Free Application/Essay Advice

Are you taking advantage of the free resources and advice offered by of top business programs? Bruce Delmonico, the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Yale School of Management, provides excellent advice to future applicants.

Current SOM students also share their advice on approaching your essay and telling your story.

• “For your essay, you should not only highlight what your commitment is, but also outline how you will continue to honor that commitment at SOM and how SOM will inform that commitment post-MBA. This will help you write your essay and envision your SOM experience more tangibly.” —Alice Yuan ’22
• “Make the admissions committee’s job easy. Have a clear connection between your past, present, and future professional experience, whether it’s advancing your career in the same industry or function or highlighting transferrable skills from your past role to the next. Tell a concise story and connect the dots for them so you don’t leave them guessing on how you realistically and practically plan to achieve your professional goals.” —Jem Shin ’22
• Read all of their guidance and suggestions here.

Yale SOM also provides excellent advice in their Application Guide on what their Admissions Committee is looking for throughout the application.

• What they’re looking for in your essay question: “Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made.”
  • “The Admissions Committee is seeking to learn about how you have approached a commitment of importance in your life. When it comes to choosing a topic, be genuine. We want to hear about something that is meaningful and distinctive to you, in your own voice. Your commitment can be personal, specific or expansive. We receive outstanding, insightful essays covering a wide range of topics.”
• What is the Admissions Committee looking for in an applicant?
  • “What makes someone stand out can be vastly different from candidate to candidate. The key is therefore to remain your true self throughout the process, because what the Admissions Committee is looking to learn about in your application is…you! You should focus less on what you think we want to hear and more on what you want to tell us as you prepare your application. We’re interested in understanding the impact you have had in your personal and professional life, how you hope to lead, and your ability to collaborate. We are also interested in finding students who will be engaged community members both here at Yale and in their future organizations.”

Stay tuned for more admissions and applications tips on top B-schools!