Edward P. Evans Hall. Photo credit: Paul Coco

How Yale SOM Evaluates Applicants

The Yale School of Management (SOM) ranks number 10 in P&Q’s ‘Top Business Schools’ rankings. For years, the B-school has excelled at delivering a cross-functional MBA education—one that is both globally-minded and purpose-oriented.

In an interview with Stacy Blackman Consulting, Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Yale SOM, recently gave insight into how the B-school evaluates applications and why test scores might not matter as much as you think.

TEST SCORES ARE JUST ONE FACTOR

Like many B-schools, Yale SOM looks at applications holistically—meaning no one factor is more important than the other.

“We encourage applicants to focus less on our median GMAT or GRE score and look instead at the range of scores that comprise each class,” DelMonico says. “The test score is not one-size-fits-all.It has different meaning depending on the rest of your application, so don’t feel as though you need to be at or above the median (by definition, half of our students aren’t).”

CONSIDER TAKING STATS AND MICROECONOMICS                                                                                           

Like test scores, GPA is also just another factor in the admissions criteria. DelMonico says it’s not so much about how high your GPA is, but rather, what your course selection says about your story.

“We look at far more than just your overall GPA,” he says. “The Admissions Committee will spend a good deal of time going semester-by-semester, looking at each of the courses you’ve taken and your performance in them. We also look at your major, your institution, the range of courses you’ve taken, and any trends in your performance. Your story is much more than just a GPA.”

Pro tip: If you’re looking to offset a lower GPA, you might want to consider taking some quant classes.

“If you haven’t taken statistics and microeconomics, I would suggest doing so before starting an MBA program – ours or any other,” DelMonico says. “Not only can it help in the admissions process, but it will help you in the program itself, where data-driven decision-making is a core competency and microeconomics is a common language.”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, P&Q