Yale University School of Management
Essay Questions for 2024-2025 / Class of 2027
2024-2025 Yale MBA Deadlines
Round 1
Application Deadline: September 10, 2024
Decision release: December , 2024
Round 2
Application deadline: January 7, 2025
Decision release: March, 2025
Round 3
Application deadline: April 8, 2025
Decision release: May, 2025
2024-2025 Yale MBA Essay Question
To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:
1) Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?
2) Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?
3) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?
Choose the prompt that speaks most strongly to you and about which you have the most enthusiasm. In answering the prompt – whichever one it is – you should think about the life experiences that have been most meaningful to you and that you most want to communicate to the committee, and pick the question that will best allow you to express that aspect of yourself. We find that the most compelling essays are the ones that are truly most important to you, so make sure that’s your guide in choosing what to write about; don’t try to guess what we’re looking for or what you think we want to hear. Importantly, regardless of which prompt you choose, you’ll want to support your essay with concrete examples.
The word limit (though not necessarily the goal) is 500 words.
Video Questions
Video questions are not a substitute for the interview. Instead, they provide a unique way for us to assess your communication skills and your ability to think on your feet, and enable us to create a more dynamic, multi-dimensional profile of each candidate.
This is your opportunity to speak directly to the committee, allowing us to gauge qualities we might see when meeting in-person, rather than relying solely on the written portion of the application. There are no “trick questions”; we are not trying to stump you. The questions asked are similar to typical MBA or job interview questions, so take the allotted time to gather your thoughts and then deliver a response.
A few tips I’d like to offer include becoming familiar with the 60-90 second response time frame and getting comfortable speaking to your computer camera. A great way to do this is to practice with a friend using Skype. Turn off your friend’s video, and have a cell phone keep track of your response time.
Know that you do not need to fill the entire response time. You can complete your answer and end the recording by clicking the “stop” button on your screen.
Check back for more details or for more information, visit the Yale SOM admissions website. Reapplicants should visit the Reapplication page.
Disclaimer: the information provided on this page is for reference only. Applicants are strongly advised to visit the admissions website link provided above to confirm essay prompts, deadlines, and other application information.