My begin our tour of the Elite Cluster with Yale SOM. The study of management has taken a somewhat unusual path at Yale. Yale started its program c.1976 offering the MPMM degree (a masters in private and public management). Yale stressed the management of both private and public organizations (Note: this is not as strange as it might seem since Chicago GSB was first called the College and Commerce and Politics in 1898 and many schools still include public and private management in the same College, School, or Department but usually with different degree tracks). Early attempts to make Yale's program more "conventional" were met with resistance and Yale is still known as a place that attracts "unconventional" MBA students.
Yale SOM presents some obvious advantages. Yale University is regarded as one of the best universities in the world and has what generally regarded as the finest law school in the United States. It also enjoys considerable placement success with major finance firms. For students who are interested in public management, NPM, or the social implications of business Yale should receive serious consideration.
There are also some disadvantages to contemplate. Yale SOM has few almuni compared to many of its Elite/UltraElite rivals. Unlike other relatively new entrants to the MBA field (such as Duke) the SOM took a long time trying to determine whether it should be a "business school" or something far broader. If you are not particularly interested in the more public-oriented forms of management, Yale strengths in these fields might not be too relevant to you.
The center of the distribution is quite typical for Elite schools in the 700/3.5 range.