Yale MBA - Ranking & Perception? (or lack thereof?)

I'm continuing to research US MBA programs and I've noticed that the Yale SOM doesn't seem to get much attention. Everyone seems to focus and discuss H/S/W + a few others (Booth, Sloan, Stern, Kellog, Tuck)

It's usually a top 20 rank, but typically in the bottom half of it. It's ranking isn't has high as one would expect given Yale is as ivy and blue blood of a school you can get, its admittance standards appear to be on par with the top 5 schools, and post employment stats also being on par with the top 10.

Thoughts on the program? Is it really lacking as compared to the top 10? As some who's looking to further his career in finance, is Yale SOM a strong target school for wall street?

Thanks,

Mike

Edit: I should add, as someone who plans to return back to my home city at some point down the line....having a MBA with a "name" is important. The city I live in is great, but very ignorant about schools outside of Canada and probably wouldn't recognize a sloan or tuck brand despite the quality of the program and school....so Yale represents a brand that employers would recognize.

Originally Posted by micbain

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I'm continuing to research US MBA programs and I've noticed that the Yale SOM doesn't seem to get much attention. Everyone seems to focus and discuss H/S/W + a few others (Booth, Sloan, Stern, Kellog, Tuck)

It's usually a top 20 rank, but typically in the bottom half of it. It's ranking isn't has high as one would expect given Yale is as ivy and blue blood of a school you can get, its admittance standards appear to be on par with the top 5 schools, and post employment stats also being on par with the top 10.

Thoughts on the program? Is it really lacking as compared to the top 10? As some who's looking to further his career in finance, is Yale SOM a strong target school for wall street?

Thanks,

Mike

Edit: I should add, as someone who plans to return back to my home city at some point down the line....having a MBA with a "name" is important. The city I live in is great, but very ignorant about schools outside of Canada and probably wouldn't recognize a sloan or tuck brand despite the quality of the program and school....so Yale represents a brand that employers would recognize.

Isn't the MBA program pretty young? That might partly explain its current status. I think it's a school that focuses a lot on non-profit management/ government at least in comparison to other top MBA programs. It isn't on par with the Top 10 schools but since it's Yale it probably won't have a tough time turning into an elite program in the coming years.

Currently flies below the radar, but definitely a good bet for the future. Small class sizes compared to most b-schools. From what I've read, Yale SOM has a small endowment, but the school is also "unnamed" so if they ever decide to go that route, I'm sure they can raise a good amount of money.

Originally Posted by micbain

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Edit: I should add, as someone who plans to return back to my home city at some point down the line....having a MBA with a "name" is important. The city I live in is great, but very ignorant about schools outside of Canada and probably wouldn't recognize a sloan or tuck brand despite the quality of the program and school....so Yale represents a brand that employers would recognize.
lol .. pretty sure any of the top firms in Vancouver are staffed by guys with top 10 MBA's .. and a top 10 MBA would be recognized by anyone you'd want to work for once you get your top 10 MBA. Even in the "smaller" cities, Regina/Saskatoon, or Edmonton/Calgary .. would recognize a Sloan MBA.

Originally Posted by imschatz

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lol .. pretty sure any of the top firms in Vancouver are staffed by guys with top 10 MBA's .. and a top 10 MBA would be recognized by anyone you'd want to work for once you get your top 10 MBA.

Even in the "smaller" cities, Regina/Saskatoon, or Edmonton/Calgary .. would recognize a Sloan MBA.

If I was going back to my home city I'd probably go the opposite route. Save the money and go local. When you look at business managers in Canada a bunch more of them have MBAs from Western/Toronto than do from elite schools in the US. I think the point of paying the big bucks for an elite MBA is: a) access to elite firm recruitment and b) international portability.

Originally Posted by micbain

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I'm continuing to research US MBA programs and I've noticed that the Yale SOM doesn't seem to get much attention. Everyone seems to focus and discuss H/S/W + a few others (Booth, Sloan, Stern, Kellog, Tuck)

It's usually a top 20 rank, but typically in the bottom half of it. It's ranking isn't has high as one would expect given Yale is as ivy and blue blood of a school you can get, its admittance standards appear to be on par with the top 5 schools, and post employment stats also being on par with the top 10.

Thoughts on the program? Is it really lacking as compared to the top 10? As some who's looking to further his career in finance, is Yale SOM a strong target school for wall street?

Thanks,

Mike

Edit: I should add, as someone who plans to return back to my home city at some point down the line....having a MBA with a "name" is important. The city I live in is great, but very ignorant about schools outside of Canada and probably wouldn't recognize a sloan or tuck brand despite the quality of the program and school....so Yale represents a brand that employers would recognize.

