Yale 2009 School of Management Application Packages

MBA Admissions Consulting MBA Essay Editing MBA Interview Services MBA Wait List Letter

Columbia's New Core Commences With the start of instruction for the Class of 2010, Columbia officially inaugurates its new core curriculum. In Columbia's words: "Consolidated to allow for an additional full-term elective course in the second semester of the first year, the revised core curriculum is organized into “required” and “flexible” components. The new structure retains Columbia’s commitment to an academically rigorous core as the nucleus of the MBA.    The required core of 6.5 courses covers material that is deemed essential to an MBA: accounting, corporate finance, leadership, marketing, operations, statistics and strategy. The flexible core, designed to expand the scope of the required core and complement its content, is composed of 1.5 courses. Students will select one course from each of three broad categories: Organizations, Performance and Markets, and may take additional courses as electives. "Organizations focuses on organizational change and the importance of social networks and interpersonal skills. Performance combines the disciplines of risk management and accounting: Courses cover the impact of a firm’s operational strategy and introduce accounting-based performance measures as tools for decision-making. Markets delves more deeply into macro- and microeconomics, including game theory. "A new feature of Columbia’s core curriculum – a non-credit corporate governance module – brings a unique focus to a topic often overlooked as a core competency in management education. The module is designed to enhance students’ understanding of their duties and responsibilities as managers and directors of firms, as well as their appreciation of the role of corporate governance in their careers, the business entity, the economy and society at large. The corporate governance module will begin during first-year orientation with a series of pre-term readings and class sessions, and will conclude with a capstone session in the final term of the MBA program." Posted by Linda Abraham on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:56:49 +0000 | Permalink | Post a comment

I wish the admissions committee had asked me... “I wish the admissions committee had asked me...” OK. A number of schools have variations on this question, and over the past few days, quite a few people have asked me what they are supposed to do with a topic like this. My answer: “That depends.” (No, I'm rarely capable of just giving a simple answer! Sorry!) But I'd like to take a few minutes here to discuss exactly what that depends ON. Does the application offer an “optional” essay space *as well as* asking this question, or is this the only place where you will get to write about a topic of your choice? Have you used the other essay topics effectively to illustrate your personal background and community involvement as well as your academic professional history? Is there anything you really wanted to write about but couldn’t fit in, for whatever reason? Do you have any big “red flags” to deal with on your application? Please bear in mind that “big” is the operative word here. You don’t have to explain away a single C+ grade from your freshman year. You don’t have to justify the fact that you hadn’t started your own non-profit organization by the age of 19. You don’t have to apologize for the fact that you didn’t spend your undergrad years at an Ivy League college. But there are things that you might have to address somehow , such as a major GPA crash in your junior or senior year, a GMAT score leaning towards (or falling below) the lowest score that the program generally accepts, a major gap in work experience, and so on. Is this the place to do it? That’s where my first question comes in. If a school offers you a space to explain any academic or career “glitches,” use that space to do so, not this one. Remember, this question almost always comes right at the end of the essay portion of the application -- it will probably be the last thing the adcom reads, so if at all possible, use it to give them something positive to remember you by. (If that's not possible--if this really is the ONLY place where you can deal with the negative aspects of your application--deal with it. There are ways to do so effectively, but I'll save that for another time.) If you make the most of this space, you can really personalize your application. You may drift out of the adcom’s minds pretty quickly if you simply come across as “the project manager with the 740 GMAT,” but with this essay, you have the chance to make yourself stick with them as “the project manager who used skydiving as a team-building exercise,” “the investment banker who teaches salsa dancing to senior citizens,” or “the marketing manager who taught herself five languages in her spare time.” This positive and distinctive use of this essay will be much more effective than telling them about your SECOND most important leadership experience (since you've probably already had a chance to write about the most important one). And it would be a Very Good Idea to stay away from bland "catch all" topics like "I wish the admissions committee had asked me how I achieve excellence in everything I do." Those types of essays usually end up being a) far too much to handle in the space provided, and b) way too generic, and don't tend to offer the adcom anything much that they can't learn from other areas of your application. Assuming that you've dealt with the really important professional/leadership experiences before you hit this point in your application (and most applications give you ample opportunity to do so), you can definitely take a light-hearted (though not frivolous, of course!) approach here. You don’t have to write about anything huge, heavy or mind-blowingly important -- rather, choose a topic that adds to the adcom’s perception of your well-roundedness, your “human interest” factor, and your potential to contribute something to the groups you work with over and above your work experience and academic abilities. You’ve already impressed them with those, naturally! Finally, don’t forget to ask yourself -- and answer yourself honestly: what DO you wish they had asked you? By Sonia Michaels. Sonia is available to help you with your optional and required MBA application essays. Posted by Sonia Michaels on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:39:00 +0000 | Permalink | Post a comment

Average 2007 GMAT: 700
Average 2007 Acceptance Rate: 15%
Average 2007 GPA: 3.5
Class Size: 178
2009 application deadlines: Oct. 22, 2008, Jan. 7, 2009, Mar. 18, 2009
Yale School of Management Admissions

Yale School of Management Application Tips

Yale SOM Chat Sept. 25, 2008 Join us for our 2nd Yale School of Management chat on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT when Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico and other members of the Yale SOM community will be available to answer your questions. Are you wondering what the MBA experience at Yale School of Management is like? How does its focus on integration actually work? And what are they seeking in their applicants and students? Take advantage of this opportunity to ask your questions about the business school's admissions policy, student life, and program. Our guests will provide the answers. The chat will take place in the Accepted chat room.

Date Rating Course 03/2008 General Management 02/2008 5.00 Finance 01/2008 3.33 Other 05/2007 4.25 Other 04/2007 4.00 Marketing

All Entries

Date Title 10/10/2007 2008 Yale SOM MBA Admissions Chat with Bruce Delmonico