Inside the Yale Admissions Office

For their third annual Bulldog Days Live episode, Hannah and Mark interview three recently admitted students about how they chose to spend their time in high school. The students share their insights on balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, social life, work, family, and everything else on their path to applying to college. Admissions officers Skylar and John discuss how the admissions office produces an action-packed three-day campus preview program, including two world-class performance showcases. Hannah and Mark also share dozens of pearls of wisdom submitted by audience members about prioritizing commitments and finding balance.

In the latest installment in the Mythbusters miniseries, Hannah and Mark discuss examples of reasonable—but ultimately inaccurate—beliefs that some applicants have about the admissions committee’s values and expectations. They address persistent myths about the qualities Yale admissions officers look for in applicants and offer advice for composing activities lists, essays, and short answer prompts.

The second episode in a mini-series about the first step in the admissions process: deciding where to apply. Hannah and Mark emphasize the importance of beginning the college search process by engaging in honest introspection and ignoring every college ranking website. Admissions officer John returns to the podcast to share his advice on creating a list of personalized non-negotiables to guide the search process.

With Yale’s first application deadline approaching, Hannah, Mark, and special guest Alfie hosted a special live virtual event for students planning to apply in the current admissions cycle. The officers answered questions about standardized testing, essays, and how officers review applications, while busting a few myths and responding to some of the most persistent rumors about selective college admissions.

The opening episode in a mini-series about the first step in the admissions process: deciding where to apply. Samantha — the admissions office’s new senior assistant director for partnership programming —joins Hannah and Mark to share advice on asking questions of admissions representatives, current students, faculty and staff. The officers discuss how asking thoughtful personalized questions is an essential step in building a college list and share strategies for seeking insights about a college’s potential fit.