Yale School of Management

Preamble

We want to know what matters to you, and our essay question is designed to help us gain insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response. To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:

 

Essay Option 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? (500 words)

Essay Option 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? (500 words)

 

Essay Option 3

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced.
How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person? (500 words)

Career Interests

Briefly describe your career interests and how you arrived at them. What have you already done to explore or pursue these interests? What have those efforts helped you understand about the opportunities you are considering and the preparation they will require? (200 words maximum)

 

Optional - Additional Information

If any aspect of your application requires additional explanation, you can address it in the Optional Information section below.  Please note, you should use the specific prompts provided in the Work Experience section to address gaps in work experience or choice of recommender. The Optional Information section is truly optional – if no aspect of your application requires further explanation, you should leave this section blank. If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide a brief description here. (200 words)

 

Reapplicant Essay

Since your last application, please discuss any significant updates to your candidacy, including changes in your personal or professional life, additional coursework, or extracurricular/volunteer activities. (200 words maximum; required for all reapplicants)

 

	Deadline	Initial Notification* By
Round 1	September 15, 2026	December 3, 2026
Round 2	January 6, 2027	March 18, 2027
Round 3	April 7, 2027	May 13, 2027