It's a much younger school than its Ivy peers (Harvard, Tuck, Wharton, Columbia) and its ranking is reflected by that. I think the biggest issue is that it hasn't had enough time for its alumni to do great things, which is ultimately what builds the reputation of the school.

I would disagree with your assertion that admissions standards at Yale are as high. They are probably marginally higher than for schools with similar rankings (Darden, NYU, etc.), but considerably lower than H/S/W. Many people consider Yale to be a very good 'safety' option, because to the layperson, it has the prestige of H/S/W, but it isn't nearly as hard to get into.

As I said in another thread, I think it's a pretty good play if your alternatives are similarly ranked (i.e. not top 10). Yale seems very committed to the success of the school, so you may find that the Top 20 MBA that you got in 2013 is a Top 10 MBA when you're mid-career in 2025.

I'm a stern MBA, but took a look at yale. Didn't seem to have the finance focus that other programs did, but if you're not into a finance concentration, it may be right for you.

Part of the ranking stems from a change in administration in 1990-- BusinessWeek got a good scoop then on some of the firefights in the halls surrounding a new dean, and never forgot it.

Since then, it's gone through a few different deans (all much better than the Levine vintage), and for the right student is a great school. I don't know what the deal with finance is-- when I was there, Steve Ross, Ken French, Ingersoll, and Ibbotson were the big ticket guys. And David Swensen taught a good class in endowment management. For what I wound up doing-- consulting to endowments and families who thought of themselves that way-- it was the perfect springboard. Then as (doubtless) now, there were schools that are better for certain corners of the financial world.

Ross and French have since gone elsewhere and the curriculum is now a much more integrated one. So while the essentials of the place-- good culture, smart (if offbeat) students, tapping into the rest of Yale-- haven't changed much, the particulars will have moved around somewhat. Last I checked, selectivity is pretty high-- something like 15% acceptance rate, with a bright group showing up. And it is still a fact that a majority of HBS students couldn't get in.

Originally Posted by Concordia

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Part of the ranking stems from a change in administration in 1990-- BusinessWeek got a good scoop then on some of the firefights in the halls surrounding a new dean, and never forgot it.

Since then, it's gone through a few different deans (all much better than the Levine vintage), and for the right student is a great school. I don't know what the deal with finance is-- when I was there, Steve Ross, Ken French, Ingersoll, and Ibbotson were the big ticket guys. And David Swensen taught a good class in endowment management. For what I wound up doing-- consulting to endowments and families who thought of themselves that way-- it was the perfect springboard. Then as (doubtless) now, there were schools that are better for certain corners of the financial world.

Ross and French have since gone elsewhere and the curriculum is now a much more integrated one. So while the essentials of the place-- good culture, smart (if offbeat) students, tapping into the rest of Yale-- haven't changed much, the particulars will have moved around somewhat. Last I checked, selectivity is pretty high-- something like 15% acceptance rate, with a bright group showing up. And it is still a fact that a majority of HBS students couldn't get in.

This seems like a rather controversial statement...

I was at the open house earlier. It would seem there were plenty of students who had turned down other, much higher-ranked, schools. Oftentimes it was students who were seeking to go into non-profit or other non-typical post-MBA careers, and Yale was a good fit for them.

It'll be interesting to see how the new dean and the new building affects things.

Originally Posted by Lord-Barrington

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This seems like a rather controversial statement...

Really? There are about 800 in each class at HBS, and just over 200 at Yale.

If you need help with the math, let me know.

aw snap no he dint
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Originally Posted by Concordia

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Really? There are about 800 in each class at HBS, and just over 200 at Yale. If you need help with the math, let me know.
So that's your rationale for your statement? Sounds like you need help with your reasoning... The minute a school has smaller class sizes it's automatically more selective? Interesting...

Don't worry-- you'll figure it out eventually.

And if you don't, can I invite you to join a poker game? I have no experience and less skill at that game, but I think you'd be a good person for me to have around.

Originally Posted by Concordia

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Don't worry-- you'll figure it out eventually. And if you don't, can I invite you to join a poker game? I have no experience and less skill at that game, but I think you'd be a good person for me to have around.
No, seriously. Cut the bullshit and answer. You're saying that a program is necessarily more selective than another because it has a smaller class size, right? If that's not what you're saying, please explain yourself. Harvard has a higher GMAT average, a WAY higher yield (something like 50 percentage points higher) and a far lower acceptance rate. So how are all these Harvard MBA's getting rejected from Yale, exactly?