Yale SOM 2013 - Calling All Applicants

Thanks @OhDenny & @machichi! In the end, it was a pretty easy decision (signature link to the updated post).

For anyone going to Winter Welcome, if you want to split a cab from Union Station tomorrow (Sunday) PM me and we can talk details.

Has anyone done a Skype interview for SOM? I went to New Haven for my interview last week but unfortunately could not do my interview because Yale was closed for two days. So I now have a Skype interview scheduled for next week, and wanted to hear about others' experiences with Skype. I tested mine and there is a little lag and I feel like this might ruin the interview experience a little bit.

So if anyone has any thoughts/comments on Skype interviews, please let me know.

Thanks!

I had a Skype interview. Sound was patchy, so after a couple of minutes the interviewer suggested we turn off the video. Afterwards, the sound was fine although from that point it was basically a phone interview. We had a normal conversation nevertheless, I posted the questions a couple of pages back.

I had a Skype interview for Anderson and it was actually my best interview, in my opinion. Even though it was my 4th and I was comfortable with interviews already, I wasn't sure I'd be able to connect over Skype like one can do in person, but it was the easiest, most comfortable of them all. I had never used Skype before either, so I wouldn't worry too much about how this will be different than "in person".

@aerien @machichi @ohDenny

Any interesting insights / information on Winter Welcome?

Im a R2 international interviewed candidate

I didn't make it, so I'm waiting to hear too!

It was great fun! @ohDenny and everyone else involved in the planning did a great job in organizing everything and recruiting lots of current students to join in.

There was a lot of "this is why you should come to Yale" - since I had already decided to attend, I was able to focus on this more to confirm that I made the right decision (Dean Snyder talked about the need for global leaders, the behavioral finance lecture was fascinating, small group dinners were fun, speakers were great, all of the opportunities to interact with students and faculty were terrific)! I walked away feeling even more like I had made the right decision, and a lot of people who hadn't committed one way or another said that they were leaning toward Yale.

On a more practical note, I was able to meet with someone from financial aid and get some questions answered (VERY informative and cleared up some misconceptions, although it was very specific to my personal situation). While it's not currently a concern for me, a lot of people also started the "where to live" discussion this weekend with an eye on finding places in April.

All in all, a great two days!

I am VERY impressed at Yale’s ability to convert cross-admits.
Congrats!

Fun meeting some of the kids that visited... I only had to use my "why Yale" pitch a few times. Welcome to all the admits, we look forward to having you!

I'll echo a lot of what @skm said. *Warning: longer post than I expected it would be*

First, a huge huge THANK YOU to @OhDenny and the rest of the student and admissions organizers. It was really a well-planned event. We had multiple chances to meet with current students, professors, and the rest of the attending admitted students. We got to see a little bit of what New Haven has to offer in terms of variety of restaurants as well as what housing options there are. And, we even had an ad-hoc visit from an SOM alum who founded CarMax. He wasn't even on the planned schedule but was at SOM for a class visit and came by to give a few remarks!

For me, the biggest takeaway was that the SOM community is truly quite amazing. Everyone I met, including other admits, was really impressive, had an interesting, diverse background, and was really excited to not only be at SOM but to help continue the SOM legacy.

And I do have to say, the worry I had career-wise about not attending a "core" marketing/strategy/consulting/whatever school was completely assuaged. Yes, I have great options to attend one of those types of schools, but at the end of the day, I wanted to attend a school where I had a close-knit community, where I could either decide to stay in my current "traditional" career path or perhaps change career paths and do something completely off the beaten path -- and still be supported by my peers, the faculty, and the career office in either endeavor. I found that at Yale SOM and as @machichi said, I made the best decision of my life And recruiting-wise, all the options are still there! There are members of the classes of 2013 and 2014 (and alums too) who are doing exactly what I want to be doing. Sure, there aren't going to be 100 people doing the exact same thing I am, but I know the 20 people who are are really passionate about it and will do whatever it takes to get to their dream career. Needless to say, I'm in great company.

To the R1 admits who didn't make it out yet (*cough* @machichi *cough*) and to the eventual R2 admits, definitely definitely definitely come to the Spring Welcome in April. I'm planning on attending again, provided I can get the days off work, and I'd say most everyone I met is planning on attending again as well. It's a fun weekend and a great way to get to know all your potential classmates! @OhDenny, I didn't even mind the icebreakers that much...and I HATE icebreakers, too.

Not surprised to learn others had a similar experience with their Skype interviews. Reviewing my notes taken during the interview, I see that when such problems and were encountered during my meeting, my immediate suspicion was that they were probably covertly trying to test how applicants handle such unforeseen situations and difficult teamwork scenarios within the interview itself. Thinking so, I subtly delivered strategic calculated responses to meet the challenge by focusing my answers along a timeline to first emphasize overcoming adversity stories, followed by teamwork examples, etc.

I already bought my plane ticket for that weekend and can't wait! Looks like @aerien is driving me and my boyfriend to Tweed Airport. Yes, New Haven has an airport with cheap flights, who knew!?

I just learned a new ice-breaker today that I have already decide will need to be incorporated during Welcome Weekend. Muah ha ha!

I am just curious... Was Yale your first choice over Kellogg before starting the applications process??

Actually it wasn't. I started off this process assuming I'd be rejected at Stanford and then end up at Kellogg. I think part of it had to do with the fact that Yale reps weren't at any of the pre-application events I attended until after R1 deadlines had already passed. My love for Yale increased exponentially the more I learned about it and the more people I met. I got a taste at an event in SF in October, then my visit/interview day really impressed me, and finally the admitted student events sealed the deal.

PM me if you'd like to chat more.

Oh no...I have no car But I did basically get rides everywhere because it seemed like everyone (both current students and other admits) had a friend who happened to be driving to wherever I needed to go! For those counting at home though, I don't plan on getting a car and I'm 100% sure I'll be ok for groceries, traveling, etc

For your icebreaker, let @OhDenny know and see if he'll incorporate it officially. You ... uh... might want to keep it PG or PG-13 considering what happened with the ice breaker last weekend haha I doubt OhDenny thought we'd take it in the direction we did.. hope you didn't actually get "fired" from your elected post lol

Posted from my mobile device

Hey, is anyone going to the thing on Friday? If so, what time are you planning to get there? When I got the invitation, I was told that the activities started at 11 AM, so I booked a train ticket from Boston that gets me into New Haven at 10:30. However, I just got an email from them saying that the events starting at 9:30, even though the first thing on the schedule I see is an 11 AM presentation (aside from a 10 AM presentation by Women In Management that probably isn't necessary for a male such as myself). Further confusing things, when I call the number they give in the email all I get is a message saying that their mailbox is full and they can't take any further messages. I'll try calling again tomorrow, but I was hoping someone here could shed some further light on this.

Not sure what the "thing" on Friday is, but I'll assume it's an R2 interview/admissions event of some sort. If you're not going to the 10am presentation, then your current train reservation is fine. It takes maybe 10 minutes to get to campus if you cab it, and don't worry about coming in "late" or anything like that. There's a waiting area at admissions that's separate from the other rooms where they would hold panels, interviews, etc. At my interview people came in and out -- some arrived 5 minutes before their interview and some left immediately after, while others stuck around and met the other prospectives/current students. Your schedule is up to you as long as you make the important part(s) of the day! Good luck.