Yale School of Management Admissions Essay Requirements

Approaching the prompt

This single prompt requires you to answer four separate questions:

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?
2. What are your long-term career aspirations?
3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your Yale MBA to make a significant change in the nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)
4. The intentions of our students to engage in a broad-minded business school community and to connect to an eminent and purposeful university greatly influence the Yale MBA experience. How do you plan to be involved in the Yale SOM and greater Yale communities?

These questions are standard for MBA applications. What makes them different for Yale is that, instead of giving you a 600 word essay, Yale is being specific about how much weight they want you to give each of the questions. For the first and second questions, be sure to focus on your personal goals and not what Yale can do to help you achieve them. This information belongs in your response to the third question. For the third question, show that you have done your homework there and respond as if Yale had asked, “Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA from Yale?”

The final question is a little different from the usual MBA fare. Yale really couldn’t be less subtle: being selected to the Yale MBA program is a huge honor. In your response, be clear about how you will uphold the reputation of the school and contribute in a way that reflects how much Yale values its students having a global mindset.

Common pitfalls

Referring to Past Achievements: You’ll have plenty of room for that in the subsequent prompts, and Yale is requesting insight into what it is that you are looking to accomplish in the future. Focus on where you wish to be, how Yale can help you, and how you can enhance the Yale environment for the entire student body.

Not Seeming Familiar with Yale: Yale is looking for applicants who have made a highly informed decision to apply to their school. Demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched all of the program’s offerings and are confident that you will have a ‘home’ at Yale.

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Approaching the prompt

The ability to manage complex situations is the key to responding to this prompt. Therefore, in your response, be very clear about why the situation required you to navigate through intricate and multifaceted relationships, information, and environments. Instead of trying to explain a situation that reflects all three of the above, pick one: team work, competitive markets, or business and society. By doing so, you will provide the admissions officers with a more meaningful view into your experiences and your readiness for Yale’s MBA program.

Common pitfalls

Writing about something that was difficult, but not complex: Yale is not asking for the biggest challenge or obstacle that you have overcome. And you can write about a situation where everything went smoothly. The point is to show that the experience encouraged you to draw upon multiple resources and take a broad view.

Not Showing Leadership: Regardless of your particular approach to the prompt, remember that Yale is asking you about leadership. This can take numerous forms, and demonstrating leadership in a novel way makes for persuasive essay writing. But don’t expect the admissions officers to figure this out. It is your responsibility within the essay to clearly state how you demonstrated leadership in the examples provided.

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Approaching the prompt

Of the three, this is probably the most straightforward. However, it can be an emotionally difficult choice as it requires you to be forthright about either a mistake that you made or growth areas that needed to be addressed. Nevertheless, done well, choosing this response can really make your application stand apart from the crowd. Remember that your application to Yale SOM is a positive statement about your need to bridge gaps in your knowledge, experience, and general skill set. You could begin this essay with either feedback or an anecdote about an experience that did not go particularly well for you due to a weakness. We all have them. Show Yale that you are a person who has sufficient insight to know where your weaknesses are and can take proactive steps to address them.

Common pitfalls

Offering a Phony Weakness: The admissions officers at Yale SOM are highly sophisticated people. If you try the My-Weakness-Was-Really-My-Strength approach, they’ll see right through you. For this essay, you need to bare you soul a little – a very difficult thing to do for people accustomed to highly competitive environments! But keep in mind that the admissions officers at Yale are not going for the jugular. Be honest, and let Yale know that, when you perceive a weakness in yourself or it is brought to your attention by others, you take action.

Writing about a Feedback that You Didn’t Agree With: Other people’s perceptions of our growth areas don’t always reflect the direction we want to grow. And these can be the ones that are most difficult to hear. Never try to justify your actions or rebut the feedback. If that was the situation, you may not want to use that example in your Yale essays. There is an assumption in the prompt that the feedback had at least some merit to it. Write about feedback that, while difficult to swallow initially, help shape you into the person you are today.

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Approaching the prompt

Be a little careful with this prompt. Yale is asking for The Most Important Thing that you would want you team mates to know about you. Therefore, the essay should have a clear theme that ties together all of the examples you use. Choose anecdotes that demonstrate how you have developed along this path and why you are passionate about it. Keep the tone positive and energetic. Most of all, let Yale know how this passion and interest will enhance the Yale experience for all the members of your team.

Common pitfalls

Writing about Accomplishments: The focus of this prompt is who you are as an individual. The Yale admissions officers are not looking for an expanded version of your CV. Yes, you’ll need to include some of your achievements here. However, they should exemplify the character traits that you feel reflect the one thing that you most want others to know about you.

Being too Casual: Keep in mind that Yale is asking you to imagine meeting your team members during orientation. Although it is social, it is still highly focused. Tailor your response to the business environment. What is the most important thing for your team mates to know about you as it relates to Yale SOM? There will be plenty of time to get to know one another on a more personal level as you develop your relationships through successful team work.

Whether you need help with brainstorming, revising, or anything in between, EssayEdge can help you write the best essays that you are capable of.

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"Both of my editors provided excellent comments on how to improve my essays. I also liked that they didn't try to alter my style or make it their own essay." - Jennifer, MBA Standard Service