Is an MBA from Yale worth it?
This might seem like a stupid question, but if I will be paying 200K for an MBA, I want to make sure that it is worth it. Yale is a fantastic school and everyone knows that, but it is not an M7 for an MBA, so is it worth it?
I think it depends on what your alternatives without an MBA are as well as your recruiting goals post-MBA.
If your alternative without an MBA is a job with a salary that pays less than 100-120k then it is worth it.
If your MBA recruiting plan is to target top private equity firms or become a Stanford-level entrepreneur, then it isn't worth it.
What are your goals for the MBA?
It is as worth it as similar schools - ross, duke, uva. perhaps a small premium over these for the yale brand
will give you a realistic shot at mid tier IB, mid tier consulting, with a small chance of MBB or top banking.
there is plenty of overlap in recruiting between yale and Booth-columbia... but the bottom 50% of outcomes will not overlap
I’ve always wondered why Yale SOM didn’t carry the weight that would be expected. People really not into that whole Yale thing?
Agreed, it's so strange to me. Yale undergrad and the law school are incredible
Lack of track record and SOM alumni in powerful positions across the business world. Yale SOM only started its MBA program in 1999, so the first MBA class would be 2001, and I imagine the first handful of class years had very small class sizes. They've actually done quite well considering their MBA program is really only 20 years old, while traditional M7 programs have histories dating back a century or more.
I'm not an alum, and I've never actually met a Yale SOM grad, but just providing context.
As someone about to graduate and who is going to a mid-tier EB, this is my two cents:
We place strongly at Citi, Barclays and CS. We put people at MS and GS as well as EVR, Gugg, HL and a few other smaller shops. Overall, I’d say our placement rate is about 75%. Of those who don’t get it, most are internationals.
As far as drawbacks:
-there is a smaller alumni community on Wall Street so that will limit recruiting options
-If you’re a straight white male, it will be something of an uphill battle
-if recruiting goes back to pre-covid, youll
be expected to do in-person coffee chats
If you end up not making it into IB, there is strong consulting placement as well as Corp Fin placement. An advantage of Yale is since there is low interest in IB, the pool of competition is less than that of an NYU
If you get into a similar tier school, I would significantly index fit. Yale has a strong social justice bent which is not for everyone (myself included).
OP - if you got into Yale and are debating, I’d advise reaching out to the school for a contact. Alternatively, look for students on LinkedIn who are still at Yale but are going into IB
Care to elaborate on the recruiting opportunities for internationals who didn't get IB? Why so? Did they recruit for banks that didn't sponsor or were there other things that led to them not getting an offer?
Most ended up in consulting or corporate finance.
Most of the issues stemmed from cultural fit. As tough as it is, a lot of the recruiting process is focused on relatability which some struggled with. Additionally the pool of banks recruiting is also limited to those offering visa sponsorship, which is typically only the BB-variety
International (men) do the worst in IB recruiting at EVERY school. banks just don't want to sponsor. it is the opposite of affirmative action - you have a big hurdle to overcome to get a job.
Sometimes it is cultural issues, but there are plenty of very good candidates who don't make it through because of this.
Question, how realistic is their class profile? They have an incredibly high GPA with an incredibly high GMAT score average, very comparable to H/S scores, but you don't get any of the luxury of going to H/S. Would you argue they pad stats with high scoring internationals and the American candidates tend to be lower, or is it pretty even across the board?
I really think the "cultural fit" problem is overblown.
Of those I know who didn't get offers, many were latam. There were even guys with previous banking experience. The problem is the visas.
Have seen plenty of high-flyers on Linkedin, so there is proof that if you differentiate yourself there, most top opportunities are open to you.
Yes. Worth it. Good question
TBH if you get into yale and also get into a similar tier of school like Tuck or Haas, then I would choose either of the latter over Yale. HOWEVER, the school has climbed in rankings a crazy amount over the last 20 years. With both the Law School and UG program being unquestionably top 5 programs, it is only a matter of time before the MBA brand continues to appreciate.
All good options. Def nice bonus to be in CT
What about opportunities in AM or S&T with Yale SOM for internationals ?
An MBA is not really a route to S&T anymore.
As for AM, core schools are Wharton, CBS, Booth and H/S. SOM would be a good couple notches down - even below Anderson (due to west coast firms).
Other Yale students look down on SOM kids. Speaking as someone at YC/YLS. Be prepared to deal with snobs at the other schools
Not true, at least from the Yale College perspective - senior in Yale College.
Seconded, I’ve never thought of grad school alum as inferior personally.
First thing's first - what do you want to do? That'll inform whether it's worth it or not.
OP here - Thanks everyone for your insights, all were really helpful. I am an international doing IB on a BB. I know that I want to get an MBA because in the long-run (5-10 years) I want to return to my home country and having a brand-name MBA puts you in a VERY privileged position. However, I am not sure if I have the grades for HBS, SGB, or other M7 schools. I am honestly not sure what I want to do after an MBA, maybe more like Corporate Finance or something. I like some groups at Blackstone (Strategic partners, BAAM, etc) so I am also considering that, but we'll see.
Tbh know a few people there who placed into good banks and consulting firms (MS/JPM and MBB) but had to put in a bit more effort into networking than someone coming from a Wharton / HBS / Tuck etc
Lol "Wharton / HBS / Tuck" one of these is not like the other
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