From the Admissions Office
February 28, 2008

You’ve spent months preparing your business school application, so what happens after you finally hit “Submit”? Since many candidates have recently submitted applications for Round 2, we thought it would be the ideal time to address the topic of the admissions interview. We’ll give you a glimpse into our invitation process, as well as what to expect during and after the interview itself.

• Invitation: We typically interview between 30-40% of our applicants. We extend invitations to candidates about whom we would like to learn more before making a final decision. Although it is certainly a positive sign to receive an interview invitation, it is by no means the final step before being admitted; we admit fewer than half of the applicants we interview.
• Timing: Interview invitations are sent throughout the admissions round. While some candidates may hear shortly after submitting their applications, the majority of invitations are extended closer to the middle and end of the round. Because we review applications in random order, the timing of an interview invitation is not a reflection of our view of the overall strength of a candidate’s application.
• Format: Most of our interviews are conducted by second-year students who have gone through a rigorous training process; however, some are conducted by admissions staff, alumni, and other members of the Yale SOM community. Admissions interviews generally last 30 minutes, so it’s important to keep track of time to make sure you cover everything you want to talk about. To ensure as much objectivity as possible, your interviewer hasn’t read your application, but has only seen your resume. There is no set list of questions, but your interviewer will likely want to talk about your past experiences, why you want to get an MBA and how it relates to your career goals, and what attracts you to Yale SOM. You will also have a few minutes at the end of the interview to ask questions about the MBA program and life in New Haven.
• Next Steps: During the admission process, we take a holistic approach in reviewing applications; no one aspect of an application alone is determinative. Once a candidate completes an interview, the interviewer writes a report that’s included in the application. The report is reviewed in the context of the entire application and a final decision is made by the Admissions Committee. We try to notify candidates as soon as possible, but can only guarantee that you’ll hear by the decision date.

We hope this is helpful and answers any questions you have about the interview process at Yale SOM. If you have additional questions, please feel free to post on our admissions message boards.

Admissions Office
Yale School of Management
135 Prospect Street
Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
203.432.5635, Admissions Office
203.432.6380, Visitor Center
fax 203.432.7004 
mba.admissions@yale.edu