The process of learning at Yale

[atithpagdi@gmail.com]

When I was in the US last year, I spoke to a friend who graduated from Yale SOM in '94 and a professor who used to teach accounting at Yale 15 years ago. Both of them told me that the process of education at Yale enhances the capacity to learn, and not compete with incomplete knowledge. Once students spend time acquiring knowledge, then they compete.

Are there any specific methods the SOM follows to incorporate this process of education and learning? I'm hoping some current students can throw some light on this.

Best,
Atith

[lewellen]

Yale tries to provide students with a sound theoretical grounding in the basic mechanics of the business world. We probably don't go as deep into the technical details as some of the other top programs, but by emphasizing the fundamentals I think the school provides students with a tried-and-true framework that can be used across virtually any discipline. The school really does change the way that you think about life. It provides students with a "classical" business education, if you will.

I think some of the other business schools place more emphasis on teaching students the latest and greatest management tools. While these skills may be very practical today and may help students in the short term, most of them will likely change within the next few years.

An example might be useful here. I interned at a bulge-bracket investment bank with students from most of the other top business schools, and I noticed a few differences between the students from Yale and the students from some of the other top schools. Some of my colleagues knew a lot of very cool tricks, but the same colleagues struggled with some of the basic fundamentals of finance. On the other hand, the fundamental knowledge I learned at Yale served me very well during my internship, and because the school teaches you HOW to think rather than WHAT to think, I was able to tackle issues outside of my comfort zone that some of my co-workers had trouble with. My employer told me at the end of the summer that I was at the top of my internship class, and I owe a lot of my success to the problem-solving framework I learned at SOM. In my opinion, the school does an excellent job of preparing you to succeed - even in the short term.

[atithpagdi@gmail.com]

Wow! Thanks lewellen... that's a pretty detailed answer! Sounds like one learning, and broad applications of that learning...