Yale SOM has released its essay question for the 2023-24 application cycle, keeping the prompt as the previous years.
2023/24 essay questions
Essay 1: (500 words) Choose between:
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?
2023/24 essay question analysis
Prompt 1: Similar to prior years, this is a great meta-question; part of what Yale is seeking to learn from you is what you view as a big commitment to begin with. One trap we have noticed in prior years was how many people were biased towards talking about their biggest achievement, or some measure of their success. Instead, a great example includes a promise you have made (either to yourself, or others), and sacrifices you have made to keep that promise. How you describe your sacrifices and what you learned from them are a key element of this essay, as Yale uses these descriptions to measure how likely it is you will keep future commitments to yourself, your classmates, and the larger Yale community. As you consider topics, focus on the depth of the commitment you have had to make (the more specific the circumstance, the better), rather than the size of the achievement arising from your commitment.
Prompt 2: This is a new prompt, and reinforces Yale's efforts to promote its strong social and professional bonds within its program. Choose a community that has both contributed to your success, and that you have added to it as well. Keep in mind that communities that are more common to all applicants (i.e. family) will require strong examples to help you stand out with Admissions.
Prompt 3: This is also a new prompt, and allows candidates to share hurdles they have overcome to achieve what others have achieved, but with greater levels of difficulty. This is your chance to showcase how you may not have finished first in a race, but ran a better race than most because of where you started. The key here will be details of your example, and ensuring it really was different than what most others face.
2022/23 deadlines
Round 1: Application deadline: Sep 12, 2023, Decision date: Dec 5, 20234
Round 2: Application deadline: Jan 4, 2024, Decision date: Mar 26, 2024
Round 3: Application deadline: Apr 9, 2024, Decision date: May 16, 2024
Other application details Click here for school interaction opportunities.