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Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Status:Burning mid-night oil....daily
Posts: 2396
Given Kudos: 548
Schools:Yale SOM 2011 Alum, Kellogg, Booth, Tuck
Q44 V50
WE 1: IB - Restructuring & Distressed M&A
Re: Calling all Yale SOM 2009 Applicants!
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05 Jan 2009, 10:48
Okay, guys. I know this post is going to get me hell of a backlash from bunch of GClub regulars I interact with. I know I am fortunate enough to have admits to couple other schools that many people will kill for. But here it goes:
I heard from Yale SOM. I got the admit call with scholarship offer of more than $30K a year. (It was named after someone. I forgot who it was)
Now, most of my GClub friends know that my first choice was Tuck from the very beginning. Ever since I was waitlisted from Tuck, I’ve mentioned that I have no preference among the other schools (Stern, Yale, Booth, Kellogg, Haas) that I applied to. I was fully planning on accepting Kellogg admit even though I joked with others about considering Booth or waiting on NYU Stern etc.
I also said that I will go to the school that offers me the most money either in scholarship or financial aid package. As many of you know, I received both my BS Accounting and MS Management Info Systems from NYU. My parents paid for my undergraduate education in full but I took out a loan to pay for my MS degree. I still have about $20K left on the loan. When Booth and Kellogg didn’t offer me any scholarship money, I decided to wait for each school’s financial aid package before making any decision. But now with this Yale offer, my plans have changed completely. Even my fiancé (who is applying to Haas and Stanford only and so far refused to consider application to Booth or Kellogg) is beginning to realize that we might be spending the next 2 years on the opposite side of the country at this point. (at least the impression I got from her text messages after I told her the news)
Some of you might argue about limited opportunities (post-MBA) with Yale MBA vs. Kellogg or Booth MBA. I’ve mentioned that my goal (post-MBA) was either in sports-management or in Silicon Valley. (Silicon Valley is probably most likely scenario) I have no interest whatsoever in PE/VC/IB/MC career because I’ve seen how unhappy my friends and family members in those fields are/were. My fiancé worked at Bain Capital for 3 years before quitting for a job in Global Strategy group of LVMH. My younger brother worked at BlackRock for 3 years in risk management before quitting his job. Now he is in law school – hoping to become a public defendant. My roommate is currently at JP Morgan/Measurisk division and he is dreaming about quitting his job to escape to bschool everyday. And the list goes on and on. (Not to mention I have zero desire whatsoever to pursue career in accounting/finance after MBA…)
I’ve visited Yale SOM back in September and here’s list of pluses (for me) that I jotted down:
1) Intriguing newly revised curriculum
2) Smaller than average target class size every year
3) Not pursuing PE/VC/IB/MC career post-MBA. I pursued both my BS and MS degrees not because I loved them but because they would help me get a job. I want to pursue my last graduate degree (MBA) for the love of learning only. SOM, from what I observed, is a thinking person’s bschool. The new curriculum allows students to think broadly, be curious, and ask questions. Students are given raw data and are asked to work with that – rather than having a solved case that’s handed to them. I want to learn how to frame difficult problems correctly. Approach them in different ways. I don’t want to just plug in solutions for any problem (the way I approach problems right now at work), but to stop and think about them – and then come up with solutions. I think Yale SOM’s new curriculum is designed for shaping students this way.
4) I want to experience this new curriculum. When I started my bschool applications, I chose schools with established reputations (that I thought I had reasonable shot at). However, what’s important is the future. If I can gain what I can gain from Yale SOM and establish myself post-MBA, my future accomplishments will benefit Yale SOM. If Yale SOM ever breaks into Top 5 program, I want to be part of the reason. You can say that it’s my start-up mentality and love for under-dogs. (or pure stupidity….)
I already withdrew my applications to Haas and Stern today. I still have to speak to my fiancé about our plans before making my final decision. But as of now (and mostly likely), I will be heading to New Haven this fall. Thanks for all the advice, encouragement, and comments that you guys shared with me. The last 3 months or so has been a grueling period of time, full of joy and disappointments….. I am glad I found this community early, and I am happy that I was able to go through this experience with you guys.
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