Inside the Yale Admissions Office
Episodes
Bulldog Days Live 2026
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For their fourth annual Bulldog Days Live episode, Hannah and Mark ask four recently admitted students visiting campus to reflect on the factors and f...
International Admissions
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah and Mark discuss the exciting work of the admissions office’s “I-Team” with colleague and director of international admissions, John. The...
Mailbag 3
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah and Mark respond to the latest questions sent in by podcast listeners. Admissions officer Amelia joins to discuss summer programs, high school ...
Interview with Jimmy Hatch ’24, The Ivy League Insurgent
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah and Mark interview Jimmy Hatch, a recent Yale graduate and 26-year US military veteran who is the host of the new podcast, The Ivy League Insur...
Selecting High School Courses
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A prospective student’s high school transcript is the most important individual component of an application. Hannah and Mark discuss what admissions...
Application Update 2025-2026
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the start of the new admissions cycle, Kenan joins Hannah and Mark for the fourth annual application update episode, highlighting changes to Yale’...
Bulldog Days Live 2025
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For their third annual Bulldog Days Live episode, Hannah and Mark interview three recently admitted students about how they chose to spend their time ...
What Yale Looks For: Special Mythbusters Edition
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest installment in the Mythbusters miniseries, Hannah and Mark discuss examples of reasonable—but ultimately inaccurate—beliefs that som...
College Search 101: What’s Important to You
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Mythbusters Live: 2024 Application Deadline Edition
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Yale’s first application deadline approaching, Hannah, Mark, and special guest Alfie hosted a special live virtual event for students planning ...
College Search 101: How to Ask Questions
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The opening episode in a mini-series about the first step in the admissions process: deciding where to apply. Samantha — the admissions office’s n...
Application Update 2024-2025
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the start of the new admissions cycle, Karen joins Hannah and Mark for the third annual preview of the questions that will appear on Yale’s first...
Bulldog Days Live 2024
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recently admitted students in the Class of 2028 join Hannah and Mark for the second annual Bulldog Days Live episode, recorded during Yale’s three-d...
Bonus Episode: Standardized Tests and the Baseball Analogy
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To help listeners better understand what test scores can and can’t say about a student’s relative strengths, Mark outlines an analogy he devised t...
Standardized Tests: How We Got Here
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 in a 3-part series on Yale’s test-flexible policy. Over four years, Yale’s admissions office went from requiring the ACT or SAT, to being f...
Standardized Tests: The Details
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 in a 3-part series on Yale’s test-flexible policy. Hannah and Mark reveal the details of Yale’s newly announced test-flexible policy, which...
Standardized Tests: The Big Picture
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 in a 3-part series on Yale’s test-flexible policy. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan shares his thoughts on the role and valu...
Mythbusters Live – EA Deadline Edition
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With just days to go before Yale’s early action deadline, Hannah, Mark, and special guest Moira hosted a special live virtual event for students pre...
What’s the Deal With That Supreme Court Case?
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in two cases about how admissions offices can consider an applicant’s race and ethnicity. Hannah and Mark...
Mythbusters Live
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In September 2023 Hannah and Mark hosted a special live virtual event for high school seniors. Responding to questions submitted by audience members, ...
AI and College Essays: Wrong Question, Wrong Answer
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The sudden availability of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have raised new questions about authorship, plagiarism, and fairness in college a...
Application Update 2023-2024
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the start of the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, Jackie joins Hannah and Mark for the second annual preview of the new and updated questions that will ...
Bulldog Days Live!
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A live audience of recently admitted students joins Hannah and Mark for a special episode recorded at Bulldog Days, a three-day campus preview program...
Yield Season
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yale admissions officers always look forward to April, when their focus shifts from selecting students to working closely with admitted students decid...
Reading Reloaded
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For their thirtieth episode, Hannah and Mark revisit the application reading process detailed in episode 1. They share insights into the office’s ne...
