Although there is a little downtime for travel and sightseeing, they're pretty tightly scheduled with meetings with business leaders and government officials, and visits to factories and other businesses. They prepare for the trips in the fall semester and then they report back on some aspect of the trip after they return, so it's well integrated into the curriculum.
In addition to the mandatory trip, first- and second-year students also can do winter break or spring break trips where they do similar types of excursions to learn about a foreign business environment.
Iin some cases, they do pro bono consulting work. Past locations have included India, China, Cuba, Nigeria, and Madagascar.
What would you like prospective students to know about the overall Yale community?
So many things! The main thing about the community is what a unique and dynamic place it is. There are students here that come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, but the one thing that unites them is that they are passionate about being leaders for business and society, which is the mission of the school. They really want to think about what that means for themselves and for their lives.
They're very engaged while they're on campus and very open in terms of thinking about how they can make a difference, not just in their careers, but in the world. I think that's something that really unifies the students here, whether they want to go into finance, marketing, consulting, non-profit, public management – any number of areas. That makes it a very exciting place to be.
Another great thing about SOM is that the students are really thoughtful. Although it's a professional school and they're being trained for a profession, it's not a nine-to-five place. They don't punch the card and look for the next thing.
They're really invested in the experience and they take advantage of all of the opportunities that SOM has to offer, which makes it a very vibrant and lively place to be.
What are some of the attractions of going to school in New Haven as compared to Boston, New York, or Chicago?
One of the great things about New Haven – other than Yale itself, and it's obviously great to be plugged into the Yale community – is that it has a lot of the things that larger cities like New York, Boston, or Chicago have to offer, but it's on a much more livable scale. There are great restaurants, great theater, a lot of clubs and things to do, a lot of outdoor activities, and we're near the water. So there are a lot of things happening here, but the scale is so much nicer. You can actually walk places. The downtown is much more compact, so it's more navigable than a lot of the other big cities.
The other thing I think is great about New Haven in particular is that it's got so much going on here, but it is also very close to New York and very close to Boston. If someone wants to go into New York City they can jump on
the Metro North Railroad and be in the city in an hour-and-a-half. If they want to go to Boston, they can drive up or take the train and be there in a little over two hours. So it's got a lot going on in and of itself, but it's also very close to the larger metropolitan areas of the Northeast, which makes it perfectly situated.
How is the 2006-2007 admissions season going so far?
It's going very well. I think most schools are experiencing a pretty strong admissions season and we're certainly seeing that. The number of applications in our first round was up by a very healthy amount. For the second round, we're tracking ahead of last year. It seems to be a very good year and we're pleased that it's been
that way not just quantitatively but qualitatively. We're seeing a very strong applicant pool of very accomplished, very smart candidates.
It's a nice position to be in.
What impact are you seeing from the fact that several of your spots were already accounted for from last year's deferrals?
What that means is that we will be slightly more selective because there are a few spots already taken up in the class,.
Obviously, for people applying this year, they're applying for a slightly smaller class. But that doesn't mean that all of the spots are taken. The vast majority are still available.
Certainly strong applicants still have a very good chance here at SOM.
What general advice do you have for applicants?
The main thing is be yourself in your application. Authenticity is key. A lot
of times we will get applicants and it's clear that they're telling us what they think we want to hear. We don't want them to try and get in the heads of the admissions committee and tell us what they think we're looking for. We want to hear what the applicant wants to tell us. We want them to be authentic about who they are, what they want to do, and what their passions and interests are.
Along those lines, the main piece of advice I tend to give applicants who ask how they can positively affect their application is to really pay attention to their essays. That's the one place in which you can speak directly to us and tell us about yourself. You've already taken your GMAT. Your GPA is what it is. The essays are the one thing you have real control over, so pay attention to them and make sure that they are coherent, concise, on-topic, and well-written. It's amazing how long a well-written essay will go.
What are the specific traits you look for in candidates?
As I mentioned earlier, one of the strong things about SOM is the diversity of the student body.
We're not looking for any particular background or experience. What we are looking for are people who are passionate, engaged, and who are leaders – whether they have demonstrated leadership experience in the past or have some way that they can show leadership potential. The whole point of business school is to educate future leaders, so everybody who comes here has that in common. That's the one thread that ties everybody together here at SOM.
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