The Yale Daily News reports today on trends at Yale SOM. The highlights:

• Applications rose 4% in Round 1 2008 over Round 1 2007.
• The average GMAT of round 1 applicants rose 2 points to 698.
• "SOM’s participation in The Consortium more than doubled the number of underrepresented minority students — which include African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans — that applied to the school."
• Yale SOM plans to increase entering class size ever so slightly -- from this year's 193 to 195-200.

This week Accepted is pleased to host Laurie Stewart, Carnegie Mellon's Executive Director of MBA Admissions, along with other members of the Tepper community during an online CMU Tepper chat on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 10:00 AM PT/ 1:00 PM ET/6:00 PM GMT. Please join us in Accepted's chat room.

Coming up next Monday: London Business School Chat on Dec. 8, 2008 at 10:00 AM PT/ 1:00 PM ET/6:00 PM GMT.

We also have posted in the last several days three transcripts from recent chats.

• 2009 Consortium MBA Career Chat with Jackie Olden
• 2009 MIT Sloan MBA LGBT with Deirdre Kane
• 2009 MIT Sloan MBA Military with Barry Reckley

A few other items I want to note: Anderson's MBA Insider's Blog has a succinct, informative post "Tips for Early Career (EC) MBA Applicants," by Admissions Director Mae Shores. Although the advice is intended specifically for Anderson, it really applies to most applicants with less than three years of experience to top programs that encourage EC's to apply. Chicago Booth also provides guidance specifically geared to early career applicants.

Finally, I feel remiss if I don't even mention the Mumbai massacre considering its cruel brutality and devastating impact.  Our sympathy goes out to all victims of this barbarism and our best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery to those injured by the terrorists. Clear Admit provides a round-up of the cancelled MBA admissions events in India as a result of the attack.

I am sure that some of our readers are personally affected or know someone who is. And of course there are people around the world who have lost loved ones. Terrorism is an international plague knowing no boundaries, using murder and mayhem as an obscene form of political expression.

I don't know anyone personally hurt in or affected by the attacks. My family and I do have a couple of good friends who knew the Holzbergs, the young rabbinic couple butchered by the terrorists. One friend was travelling in India and spent the Sabbath before the attack at the Chabad Center (formerly known as the Nariman House), in which several people perished. Another friend, who had lived in Mumbai for a year, found herself last Thursday helping her sister on her wedding day  -- and worrying about Rabbi and Mrs. Holzberg, who ran the Chabad Center and with whom she had enjoyed many a meal and chat.

At the end of a moving and terribly sad email, she writes "And to all of you reading this email, I ask that you do something good—something so kind, so good, and so loving, that it can in some way make the world hurt less. Because, little Moishe (the Holzberg's two-year-old son rescued by his nanny)  should not know the hate-filled world that his parents were murdered in."

Just a reminder, we have three events ending today:

• November Special: Save $100 on all orders of $2000 or more today through today, November 30, 2008. Start your applications ASAP so you will have the time to produce engaging, compelling essays. Purchase professional MBA admissions consulting and editing and save. Use coupon code SAVE100 during checkout.
• MBA I.V.: MBA Interview Questions & Tips: Instantly downloadable ebook providing advice & tips on the MBA Interview. 20% off thru today Nov. 30.
• MBA Mojo November Contest

I recently stumbled across a wonderful resource for EMBA applicants on the Wharton website. The Tips for Applicants, provides advice on how to propose and receive EMBA sponsorship from one’s employer. The tips are useful for both Wharton and non-Wharton EMBA applicants. Tips include planning your strategy, sample sponsorship request, tips from faculty and advice from students. A must-read for all EMBA applicants!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I like my mom's stuffing, getting together with family and friends for Thanksgiving dinner, and the theme of the day. Physically and philosophically, it's my kind of day.  For loosely analogous reasons, my all -time favorite blog post was last year's Thanksgiving post.  It combined beliefs I hold dear, a good story, AND admissions advice. Blogging nirvana. I received more compliments on that post than on any other post in 4.5 years of blogging.

This year, I intended to simply wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving whether you are in the United States, which is celebrating this uniquely American holiday, or not. The themes of appreciation and gratitude associated with Thanksgiving are universal -- even on days when the headlines scream terror attacks and recession. Or perhaps especially on days when the bad news outweighs the good we need to count our blessings. 

However, a few days ago I received an unusual thank-you from a former client and applicant. Our clients frequently thank us when we finish working with them and/or when accepted, but this woman wrote roughly four years after working with us. Consequently this Thanksgiving I want to share one of the nicest notes of appreciation Accepted has ever received.

"I am writing to you today because I want to give you a testimonial for use on your website for the law school essay [editing] services. I know your service must receive testimonials from people who have just received their admissions. I, however, am now an attorney and can see the long-term value of using your service, which is why I share this with you now.

"I worked with, if I recall correctly, Linda Abraham in the Fall of 2004 in writing essays that would help explain that I left law school [earlier] for family reasons, and why law schools should have taken a chance on me a second time. Linda really helped me distill my reasons for wanting to return to law school into clear, achievable goals. This process not only helped me write a terrific personal statement, but also helped me once I got into law school in keeping a clear focus on my long-term goals. This, in turn, truly made me very successful in law school, which allowed me to procure the most exciting and meaningful professional experience of my life, my current position as an associate with a wonderful law firm.

"In short, the money I spent to work with Linda was the best $1,000 I ever spent in my life. That $1K turned into over $75,000 in scholarships over my three years in law school, and, more importantly, got me into a school that really worked for me, which turned into a job that now pays me market rate. Talk about a return on investment!

"Thank you."

JS

While I would like to take credit for the work that so helped this applicant, I can't. She worked with an editor who has since left Accepted to pursue other professional interests, but any one of our staff would provide the dedicated support that this client received.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your dreams and aspirations with us, for letting us into your lives. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!