Advertise on podcast: Inside the Yale Admissions Office

Rating

★★★★★

4.5

from

309 reviews

Description

Admissions Officers Hannah and Mark share the complex and dynamic work happening inside the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The podcast gives firsthand accounts of how officers read applications, make decisions within the Admissions Committee, and collaborate with other offices and resource centers. Yale College receives more than 35,000 applications annually for a first-year class of 1,550 students. Hannah and Mark give an inside look into the strategies and processes that enable admissions officers to attract promising applicants from around the world, consider every applicant through a whole-person review process, and build a class filled with strong students from an amazingly diverse collection of backgrounds. Recorded inside the Office of Undergraduate Admissions on Hillhouse Avenue, this new podcast pulls back the curtain to reveal some of Yale’s most fascinating and rewarding work.

Unlock Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details

Email contact information

Direct podcast contact details

Listeners

Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details

Podcast Insights

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast

What Yale Looks For, Part 2: Supporting Others

2026/10/13

Continuing their in-depth review of what Yale admissions officers look for, Hannah and Mark discuss the importance of making a positive impact on others and review how different application components demonstrate students’ support for those around them. The episode explains how officers consider an applicant’s impact on other people and details how Yale’s values and approach to evaluating applications is grounded in a letter written by Yale’s president in 1967. The hosts also shine a light on the shameful history of exclusion that characterized the origins of holistic admissions in early 20th century America.

What Yale Looks For, Part 1: Academic Strength

2026/09/01

The first in a new mini-series giving an in-depth look at what Yale admissions officers look for when evaluating applications. The first and most important consideration in every application is academic strength. Hannah and Mark share how admissions officers evaluate an applicant’s baseline academic preparation and how applicants stand out as prospective Yale College students. The admissions officers discuss how each part of the application can help demonstrate that an applicant is a strong, compelling, and well-prepared future college student.

Application Update 2026-2027

2026/08/17

At the start of a new application cycle, Hannah and Mark share the annual updates to Yale’s first-year application. Admissions Officer Dara joins to discuss a change in standardized testing policy, the addition of a new “short take” question, and the elimination of a “Why Yale” question. This episode complements previous annual application update episodes and “Essays: The Little Stuff.”

Bulldog Days Live 2026

2026/04/28

For their fourth annual Bulldog Days Live episode, Hannah and Mark ask four recently admitted students visiting campus to reflect on the factors and forces that affected their college application journey – including things they chose to do and things that were completely out of their control. Admissions officer Brynne dazzles the audience with her encyclopedic knowledge of what her admitted students shared in their applications. Hannah and Mark share many more insights from admitted students who considered how they were successful in their college application process.

International Admissions

2026/03/02

Hannah and Mark discuss the exciting work of the admissions office’s “I-Team” with colleague and director of international admissions, John. The officers review the process of applying to Yale as an international student and share how officers evaluate applications from every corner of the globe with a holistic understanding of students’ diverse contexts. Hannah and John share their favorite experiences from traveling internationally and provide advice for students interested in studying in the United States.

Mailbag 3

2026/02/27

Hannah and Mark respond to the latest questions sent in by podcast listeners. Admissions officer Amelia joins to discuss summer programs, high school course rigor, Yale’s new fly-in program, and planning for the college admissions process early in high school.

Interview with Jimmy Hatch ’24, The Ivy League Insurgent

2025/09/16

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 Insurgent. As a former Navy SEAL, Purple Heart recipient, and nonprofit founder, Jimmy became Yale’s oldest freshman at the age of 52. In their interview, Jimmy reflects on his remarkable story, the importance of connecting with those who are different, and how the humanities have shaped his understanding of what it means to be a “better human.”

Selecting High School Courses

2025/08/18

A prospective student’s high school transcript is the most important individual component of an application. Hannah and Mark discuss what admissions officers look for when reviewing transcripts and how transcripts demonstrate an applicant’s academic preparedness and academic resourcefulness. They share advice on building a high school course schedule and how to navigate the challenges that inevitably arise when students are unable to enroll in their preferred courses. The hosts share answers to some of the most frequently asked questions and give their advice on how to keep a healthy perspective on often-fraught topics such as mathematics placement and maximizing advanced courses.

Application Update 2025-2026

2025/07/31

At the start of the new admissions cycle, Kenan joins Hannah and Mark for the fourth annual application update episode, highlighting changes to Yale’s first-year application. The admissions officers discuss a revised Yale-specific question and changes to two parts of the Common Application that invite applicants to share additional information. This episode is an update to episodes titled “Essays: The Little Stuff” and “Application Update 2024-2025.”

Bulldog Days Live 2025

2025/04/25

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.

What Yale Looks For: Special Mythbusters Edition

2025/02/13

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.

College Search 101: What’s Important to You

2025/02/12

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.

Mythbusters Live: 2024 Application Deadline Edition

2024/10/24

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.

College Search 101: How to Ask Questions

2024/08/15

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.

Application Update 2024-2025

2024/08/12

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-year application. The admissions officers discuss the types of responses that are more and less effective and what admissions officers hope to learn about applicants when reading their responses. This episode is an update to Episode 6: Essays: The Little Stuff, originally released in summer 2020.

Podcast reviews

Read Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast reviews

4.5 out of 5

309 reviews

★☆☆☆☆

JTH080 2026/09/10

You think ppl are dumb

Why do a podcast if you can’t share anything real!? Stop wasting yours and our time with the predictable company lines.

★☆☆☆☆

AltheaRS 2026/03/02

Absolutely Useless

Please don’t waste your time - the admissions officers tell you nothing of substance, but manage to be condescending while saying nothing.

★★★☆☆

SkyBillPlayer 2025/09/03

Good but Yale’s institutional priorities and rules get in the way

The hosts, Mark and Hannah, are genuine people and they provide some useful tidbits. They add some color to the Admissions Officer side of the whole c...

★★★★★

Rhbber duck 2024/03/11

As entertaining as it is helpful

Come for the college admissions tips, stay for Mark and Hannah’s wildly entertaining and hilarious personalities.

★★★★★

LBD634444 2023/07/25

Extremely helpful

Great podcast for students and parents, whether applying to Yale or not.

★★★★☆

NickName123!?$7 2023/05/07

Incredibly helpful with a few flaws

I absolutely adored this insider look, very entertaining and informative. Only had a few complaints: the stuff about ratings feels very secretive, the...

★☆☆☆☆

Rgopalani 2023/04/05

Mostly unhelpful

These folks are very articulate and the audio is good but the content is drivel. Getting into schools such as these truly is a crapshoot if you’re not...

★★★★★

Schennkin 2022/09/09

Yale is so approachable!

It’s really nice to see how the Yale admissions process tries to make their process more transparent and approachable. Applying to college is incredib...

★★★★★

Sadie685555 2022/07/19

The best advice and information in the entire college process

Yes, this podcast has its flaws, but I’m giving this 5 stars because it is so, so helpful and honest compared to every thing else in the admissions pr...

★★★★★

Hfhshg 2022/02/16

The for real insider lens

We can’t afford expensive admissions counselor so this podcast has been so helpful. I help mentor underserved students so what you share helps so many...

check all reviews on apple podcasts