Yale Admissions Chat

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Bruce DelMonico
Director of Admissions
Yale School of Management

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loafer: How is Yale's focus in the health-care sector, especially in the biotech and pharma industries?

AbbyAtYale: Yale has a particularly strong focus on health care across campus. I am a joint-degree student between the schools of Management and Public Health here and have found the interdisciplinary focus very stimulating and applicable to both the biotech and pharma industries. In addition, it has prepared me well for a career in consulting to these industries.

Yong08: Mike and Abby, how do you feel about the required international experience? Since it is only 10 days, will it really provide any significant benefits?

MichaelAtYale: I think the International Experience is a great program. I went to China, and it was truly a learning experience. Ten days is rather quick, but a lot of what you do in business school is fast, so it actually matches the pace of the program quite well.

AbbyAtYale: I am a teaching assistant for this year's International Experience trip to Israel and Turkey and it is a fantastic trip. It blends cultural exploration with top-level executive meetings; it is really a one-of-a-kind experience that distinguishes SOM from other schools.

RCF: Can you tell us a little about what the admissions committee wants to learn about candidates from Essay Three?

BruceAtYale: Essay Three is a chance for you to tell us about yourself. We are interested to see not only what you write but also what you choose to write about. The main piece of advice I would give is that you should write about what is important to you rather than trying to guess what we are looking for. I would also suggest trying to focus on some aspect of yourself that is not readily apparent from other aspects of your application.

sriswetha: What is the view of the admissions committee toward recommendations from a graduate school adviser for a research position held during school?

MichaelAtYale: The best advice on recommendations is to have the people who know you and your skills write your recommendations. If you're currently in graduate school, it's likely that the person who knows you best is your adviser!

Yong08: Yale SOM enrolled only 21% of international students in 2009. Is there any specific reason why it is relatively small compared with other top MBA programs? Are you doing anything to improve the diversity?

BruceAtYale: That is a very good question. We are actually looking to increase that percentage this year. Our admission rate among international students has been a little lower in the past few years than other schools, and does not fully reflect the international status and international focus of SOM.

Yong08: Dean Joel Podolny is a contributor to the Global Compact's initiative on responsible management education. Are there any ongoing internal discussions about Yale SOM's strategy and action to further its top-ranked social/environmental programs?

AbbyAtYale: Yes, there are ongoing internal discussions regarding our strategy and action to further our social/environmental programs. We engage actively with the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey yearly and frequently have the largest business-school attendance at the annual Net Impact Conference to support socially responsible business.

SGT: Hi Bruce, what distinguishes an applicant that is accepted from one who is placed on the wait list?

BruceAtYale: SGT, There's no single thing that distinguishes admits from WLs, other than that they are on the whole stronger in terms of their experience, academic credentials, and other application metrics. We are looking to admit people who have strong intellects, leadership abilities, teamwork skills, and are motivated and passionate about what they do.

gseattle: Do you have an age restriction for your full-time MBA program?

AbbyAtYale: No, there is no age restriction for our full-time MBA program.