The Yale School of Management has posted its MBA application deadlines for the upcoming admissions cycle.

Round 1

Deadline: September 25, 2013

Notification: December 9, 2013

Round 2

Deadline: January 9, 2014

Notification: April 4, 2014

Round 3

Deadline: April 24, 2014

Notification: May 22, 2014

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According to the school, the application for the Class of 2016 will be live in mid-July. For more information, visit the Yale SOM admissions website.

MBA students from the Yale School of Management have organized a new kind of business school case competition debuting on April 6th. The one-day only Integrated Leadership Case Competition (ILCC) brings together student teams from top U.S. business schools to tackle a Yale SOM online “raw” case that addresses a business ethics issue.

According to the school, Yale SOM pioneered a “raw” format for case studies in 2006.  Raw cases are web-based, open-ended, and multi-perspective presentations that can feature thousands of pages of relevant material that students must analyze, such as 10-Ks, analyst reports, news articles, stock charts, and interviews with key players—a format that reflects the way managers analyze information to make informed business decisions.

Inspired by Yale SOM’s integrated MBA curriculum and Leadership Development Program, the school explains that “ILCC student teams must include members from different disciplines and/or professional backgrounds, and student teams will be encouraged to draw on multiple disciplines and to consider different vantage points and multiple stakeholders when formulating their strategies.”

Teams made up of students from Yale SOM, the NYU Stern School of Business, the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania will present to a panel of judges including Yale faculty, sponsors, and corporate leaders.

“This competition encompasses many of the key components we love about Yale SOM: small group work, data-rich raw cases, and complex problems that require comprehensive, creative solutions,” says Caitlin Sullivan ’13, Yale SOM Student Government president. “We’re excited to showcase these elements with our colleagues from peer business schools.”

Thomas Kolditz, professor in the practice of leadership and director of Yale SOM’s Leadership Development Program, will serve as a judge. “This is not only a great event for practicing good analysis, it’s a rich team leadership lab,” Kolditz says. “Participants will be given feedback on their leadership skills, teamwork, and performance. This competition will truly be integrated learning.”

For most b-school applicants, the high cost of an top-tier MBA program is an important consideration in the decision-making process. If that sounds like you, check out the latest ranking released by Bloomberg Businessweek of the highest debt burdens facing MBA graduates, where the questionable first-place honor goes to….Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business with an average debt burden of $87,398.

Here’s the bird’s-eye view of the dubious Top Ten:

1. Duke Fuqua

Program Cost: $109,844
Average Starting Salary: $111,812
Average Debt Burden: $87,398

2. University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School

Program Cost: $121,610
Average Starting Salary: $120,702
Average Debt Burden: $83,226

3. Yale School of Management

Program Cost: $115,321
Average Starting Salary: $104,147
Average Debt Burden: $82,293

4. Chicago Booth School of Business

Program Cost: $111,587
Average Starting Salary: $115,079
Average Debt Burden: $82,080

5. UV Darden School of Business

Program Cost: $95,900
Average Starting Salary: $109,335
Average Debt Burden: $80,528

6. Georgetown McDonough School of Business

Program Cost: $99,650
Average Starting Salary: $99,799
Average Debt Burden: $77,688

7. UM Ross School of Business

Program Cost: $100,389
Average Starting Salary: $111,047
Average Debt Burden: $77,607

8. Dartmouth Tuck School of Business

Program Cost: $117,930
Average Starting Salary: $115,302
Average Debt Burden: $75,081

9. USC Marshall School of Business

Program Cost: $103,300
Average Starting Salary: $97,921
Average Debt Burden: $70,340

10. Northwestern Kellogg School of Management

According to the data note provided by Bloomberg Businessweek, the schools listed here provided the program cost and average starting salary numbers in fall 2012. Average Debt Burden data was collected in the graduate survey that was part of the 2012 Best Business Schools ranking.

Ultimately, taking on student loan debt is a personal decision. If an M.B.A. will lead to a career with a salary commensurate with the cost of the debt you are about to incur, the decision may be an easy one. However, if you’re worried about the MBA debt load that awaits you, read these posts to learn how to lighten your MBA debt load, and how to pay for your MBA.

Students at 25 leading business schools will compete this spring for recognition and $35,000 in scholarship funds by exploring the significant and positive influence that well-managed business can have in society.

Through the analysis of a new business case study co-authored by the Yale School of Management and the National University of Singapore Business School, the Aspen Institute’s 2013 Business & Society International MBA Case Competition inspires future business leaders to innovate at the intersection of corporate profitability and positive environmental and social impact.

