Editor's Note: BusinessWeek collected graduate comments in 2000 during its ranking of full-time MBA programs. The next ranking is scheduled for fall, 2002.
Did I enjoy it? No. Would I do it again? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely.
-- Finance
Do not come to Yale unless you visit, go to a class, stay overnight. The intensity of the academic environment is so high, you must make sure you are motivated to learn and contribute. Other than that, you should go elsewhere, I do not care how smart you are or how you could help "in the rankings department." Come to this school only after you have visited Yale and 8 other top schools and said, "This is the place." You will be much happier, you will click with the environment, and you will be taught by only the best teachers (of course, there are one or two exceptions -- every school has them). Otherwise, if you are looking to go to the highest ranked school you can, then please pass SOM by -- you need to assess why you are going back to B-school in the first place. If you visit and this IS the place, there is no better business school in the world. -- Investment Banking
I have often felt that Yale School of Management had been underestimated by its peers. The program it offers and the quality of its students have far exceeded my expectation. The percentage of students been offered prestige investment banking and consulting jobs surpasses many other MBA programs. I highly recommend Yale SOM because of the friendly learning environment and the wonderful placement office. Two years for someone that has a high opportunity cost to bear should be spent in a happy and profitable place! I will never regret my decision of coming to Yale SOM rather than joining the No. 2 program of my application year. -- Information Technology
Everyone here is painfully aware of the lack of IT education that takes place at Yale. However, it is also important to note that students have developed quite a broad array of educational initiatives on their own, from fieldtrips to job fairs to student-led Web-site design classes. Technically speaking, Yale seems to be lacking something that in reality it is not. -- Finance
Coming from a non-profit background, the Yale MBA has allowed me to grow and learn a tremendous amount about business and entrepreneurship. I have gained invaluable marketing, finance, strategy, and e-commerce skills that will be critical to my future professional career. In my second year, I was part of a team that wrote a business plan that won 2nd place in an all-Yale competition and first place in an all-Connecticut competition. The personal guidance and assistance from professors and classmates were a key part of our success. I recommend an MBA, and specifically a Yale MBA, to anyone seeking to enhance their business skills or launch a company of their own. -- Marketing
Having firsthand knowledge of the Yale MBA, because I did an M.A. in economics at Yale before the MBA, I was pleasantly surprised. Although Yale is a non-traditional business school (I'm in the second class that MBAs are awarded, MPPM were awarded before), it operates like a top-3 b-school. Leveraging its outstanding finance faculty tradition (by founding the International Center for Finance), it established itself as one of the best finance schools. The MBA school uses well the Yale brand and allows MBA students to take classes in every Yale department. The value of my Yale MBA is greatly enhanced by the fact that I took two classes at the Yale Law School and three more classes in other departments. Students are aware
that the official rankings of the school do not reflect the true standing of the school (understandably, since the school was only founded in 1970 and was offering an MPPM degree). Concluding, during interviews I always enjoyed the question: "How come Yale MBAs get the best jobs coming from a non-top 10 school?" -- Investment Banking
Yale SOM is an amazing place. You can tell that when you first visit, which is why a staggering proportion of my classmates self-select into the program without bothering with other programs that might be higher in the various rankings. The student body is unlike any other MBA population you've ever seen, with 1/3 coming from the public and nonprofit sectors -- and this enriches the learning experience unbelievably. While in recent years the University has encouraged a shift in the school's focus, away from the tri-sector ideal, toward more traditional pursuits (i-banking, consulting), nevertheless the unique character of one's classmates at SOM prevents the kind of career myopia which often sets in upon arrival at b-school.
-- Information Technology
One of SOM's greatest strengths is its small size, which ensures that one gets to know all of one's classmates as well as exposure to professors and administration. Additionally, the three-sector focus that is SOM's trademark is not a lie: issues facing managers in private, public, and non-profit settings are woven throughout the curriculum. The diversity of students attracted to SOM because of this focus makes SOM a more interesting, dynamic learning environment than many other schools. The small size is also a problem, however, particularly in terms of attracting a wide range of recruiters and in providing a wide curricular range. -- Finance
Yale SOM needs considerable improvement from within before it can produce consistent results in terms of admissions, teaching, recruitment, and rankings. SOM has made remarkable progress over the last few years, but still has considerable challenges to improve the learning experience and competitiveness of the program in addition to the external perceptions (and confusion) regarding the school and its focus (i.e. not public policy). -- Investment Banking
I have loved my two years here! My professors and my classmates have pushed and challenged me -- and always given me the tools and encouragement I needed to rise to the challenge. I went from being a creative writer to a statistics TA! I was an undergrad English major who worked as a writer for a labor union, and SOM has given me a love for statistics and operations, and the ability to work in my chosen field with skill and confidence, and to learn what I need to continue being successful. I loved that as much was expected from me as from people who had worked in quantitative fields before coming here. I cannot say enough good things about my classmates and the cooperative environment here. I don't think I will ever again be surrounded by as many people who are so smart and creative and fun and entrepreneurial and hard-working and hard-playing and thoughtful. People came here from all places and all professions and all sectors, and our classrooms and lives are enriched by this diversity. The friends I have made here and the things I have learned will last for a lifetime! -- Operations
I highly recommend the Yale School of Management! This was, by far,the best career decision I've made to date. -- Investment Banking
Yale SOM is a small school and I was very nervous coming here from overseas. I couldn't have made a better choice. It has been the most amazing two years of my life.... I've laughed, loved, and learned a lot!! But the best thing about SOM are my classmates: people who are different in so many ways and yet each of them so incredible, so warm, and hopefully great friends for life! -- Anonymous
The access to faculty at SOM is extraordinary. They are consistently available and interested in spending additional time with students. Additionally, the diverse mix of backgrounds at SOM provides for a healthy mix of attitude and perspective that greatly enhances the learning environment. -- Finance
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