Calling All Fall 2011 Yale SOM Applicants

In for Round 1! Good luck, everybody!

Roll Call PG Updated

Hi shadowsjc and nink,

What resources and opportunities are available to SOM students? (specifically in marketing/sales in the consumer/retail industry)

My personal preference is a highly collaborative and supportive culture. How would you describe the Yale SOM culture?

How would you describe your relationships with fellow students, faculty, and alumni at SOM? Are these enduring relationships?

How has the international experience benefited you the most and why?

In your experience, are there any misconceptions about Yale?

Culture-wise, it sounds like SOM would be an ideal fit. Keep in mind that the class size is one of the smallest of any of the top schools. In just the week and a half of orientation so far, I feel like I've gotten to know a huge percentage of my classmates already, and this is without classes having even started yet.

Speaking about alumni, I have already been in touch with several SOM alums working at various financial institutions, and they have been very helpful. However, it doesn't end there; in fact, I was also informed about an event that attracted Yale alumni from other branches of the school as well, including undergrad, medicine, law, etc. I attended this event and really clicked with many who were present. It's important to note since people are oftentimes put off by the relatively small number of SOM alumni, but they discount the much larger Yale alumni base.

In addition to my previous point about the small alumni size, another common misconception about the school is that it is not as "good" with finance type jobs. In my limited time, I've found this to be incorrect. There are plenty of grads and students working at big banks, either as associates or interns. In fact, a number of my classmates have already received internship offers at bulge bracket banks, even though classes have yet to start. These connections were made possible by the alumni network, the value and experience of the individual student, and also the value of the school's brand.

Thank you .... Very useful information.

I've noticed alot of articles referring to the MBA Oath and need to read more about it's mission. Is it included in the curriculum in anyway?

Posted from my mobile device

yesterday's WSJ had an article about the "oath" and how it means very little without the proper framework in educating MBA students. From the article: "The solution to ethical challenges in business is not to create an army of M.B.A.s who promise to do the right thing. Rather, as educators we must assume more responsibility by providing better, not less, leadership development. Only then might our graduates take an oath they can actually live up to."

Three SOM professors contributed to the article, and they teach various courses that help groom socially responsible leaders. The full article is featured here: https://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 83796.html

I concur.

1) I've already mentioned before that small class size is an advantage rather than a disadvantage. No one looks at you as an YSOM alumni. They look at you as a Yale alumni. Ask anyone. It is rather difficult to get into any of the Yale schools

2) Alumni Network: There is a difference between an alumni network of another bschool and Yale alumni network. If you've been to another top undergraduate institution where they tout great alumni network and you end up at Yale, you will see the difference right away.

3) Finance Jobs: If there are no finance jobs, then why would we have a week dedicated just for finance and consulting jobs and internships?

Shawdowsjc is probably experiencing what I've experienced last year and trust me.... his class (class of 2012) boasts superior statistics compared to my class and I am sure the next class will top his.

Oh btw, I did get my offer last week. Now I gotta load up on corporate law and bankruptcy related electives in my second year so I can be on par with those JD-MBAs I've worked with this past summer.

Thank you.

congrats on the offer!

Apping in R1.
I am interested in the Program on Social Enterprise Center at Yale SOM.
The website for this center is under construction, so I could not find any Career related figures on the website.
Can you help me understand how Yale is positioned in the whole Non-profits job scene.
Are there jobs available on campus fro students interested in a career in non-profits?
How is the Alumni network in this area?

Also, I do not have a great GMAT score (670 is my score), and Yale avg GMAT for class of 2012 has gone way up.
In this case I was still considering apping as I am mainly focused in the non-profit field.
Is this line of thinking correct? Or will I be better off apping to more realistic schools given my score?

1) Jobs in non-profit is not that difficult to find at any bschool. Because of many factors, typical MBA candidates don't really consider a career in the non-profit sector unless he/she has personal reasons, etc.

YSOM has great electives and career opportunities in the non-profit sector. Traditionally, we get unique and interesting opportunities in various areas of non-profit (charities, educational orgs, start-ups, gov't, etc). I've met a YSOM alum from 5 years ago who joined Teach for America after YSOM (not to teach students....if you were wondering, but in the corporate office) He worked in private sector before bschool and wanted to work in non-profit sector due to personal reasons.

Not everyone at YSOM goes into non profit sector. A lot of people tend to do summer internship in this sector and ends up going into for profit sector for various reasons.

Also, some students end up starting their own non-profit startup for various causes (social enterprise related, among others) while in bschool with classmates. There are resources available for students to start their own venture while matriculated.

2) Just because you put down non profit as your goal, it doesn't mean the adcom will be more lenient. There are people with GMAt score around 680 at YSOM every year. Everyone gets accepted because he or she is unique, and can bring something to YSOM. I wouldn't decide to apply or not apply just because of GMAT score.

I noticed that Yale stresses on community service more so than any other schools. As such, I would imagine that Yale would want to see some extensive volunteering, non-profit activities and such in a candidate's background. Can anyone comment on this? I am concerned because I have a lot of EC involvement, but not so much with volunteering... Thanks!

Doubt it. We do volunteer a lot while in school but all other top bschools see extensive community service (etc) as a plus.

But then, it also depends on the applicant. You wouldn't expect to see a lot of those on the resume if your work expects you to work 80+ hrs per week. Yale wants those applicants too!

Hi Nink,

Yale and Cornell are both my dream schools, and I can imagine myself being at one of this two.

However, since I'm still very young, I want to focus on applying to only one of this two amazing schools.

Could you please advise if there is much of a difference between the two in terms of chances of getting into IB in Asia?

Regards,
Louis

Yale's reputation is especially prestigious in Asia. (From what I hear from fellow classmates, they don't care whether you are from YSOM or Yale undergrad or Yale Law School. When they hear Yale, they go "Ohhhhhhhh" in awe... "

I don't think there was any direct OCR opportunities for IB jobs in Asia, but you do see non-OCR job opportunities via Career Services or other Yale resources.

I know few people who had summer opportunities in Asia (China, HK, etc) and not just from YSOM, but also from other schools such as NYU Stern and etc. I think the opportunities are there at a lot of the top schools because the schools need to attract foreign employers for its international students, etc.

Difference between Yale and Cornell? Once you get in, people tend not to debate between School X vs School Y like in these forums. (Well, at least not publicly...) Either school will allow you to do whatever you want to do. After you get in, it's mostly up to you (not the school). The school's career services or its reputation will help you get the interviews, but beyond that point, only you can help yourself.

How many sections are Yale first-years divided into?

Posted from my mobile device

4 cohorts of about 60 students each. you have all your core courses with the same bunch. you also have study groups of about 8-9 people who meet informally as needed to go over hw, readings, etc.

I'm in for Round 1. Frankly, YSOM wasn't really on my radar but the insights from Nink and shadowsjc have put it way up on my list.

Question for the group: In the Activities section, do you think it's detrimental to have less than the maximum 5 entries? I have 3 solid ECs that I feel good talking about, but to get to 5 I'd have to stretch a bit, and I don't want to make it seem like something I've had limited involvement in was among "the most meaningful activities" I've had since college. And, what do you think is and isn't appropriate to discuss in this section? Obviously charitable causes are great. What about sports? What other types of activities are people including here?