Yale SOM 2009 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

YALE SOM 2009 MBA DEADLINES

Deadline Date Notification

Round 1 Oct. 22, 2008 Jan. 16, 2009

Round 2 Jan 7, 2009 Apr 10, 2009

Round 3 Mar. 18, 2009 May 8, 2009

YALE SOM 2009 MBA ESSAY QUESTIONS
Yale has added another question this year, which will allow it to make more informed admissions decisions. Use this additional essay to give the adcom more reasons to admit you.


My comments are in red.

1: Why a Yale MBA?

What is the impact that you wish to have on the world? How will your previous experiences and a Yale MBA enhance your ability, in the short-term and long-term, to pursue a career that will allow you to achieve this impact? (500 words maximum)

You've seen this before -- a classic goals question. What do you want to do after your MBA short-term and long-term and how will an MBA help you achieve that goal.

However, this year, they ask specifically about Yale. You need to explicitly connect the Yale MBA experience to the achievement of your goals. Yale's curriculum emphasizes the integration of business functions. In your essays discuss how an integrated, general management approach is important to you. How will a highly structured, but innovative program, with a required international project help you arrive at your desired professional destination? That program just happens to be Yale's.

2: Leadership Example

Describe a professional accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The accomplishment should include evidence of your leadership skills, a description of the actions you took, as well as the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)

When have you made a significant contribution to an organization or team? What was the challenge? How did you lead? What was the impact and outcome? A PAR approach to this question could work well.

3: Personal Statement 1

Choose one (1) of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

(1) A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership – leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way – is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?

(2) What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?

(3) Describe a situation in which your values were challenged. How did you respond to the situation and what did you learn from it?

(4) A phrase often heard among SOM graduates is that they aspire to lead a life that is an “SOM Story” – that of a broadly engaged, values-based leader who owns and solves hard problems that matter. How will you create your own SOM Story? Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or innovative solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

(5) The Yale School of Management is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests. What unique attributes would you bring to the Class of 2011?

(6) What is the most difficult feedback you have received and how did you address it? Looking forward, what skills are you most eager to build or improve upon in business school?

(7) Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

Which option should you choose? The one that fits you like a well-made suit. The one allowing you to relate the story you are dying to tell. The one that allows you to show what is distinctive about you and important to you.


4: Personal Statement 2

Choose one (1) of the other topics listed in Personal Statement 1, or create a topic of your own about a subject that is meaningful to you, and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number (or state the topic if it is not one of the ones listed) at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

Yale is being really nice and making your life easy by providing this list. It gives you a wide choice of topics. Choose two that will allow you to write revealingly and easily about yourself and go for it! Essay 4 should complement Essays 1, 2, 3, and the Optional Essay, if you write it. Disclose another facet of your life experience that show you are a values-driven leader.

Optional Essay

If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)

Why isn't your current supervisor writing your rec? Why did your grades dip during the first semester of your senior year? Why is there a six-month gap on your resume? What are your responsibilities while working for a family business after having left a prestigious investment bank and why did you make the change? Answering any of those questions (but not all) could be the topic of your optional essay. And of course an infinite number of similar subjects could be worthwhile discussing in the optional essay.


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