Ever Wonder What Sort of Person Gets Into Yale With a 160? Forum

[Thomas Jefferson]

Yeah...you think if Yale is going to reach for a 160 it's going to be some great philanthropist or dedicated volunteer worker. Not some rich, whiny, crackhead who obviously has many ethical issues. Isn't plagiarism supposed to be one of the worse things to have on your record? as it shows you aren't trustworthy.

+ 1

[jennylynn]

Am I the only who (never hearing of her before) thought she was in her 20s and was shocked when it talked about her 40th birthday? I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt as to her attitude, but you would really think that someon in their 40s would have given up on the rebel without a cause act.

[Veyron]

Am I the only who (never hearing of her before) thought she was in her 20s and was shocked when it talked about her 40th birthday? I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt as to her attitude, but you would really think that someon in their 40s would have given up on the rebel without a cause act.

She was (a bit) younger when it all went down.

[bilbobaggins]

She was a pretty accomplished writer at a pretty young age, right?

I never understood the good writer=good lawyer thing.. I mean legal writing, from what I have seen, is pretty formulaic. Whenever there is creativity its usually from judges and they are just having a little fun. Yes, you have to be able to clearly and concisely get a point across but is that the same way we judge writing(in reality)?

That's a big part of how we judge writing, but I was more talking about her success as an English major. I don't get why people doubt that a celebrated author would be able to get honors grades as an English major.

Have you read any of her work?

[mallard]

Have you read any of her work?

No. Is it terrible? If it is, nevermind.

[bilbobaggins]

Have you read any of her work?

No. Is it terrible? If it is, nevermind.

Let's just say that she will most likely be remembered for sleeping with David Foster Wallace and writing an obnoxious obit after his death.

[mallard]

Have you read any of her work?

No. Is it terrible? If it is, nevermind.

Let's just say that she will most likely be remembered for sleeping with David Foster Wallace and writing an obnoxious obit after his death.

I didn't mind the obit, although it seemed a little presumptuous.

[thecilent]

Have you read any of her work?

No. Is it terrible? If it is, nevermind.

Let's just say that she will most likely be remembered for sleeping with David Foster Wallace and writing an obnoxious obit after his death.

If she slept with DFW, she was doing something right. <3 DFW <3

[mallard]

Have you read any of her work?

No. Is it terrible? If it is, nevermind.

Let's just say that she will most likely be remembered for sleeping with David Foster Wallace and writing an obnoxious obit after his death.

If she slept with DFW, she was doing something right. <3 DFW <3

Yeah man.

[thecilent]

Yeah man.

Sarcasm?

[mallard]

Yeah man.

Sarcasm?

Not at all. Still a bit sad.

[thecilent]

Yeah man.

Sarcasm?

Not at all. Still a bit sad.

Word. Me too. I mean, if he couldn't get it right.. I feel like there's no way I can

[jennylynn]

Am I the only who (never hearing of her before) thought she was in her 20s and was shocked when it talked about her 40th birthday? I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt as to her attitude, but you would really think that someon in their 40s would have given up on the rebel without a cause act.

She was (a bit) younger when it all went down.

No I mean like her comments in law school classes and just her manner of speaking during the interview... I dunno. She just came across as having the maturity level of a 21 year old rather than a 40 year old.

[Bildungsroman]

This article makes her sound pretty insufferable and pretentious, and in my experience people who try to cultivate an image in the classroom of being the rebel and the bomb-thrower and the "I'm gonna lay some real world knowledge on you children" people are actually just dumb reactionaries who never outgrew their teenage years and make everyone in the class suffer through their antics.

But I'm not familiar enough with Ms. Wurtzel to make this statement about her.

[jennylynn]

This article makes her sound pretty insufferable and pretentious, and in my experience people who try to cultivate an image in the classroom of being the rebel and the bomb-thrower and the "I'm gonna lay some real world knowledge on you children" people are actually just dumb reactionaries who never outgrew their teenage years and make everyone in the class suffer through their antics.

