Tips On Applying To MBA From Yale Students

You want to apply to Yale’s School of Management, but you’re constantly questioning whether or not your application is strong enough. Are your test scores good enough? Is your essay compelling? Are you qualified?

Luckily, a number of Yale Student Admissions Ambassadors have offered up pieces of advice on what it takes to get into Yale’s School of Management.

Get To Know The School

Student ambassadors say one of the best ways to set yourself up for success in the application process is to understand what the school has to offer.

“Really try to get a holistic understanding of the school culture, the mission, the academic program, the students and, of course, the school’s location,” Jvaneel Parekh, a class of ’19 ambassador, says.

Parekh advises applicants to visit the school if they can.

“This will allow you to evaluate if a school is truly the right fit for you and, more important, it will help you in the application process to show your enthusiasm for the school and speak about how you plan to make the most of your time at the school in the interview,” Parekh says.

Know Your Goals

Part of knowing whether a school is right for you is knowing yourself and what you want to achieve with your MBA.

“I think it is really important to be honest with yourself and know what you want to achieve out of business school,” Paraj Tyle, a class of ’19 ambassador, says. “That not only helps find a good match in terms of opportunities, but also the right culture. The right culture fit is so important in having a phenomenal experience.”

Karen Marks, president and founder of North Star Admissions Consulting, says applicants can do this simple exercise to help determine their goals and ease their anxiety.

“To overcome panic, start by thinking about aspirational jobs that you would love to have right after you graduate,” Marks says in a P&Q piece. “Then, think about a few things that you would like to be doing in 10 years. Ideally, your goals are connected, but it’s ok to brainstorm alternate paths. Remember, you aren’t committing to actually doing these things! Or even to writing them in your applications. At this point, the idea is to identify jobs that you find exciting.”

Be Vulnerable

Once you have a clear image of where you want your MBA to take you, it’s important to be honest in telling your story to admissions officers.

Lucas Silva, a class of ’19 ambassador, says MBA applicants should be as vulnerable as possible when writing their story.

“Sometimes it will seem awkward or uncomfortable, but tell your true story, show who you are, and be open about it,” Silva says. “Be bold enough to let your inner self shine in your application, but be even bolder by letting the school know that you’re not perfect, that you have space for growth, and that you have dreams and ambitions to reach—and it’s because of those ambitions that you want an MBA at that particular school.”

Sources: Yale SOM, Poets & Quants