“More than ever before, business leaders are responsible for contemplating and acting on how industry can best tackle societal issues that have direct impact on long-term business success,” says Nancy McGaw, Director of the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education.

“Now in its fourth year, this preeminent case study competition aims to inspire the kind of visionary leadership needed at the critical nexus of business and society.”

Over the course of an intense three and a half days, students will analyze and respond to a new case study focused on a real-life business decision being undertaken by a major company.  Competitions at each of the 25 partnering schools will determine first place campus winners, whose work will be reviewed by a panel of academic judges to determine five honorable mentions and five finalist teams.

Finalists will be flown to New York City, where they will present to a panel of corporate judges and join an invitation-only reception generously hosted by BNY Mellon.  All finalist teams will receive prize money, with the first place team receiving $15,000 and $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.

For most people, the weeks before and after the new year are a time of merriment and a full calendar of socializing with family and friends. However, for Round 2 MBA applicants, this is likely “crunch time” as deadlines in early January loom.

Bruce DelMonico, assistant dean and director of admissions at the Yale School of Management, offers these tips for candidates hoping to put their best foot forward. His general advice addresses the importance of presenting yourself in a genuine way, rather than trying to package yourself as whatever mold you might imagine the admissions department is looking for. “Many applicants get tripped up trying to get inside our heads,” he says. “Don’t out-think yourself. Tell us about what you care about, not what you think we want to hear.”

Earlier this month on the Chicago Booth School of Business‘s MBA blog, associate dean Kurt Ahlm echoed a similar sentiment when he criticized some applicants’ tendency to focus on being remembered rather than authentic. By crafting an application that accurately reflects your past, aspirations and personality, you’ll naturally stand out. At the same time though, Ahlm reminds aspirants to not hold back when it comes to sharing details that will help the school understand your path and how you’ll contribute to the Booth community.

Meanwhile, Yale’s DelMonico urges applicants to be up front about their weaknesses.  “Everyone has weaknesses,” he stresses. “We’ll see them, so you’re better off acknowledging them and incorporating them into your application than hoping we’ll miss them.”  Make sure though that you don’t make the rookie mistake of trying to pass off  being a perfectionist, or a workaholic, as your principal fault!

For Booth applicants still struggling with their essays, Ahlm advises spending a few weeks in self-reflection and doing some deeper thinking before sitting down to hammer out those answers. While acknowledging the fact that great essays can come in many forms, he says all have at least three elements in common:

Spark – what gets you up in the morning? What do you love? How do you want to change? What motivates you in your career?

Clear goals – try not to speak in generic statements and maybes. Make sure your goals make sense and are achievable. Do you understand the industry you are striving to work in? Have done your research?

Fit – you have to know where Booth can fill in the gaps for you and what you can’t get anywhere else. 

Yale SOM applicants who have already completed a first or second draft of their essays should take these next few weeks to proofread and polish to ensure that they are hitting all crucial points, advises DelMonico, who suggests asking a trusted friend or family member for feedback from a fresh pair of eyes.

Finally, both DelMonico and Ahlm recommend MBA hopefuls attend one of the informal social events over the holidays to further forge a connection with the b-school community you’re targeting. The various Yale Winter Break Socials and Chicago Booth Student-Hosted Winter Events  around the globe are a great way to hear first-hand about the MBA experience and can only help you cement your decision of why your school of choice is the right fit for you.

The Yale School of Management has posted the 2012-2013 essay topics for the full-time MBA program. This year’s application contains four essay questions.  The first question has a maximum response length of 150 words; the other three have maximum response lengths of 300 words.  Applicants must respond to all four questions.

The questions are:

1. What prompted your decision to get an MBA?  When did you realize that this was a step you wanted – or needed – to take? (150 words maximum)

2. Describe a difficult professional decision you had to make.  What were the consequences, and what, if anything, did you learn?  Would you make the same decision again? (300 words maximum)

3. The Yale School of Management provides a leadership education characterized by broad-minded and intellectually curious students with diverse backgrounds, a distinctive integrated curriculum, connections to one of the great research universities in the world, and the broad reach of an innovative and expanding global network of top business schools.  What will you contribute to the Yale SOM community, and how will being part of it help you extend your professional vision? (300 words maximum)

4. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?  Why? (300 words maximum)

Reapplicants to Yale SOM must respond to Question 1 and Question 4, and then compose a response to the following question:

What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application? (300 words maximum).

The Yale SOM application will go live next month. Stay tuned to this space for our Yale SOM essay tips, coming soon!