0%
- Africa and Middle East: 5.0%
- Canada: 5.0%
- United States:
- Northeast 52.1%
- West 25.6%
- Midwest 8.4%
- Mid-Atlantic 6.5%
- Southwest 4.7%
- South 2.8%
Four Tips for Committing to Yale SOM
Yale SOM wants to know who you are beyond the application, what makes you tick and to what you are devoted. The best way to understand this is by asking about your biggest commitment.
The Yale SOM essay prompt, “Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made” is a great platform to unveil to the admissions committee who you are. This will be the third year asking this question; a question which was developed in collaboration with Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor of organizational behavior at SOM. In asking this question, the Admissions Committee is interested not just in the commitment itself but also in how you approach the commitment and the behaviors that support it. The underpinning of “commitment” includes four elements: being genuine, identifying a passion, explaining the challenges you faced, and what you learned.
So as you look to structure your essay, here are the four points to remember:
1. Be Genuine
Commitments can come in many forms. While “saving mankind” might be the ultimate commitment, few of us actually spend time doing this. Instead think “smaller” and more authentic; maybe your biggest commitment is playing the piano, improving your spoken English, helping your parents as they age. Don’t be afraid to share this.
2. Identify an interest or passion
Think about the biggest endeavors you have embarked on and why you have remained steadfast to them. Think about what excites you and what your passion is. Remember, the admissions committee admits individuals, not accomplishments, so how has this commitment shaped who you are as a professional and as a person.
3. Capture the Challenge
Ask yourself why was this commitment made? What were the challenges you may have faced? How has this commitment evolved over time? What challenges were the most difficult for you? Why?
4. Share the lessons learned
What were the developmental takeaways from the experience? What learnings have you gained from making this commitment? What learnings can you share with your classmates? Commitment implies growth over time, how did you grow?
You have a mere 500 words to share a passion and tell how it has shaped you into who you are. Only then will the admissions committee will be able to see you as a person, not as a resume.
Application Requirements for Yale SOM
Bachelor’s degree and transcripts
Yale SOM requires all applicants to have completed an undergraduate degree (or its equivalent if the applicant graduated outside of the United States) and to provide unofficial academic transcripts with their application. If the applicant is granted admission to SOM, they will need to provide official transcripts.
“As with your entire application, we are very interested in the whole picture. What was the progression? Did you have an opportunity to take courses outside of your major? Were you working a job in undergrad to pay for your education? There are so many other factors that provide context and nuance to your academic record, and we very much want to understand that contextual information as we review your academics,” the school states on its website.
Resume
All Yale SOM applicants must submit a resume with their application. “Your resume is a great place to ground your application,” the school notes on its website, continuing, “It’s a quick and easy way for the committee to see what you’ve been doing throughout your life and career in a chronological way. Simple stuff: Proof-read it and spell-check it.”
Recommendations
Yale SOM requires two recommendation letters from all applicants. In business school applications, obtaining a recommendation from a direct supervisor or a manager is usually the best option. If you do not have a current direct supervisor or manager, consider past supervisors, colleagues, or clients, based on your work situation. Family members, friends, and professors are typically not suitable recommenders.
“We care more about the quality of the recommendation than the title of the recommender, so you should be guided by the substance of the work relationship rather than the seniority of the position,” the SOM website reads.
Test scores
Yale SOM accepts the GMAT and the GRE to fulfill the test score requirement. The school accepts self-reported scores for the application but asks for official reports if a candidate is admitted. For the Class of 2025, the average GMAT score was 720 and the middle 80% range was 680–760, while the average GRE quantitative score was 166 and the average verbal score was 164.
Anything else?
An interview and one essay are also required of Yale SOM applicants. Interviews are conducted on an invitation-only basis by admissions committee members, second-year students, or alumni, who have not reviewed the application beforehand. These are some of the questions that are commonly asked during SOM interviews:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want an MBA and why Yale SOM?
- Talk me through one project where you had to lead.
- Tell me about a time when you faced confrontation.
- What classes, clubs, or conferences excite you at Yale SOM?
How to Answer Yale SOM’s 2024−2025 Essay Prompts
The SOM invites you to choose the prompt that speaks most to you, so pick the question that you think will allow you to best communicate your character and values. There is no “right” prompt, so be honest with yourself about which option gives you the greatest opportunity to demonstrate your fit with the SOM and its value.
- Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?
- Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?
Click here to read our advice on Yale SOM’s essay questions.
Yale SOM FAQ
What is Yale SOM best known for?
Yale SOM carries worldwide name recognition for the greater university, and the business school is known for its entrepreneurial culture, its global yet close-knit community, and its various research centers. Although the majority of each graduating class tends to go into consulting (nearly half of the Class of 2022 did so), SOM graduates also accept positions in such fields as finance, consumer packaged goods, health care and pharmaceuticals, and technology.
How much does tuition cost?
Estimated cost of attendance for the Yale SOM full-time MBA program is $114,860 for the 2023–2024 academic year. This includes tuition for three semesters, room and board, health insurance, and such additional fees as books and personal expense.
How difficult is it to get accepted into Yale SOM?
As is the case with all top-ranked business schools, Yale SOM has a competitive acceptance rate. In 2022, the school received 3,237 applications and admitted 894 applicants. This means that approximately 27.6% of applicants received an invitation to join the program. Out of the 894 applicants who were admitted, 347 decided to enroll.
Yale SOM may be best known for its strengths in management consulting and finance, but do not let a school’s reputation steer you elsewhere if it doesn’t seem like a perfect match right away! SOM graduates are also known to start their own businesses and work in fields ranging from nonprofit and sustainability to retail and consumer packaged goods.
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