Mailbag 2
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast listeners have continued to send fantastic questions and topic suggestions to the Inside the Yale Admissions Office email account. Admissions ...
Early Admissions
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Selective colleges offer a variety of early admissions programs, including early action, restrictive early action, early decision, and early decision ...
2022-2023 Application Update
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The first-year application for fall 2023 admission includes several new questions that were written by admissions readers during the office’s annual...
Should I Even Apply?
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The highly selective admissions process can be daunting and feel discouraging, especially for students who fear that some aspect of their personal cir...
Final Review
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After every application has been read and has gone through an area committee, there’s one final step before decisions are released. Hannah and Mark ...
Lingo Bingo!
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world of college admissions and financial aid is complicated enough to have its own extensive vocabulary. Hannah and Mark try to make learning thi...
Episode 23: Junior Year Questions & Answers
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As they begin their college search journey, high school juniors face a mountain of information about the admissions process. Hannah, Mark, and Jill an...
Financial Aid 101
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In many ways, college financial aid can be even more complicated and anxiety-provoking than college admissions. Financial aid officer Matt joins Hanna...
Mailbag
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first in an occasional series. Admissions officer Reed joins Hannah and Mark to answer questions and address topics that listeners have sent to th...
Senior Year Questions & Answers
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As they begin putting together college applications, high school seniors around the world will encounter unforeseen issues that can provoke concern an...
The Activities Section
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the whole-person review process, the Yale Admissions Committee consider each applicant’s engagement with “extracurricular activities”...
Mythbusters 2
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The second installment in an occasional miniseries. Hannah, Mark, and Jill review and debunk six more persistent myths about the admissions process. F...
The Choices Game
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the process of putting together their applications, students make countless choices. To help applicants understand which choices are more or less l...
Transfer and Non-Traditional Students
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The transfer and non-traditional students programs make up a small but important part of the admissions office’s work to create a diverse undergradu...
Dealing with Decisions
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With decision day approaching, Hannah and Mark share advice for understanding and processing each type of decision: denied, admitted, and placed on th...
Likely Letters
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Admissions officer Ashleigh joins Hannah and Mark to talk about likely letters – a recruiting tool the admissions office uses with a small group of ...
What Stands Out
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most applicants to Yale are strong along many dimensions, but only a small group truly stand out. Hannah and Mark discuss how admissions officers try ...
COVID-19 Update
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ten months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Hannah and Mark give an update on the admissions office’s rapid changes to work that would normally include t...
Mythbusters
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first installment in an occasional miniseries. Admissions Officer Jill joins Mark and Hannah to discuss and debunk some of the most persistent adm...
Supplementary Materials
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Applicants to Yale who have highly-developed artistic talents or experience with advanced STEM research have the option to include supplementary mater...
Recommendation Letters
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every application to Yale includes three letters of recommendation – two from classroom teachers and one from a counselor. Admissions Officer Moira ...
Interviews
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many applicants have an evaluative interview with a Yale student or alum as part of the application process. Hannah and Mark talk with Dara, the direc...
QuestBridge
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Yale Admissions Office is a proud partner with QuestBridge, a national non-profit organization that connects students from low-income backgrounds ...
Essays: The Little Stuff
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 of 3. Most colleges ask applicants to respond to several shorter questions that are unique to their school. Hannah and Mark discuss what office...
Essays: What Doesn’t Work
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of 3. Application essays are an opportunity to speak directly to admissions officers and share meaningful insights and reflections. Unsuccessfu...
Essays: What Works
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of 3. The most effective application essays help admissions officers understand who students are and the contributions they would make to a com...
COVID-19
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As COVID-19 causes massive disruptions around the world, Hannah and Mark discuss how the Yale Admissions Office has adapted and will continue adapting...
Committee
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every admissions decision is made by a committee composed of five members of the Yale community. Hannah and Mark take listeners inside a real admissio...
Reading
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah and Mark discuss how officers read applications, make notes, confer with colleagues, and prepare to present applicants to the Admissions Commit...