Meet Yale SOM’s MBA Class Of 2022

PUTTING THE MBA IN ROOMBA

True to Yale SOM’s love of liberal arts, the Class of 2022 includes several students from the humanities. Brett Davidson brands himself as “Southern charm crossed with SoCal swagger.” Why not? At Disney, he was involved in the strategy and development side of the house, where he has witnessed the entire process from script draft through release. Along the way, he has worked on films like La La Land and John Wick, plus television programming like Grown-ish and Good Trouble. On the opposite coast, Jason Gray became the founding program director of the Black Arts Institute, an actor training program.

“[It is] an educational platform offered as a partnership between Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Billie Holiday Theatre in New York,” Gray writes. “I helped to conceive and organize a conservatory program where Black artists from around the world could learn about the Black Arts Movement and Black theater techniques from a faculty of legendary artists and leaders in the field. Artist training in a community of affinity is still a pretty rare idea, but I witnessed first-hand that it can have enormous power.”

Then there’s Anna Lincoln-Barnes. She was a project manager on the team that created the vacuum’s smart mapping feature. On paper, the project represented a major leap forward. In practice, she writes, it was a nightmare – “fixed launch date, critical feature, and lots of uncertainty because we were inventing new technology.” That doesn’t count the R&D and engineering teams operating on different coasts! Despite this, she adds, the team jelled and produced a game-changing product.

“My official role was that of Scrum Master. Because things were so hectic, I got to “be the glue” and wear lots of different hats depending on what the team needed. On any given day, I’d present a project plan to executives, run a stand-up for the team, coordinate the deployment of a new test software package, and then rushed home to test that new software on the Roomba in my apartment. I learned more about computer vision than I ever thought I’d need to know…. I’m proud of what we produced, but I’m prouder of that team bond.”

A  HUNGER TO LEARN AND GROW

How strong was that bond? “I even convinced some of the engineers to read Jane Austen novels,” jokes Lincoln-Barnes, who holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature.

So how does a theater wonk end up in tech? Admittedly, Lincoln-Barnes loved the “camaraderie and purpose” that came with productions – even the 15-hour shifts! While fending off burnout, she took a flyer on a scrum master opening – despite having never written a line of code. In this role, she discovered that what she loved about theater actually applied to business as well.

“After a few months, I realized that my love of theatre had never been about the art. It was about belonging and making things with other people – and I had that in spades at SimpliSafe. I was surprised by how well I could thrive at a tech company, and I started to wonder where else I could thrive.”

Patricia Daniel experienced a similar “plateau” in her work. In the end, it fueled a curiosity – a craving even – to test her limits. “This sense of monotony inspired the soul-searching process to determine what my next move should be. Once confirmed, I quickly realized that I was not yet equipped for my next move. Because of this, I am ready to approach business school with utmost hunger to learn and grow. One way this “hunger” will materialize is by pushing myself to do things that scare me.”

YALE MEANS HOCKEY

This was a moment of truth for Daniel, one faced by Matthew Archuleta nearly a decade earlier. In high school, he had to choose between two paths. He could enjoy the traditional college path at Notre Dame and UCLA, filled with afternoon games and evening mixers. Or, he could choose West Point – where they would ‘send me into a tent in the cold.’ As you can imagine, Archuleta pursued the road less traveled.

“I saw how West Point made leaders, and I knew that it would mold me into a better person. It’s very hard for an 18-year-old to turn down the freedom of the standard college experience, but I believe that defining moment led me into pursuing a life of service and achievement for the sake of a team. The academic rigor and strict discipline at the academy showed me what I was capable of and prepared me for the sacrifices needed to leave the only career I’ve ever known to chart a new path.”

Now, Archuleta can finally experience what he missed. At Yale SOM, that starts with Hockey Club. “It is a rite of passage, notes Bhargav Viradia, “and an essential step in the bonding with second-year MBAs through an annual competition called the Garstka Cup!”

40% INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

This cycle, Yale SOM attracted 3,450 applications, up 259 from the year before. Overall, the school accepted 29.7% of applicants, with 350 students ultimately enrolling in the Class of 2022. The class brings an average GMAT and GRE of 720 and 315 to New Haven, with a 3.63 average GPA that outpaces Wharton, MIT Sloan, Dartmouth Tuck, and Northwestern Kellogg.

The class features a 61%-to-39% split between men and women, the percentage of women down three points. True to Yale SOM’s reputation as a truly global program, the Class of 2022 consists of 40% international students. While this represents a four point decline, it is actually the second-highest concentration of non-American students among the M7. The class also includes students from 46 countries, nearly equal to the year before.

Academically, the largest segment of the class holds undergraduate degrees in Humanities and Sciences. They account for 29% of the class. That 29% figure is matched by STEM majors. Business and Accounting composes 22% of the class, edging out Economics by two points.

In terms of professional services, the largest class segments are found in Financial Services (23%) and Consulting (19%). A sizable bloc of seats is also held by students who previously worked in the following sectors: Non-Profit (11%), Technology (10%), Government (8%), Media and Entertainment (7%), Consumer Goods (6%), and Healthcare (4%).

AN INTEGRATED CURRICULUM

What comes to mind when you ask MBAs about Yale SOM? Think “integrated” or “interdisciplinary” to start. Like all MBA programs, the first year core opens with the usual fare: accounting, statistics, management, economics, and negotiation. From there, it veers into an unexpected direction, with “organizational perspectives” courses that take students inside the roles of customers, executives, and society at large.

“A portion of the first-year curriculum focuses on learning fundamentals from different perspectives such as customer, competitor, and investors,” explains Bhargav Viradia. “This “perspectives” approach is a unique way of learning business, as it puts me in the shoes of different stakeholders. Given the relentless push for collaboration in the work environment, these outlooks make it easier to understand and address varying concerns that I will have to deal with as a leader.”

Here’s the best part. After completing the core, students can take any of their electives outside the SOM. In other words, students are free to truly personalize their learning and apply it to their larger purpose.

“Yale SOM’s integration with the broader Yale community was a critical selling point for me,” adds Ethan Everett Boswell. “As a person with interdisciplinary interests, the ability to take electives ranging from creative writing to computer science really excites me. Also, the copious amounts of apizza (New Haven-style pizza) are pretty compelling as well!”

SOCIAL SECTOR ALIVE AND WELL

Prospective students often associate “Non-profit” or “public sector” to Yale SOM too. Certainly, the program consistently ranks as the top MBA program for non-profits according to the annual U.S. News survey of business school deans and MBA directors. That said, just 2.6% of the Class of 2019 ended up in the non-profit roles. Still, the program’s ‘social’ sensibility brings a dimension that benefits candidates regardless of their concentration.

“SOM does have a focus on the social sector, and that’s one of the things I love most about it,” explains Helen Knight, a McKinsey associate and 2020 P&Q Best & Brightest MBA. “But you can also have a rewarding experience here if you’ve never worked in nonprofit and never want to do so. What’s special about SOM’s approach to its mission is that it’s holistic—our finance courses are world-class, and they’ll prepare you for a career in finance. However, they also incorporate a social perspective because our theory is that the social perspective is present in and critical to every subject and every career.”

In 2019, Bloomberg Businessweek also surveyed employers on the top business schools in various dimensions. Turns out, Yale SOM ranked 6th in students being both Innovative and Creative and Entrepreneurial. In fact, Entrepreneurship is an area not often affiliated with the school. However, it is becoming an increasingly central part of the SOM experience, with nearly 42% of the 2019 Class part of the school’s main entrepreneur club. That’s double the rate of Chicago Booth and INSEAD (and five times higher than the Wharton School.

Page 3: Interview with Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions

Page 4: In-depth profiles of 12 members of the Class of 2022