Yale Admissions Chat

Yale Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico recently discussed the school's new curriculum and tips for applying. Here's a transcript

Bruce DelMonico
Director of Admissions
Yale School of Management

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Yale School of Management recently introduced a new curriculum that has students taking classes organized around constituencies such as customers. In addition, the school is looking to increase the number of international students in its ranks and is looking forward to the construction of a new building.

On Dec. 11, Yale Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico (BruceAtYale) and students Abby Kowaloff (AbbyAtYale) and Michael McLaughlin (MichaelAtYale) fielded questions about these changes and more from an audience of prospective students and BusinessWeek.com reporter Francesca Di Meglio (FrancescaBW). They discussed everything from the Yale SOM culture to its joint-degree programs. Here are edited excerpts of the event:

Nomad83: Bruce, Will some Round 1 admission decisions be made before the January deadline? If so, when might they start going out?

BruceAtYale: We do our best to release decisions as soon as we can. We will try to release decisions before the holidays, but most decisions will probably be released closer to the deadline.

TFA2MBA: I have read about your partnership with Teach for America. Would you recommend that Teach for America candidates apply directly out of the program or gain other work experience before applying?

MichaelAtYale: I think the best advice is to apply when you feel ready. If you think Teach for America has given you the experience and skills you'll need to be successful in an MBA program, then applying directly out of the program is fine.

sar712: What is the structure of the on-campus interview?

BruceAtYale: On-campus interviews are 30 minutes long and are conducted primarily by trained second-year students, although staff do some as well. The purpose is to get a sense of your background and experiences, why you want to get an MBA, and what you plan to do post-graduation.

mfandrei: If you are looking for a global career, is attending an international business school the best way to go?

MichaelAtYale: I think most business schools today have an international feel/focus. Yale has definitely moved strongly in this direction with our International Experience requirement. I know we have alumni working all over the world right now in a variety of fields, so Yale definitely prepares you for a global career.

maggiecxq: How soon does an interviewer write up his/her opinion once the interview is conducted?

MichaelAtYale: I'm an on-campus interviewer, and I try to write up my interview reports no later than 24 hours after the interview. It's important for me to make sure I write the report sooner rather than later, so that I can remember the interview in great detail. Otherwise, I feel like it's not fair to the candidate!

yeny:For the regular MBA are you eventually going to offer the option of studying abroad for a semester?

BruceAtYale: Yes, we are working on rolling out a semester-long study-abroad program starting next fall. We are looking to partner with select schools primarily in Asia and Europe at the outset, and then expand the program from there.

jokeram: Do the interviewers have access to the applicant file, or do they go into the interview blind?

MichaelAtYale: All we (as interviewers) know about the candidate before the interview is what's on their résumé. We always let candidates know that up front, so that they don't feel like they need to talk about other stuff not covered by their essays.

jokeram: What percentage of applications have been reviewed? What percentage of interview invites have been sent out?

BruceAtYale: We are roughly halfway through the applications at this point and have probably sent out about that many interview invitations as well. It definitely takes us the whole round to review applications and invite people to interview, so please be patient!