YaleUniversity

YDS Professor Braxton Shelley discusses the origins and history of gospel music, the struggle at the heart of creativity and the risks AI poses to it, and bringing gospel legend Kirk Franklin to Yale for a masterclass.

In this Within episode, Brandon has a conversation with Liz Bucar, the author of Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us. Their conversation invites those who may identify as spiritual but not religious to take the religious context of spiritual practices more seriously. They explore the deeper interrelationship between spirituality and religion. The c...

The admissions process can seem like a mysterious black box. Your application goes in one side and, a few weeks later, a decision comes out the other. At Yale, real people make decisions at every stage of review, and every student is admitted by a committee. Hannah and Mark walk through each step in an application’s journey from data download to initial review, area reading, second reading, and co...

In this Within episode Brandon has a conversation with Rhonda Magee: the author of: The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness. They discuss how to use contemplative practice as a tool for racial healing. They inquire when Spiritual practice is simply interior, then does it actually have anything important to say to the pressing needs o...

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 applicat...

In this Within episode, Brandon speaks with Hitendra Wadhwa, the author of Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How Your Five Core Energies Hold the Key to Success. They discuss the class Wadhwa teaches at Columbia Business School and how his pedagogical approach is to turn his students from the outer acquisition of knowledge into the inner awakening of the soul. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Hitendra Wadhwa...

A conversation with Betsy Kornhauser, Tim Barringer, and Jenny Raab about the global scope of Church's travels, vision, and art

Vlad Chituc shares strategies for navigating academic writing norms for neurodivergent grad students    This is the second part of a special 2-part episode of The Write In, featuring Dr. Vlad Chituc. Vlad doesn’t shy away from brain topics, and why would he? As a psychologist and recently minted PhD, Vlad thinks deeply about human cognition and behavior. But, also, Vlad reflects deeply on his expe...

Vlad Chituc shares a unique collaborative writing model for grad students and their faculty co-authors In this episode, we explore collaborative writing models and practices between graduate students and their faculty co-authors. Vlad first describes collaborative writing as a standard practice in social science and science fields. Then, Vlad offers a unique live collaborative writing model that h...

A conversation between Witold Rybczynski and Paul Goldberger

Yale Divinity School alum and cinema scholar Richard Lindsay discusses the history of biblical films in Hollywood - from the influence of the Cold War and American culture on iconic biblical epics to the surprising ways camp and queer style shaped how these stories were told.

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 offic...

A conversation with Ramey Mize, curator of the exhibition Winslow Homer: Painter, Etcher

Miriam and Kristi bemoan the stress of "Marpril" and get excited about summer plans. Hear the inside scoop on planning admitted student programs, and what is keeping them up at night as the decision deadline approaches.

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.”

Miriam and Kristi talk about the winter months in admissions. Find out the first thing Miriam does each morning in January and why Kristi thinks February is the hardest month of the whole cycle.

Your co-hosts chat about life as an admissions dean in November and December. TLDR; it's all reading, all the time!

The cycle begins! Miriam and Kristi reflect on September and October, the first two months of the 2025-2026 admissions cycle.

A new season of Navigating Law School Admissions kicks off in August! Miriam and Kristi recorded themselves every two months of the 2026-2026 admissions cycle. Listen for the inside scoop on law school admissions from the perspective of two admissions deans, live in the moment as they experience the year.

Sylvia Thompson, Norwegian mediator and a 2026 Yale Peace Fellow, joins the podcast.

Anna Basman, peace negotiator from the Philippines and a 2026 Yale Peace Fellow, joins the podcast.

María Ramírez, Colombian peace advisor and a 2026 Yale Peace Fellow, joins the podcast.

A conversation with Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, a curator in the Department of Musical Instruments at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Join in for a moving, empowering, and life-giving conversation with Sho Baraka—husband, father, artist, speaker, and sensory inclusivity advocate. In this episode, Sho shares his powerful personal journey as the father of two sons on the autism spectrum. He honestly reflects on the emotions, challenges, and joys his family has experienced on this journey. We talk through the insecurities and shame...

Today, we delve into an honest and practical conversation about the place of psychology in society and in our daily lives. I’m joined by Dr. Simon Rego and Dr. Sandy Pimentel, two leading and influential clinical psychologists. We jump right in, first considering whether our culture’s increased focus on mental health is a passing fad or an emerging trend that’s here to stay. It doesn’t take long b...