But I'm not familiar enough with Ms. Wurtzel to make this statement about her.

Yes, this is what I was trying to say! haha Thanks for bailing me out there.

[acadec]

"She cut her legs with a razor, abused heroin and cocaine, and called her boyfriend a dozen times a day."

TWELVE times in one day? That's just ridiculous.

[Hey-O]

The article says, "Her combined LSAT score of 160"

So, she had more than one score. It could have been a 150 and a 172.

[dominkay]

The article says, "Her combined LSAT score of 160"

So, she had more than one score. It could have been a 150 and a 172.

First of all, 160 is not the average of 150 and 172.

Second, they might mean combined between all the sections. People often say "combined SAT score." Maybe the author of the article doesn't know anything about the LSAT.

[Hey-O]

The article says, "Her combined LSAT score of 160"

So, she had more than one score. It could have been a 150 and a 172.

First of all, 160 is not the average of 150 and 172.

Second, they might mean combined between all the sections. People often say "combined SAT score." Maybe the author of the article doesn't know anything about the LSAT.

I didn't calculate it. It makes more sense that she had two LSATs then that she got into Yale with a 160.

[dresden doll]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing.

Honestly though, I feel like YLS made a mistake here. While obviously very intelligent, she exhibited extended drug use and numerous examples of unlawful behavior, including smuggling cocaine in her diaphragm in Scandanavia.

As I read that article, I felt that all I got out of it was that she was immature, and just one of those people who try and be shocking for the sake of attention or no reason at all, as evidenced by her not even bothering to do the readings at first, and having to take a break, as well as some of her comments in class.

I just don't agree that being ridiculous = good law school applicant. I'm sure there were dozens of qualified people who were law-abidizing citizens that could have used that spot. I also don't think this sends a good message. Hey, do a lot of drugs, write a book detailing your numerous law-breaking behavior, it's okay, we will still accept you to the premier law school in the country.

While I don't find Elizabeth Wurtzel particularly likeable, I wouldn't characterize her behavior as a simple series of ridiculous ploys aimed at garnering attention. I've read two of her books - one of which is a memoir - and they patently reveal that she's impaired in terms of her mental health and has struggled with depression her whole life.

She's a talented writer but at least one of her books reads as if it were written while she was on a speed trip. (Quite possibly, she was.) While she has a gift for witty/eloquent turns of sentence, she meanders through a paragraph after a paragraph without ever arriving at an actual point.

In short, it surprises me none that she failed the bar. She's not the lawyer-type at all. Plus, if she couldn't even clean up her own bookwriting - something that, IMO, she does have notable talent for - I am unsurprised she couldn't buckle down for something as dry as bar studying.

All that said, I bet her PS was very good. And it's hardly a surprise that Yale would admit a bestselling author whose novel was turned into a movie (albeit a lousy one).

[dresden doll]

I would doubt that English at Harvard is an exceptionally easy major. Don't get me wrong, it is at many schools, but the higher up the food chain you get the more technical and really spectacular an English degree can be. Also, most professors have a built in curve, even if there isn't one stated.

Not to say it's the hardest thing you could do, but it probably falls near the head of the humanities stack.

Right. And also note that she won a writing/journalism award for her contributions to Crimson at the end of her first year. I highly doubt those aren't competitive.

Much can be said about her personality/behavior but to claim that a girl who managed to get accepted to Harvard from what isn't exactly a WASP-y background, won writing awards, graduated with honors and wrote a bestselling novel isn't intelligent is a little much. Let's have some perspective here.

[bilbobaggins]

I would doubt that English at Harvard is an exceptionally easy major. Don't get me wrong, it is at many schools, but the higher up the food chain you get the more technical and really spectacular an English degree can be. Also, most professors have a built in curve, even if there isn't one stated.

Not to say it's the hardest thing you could do, but it probably falls near the head of the humanities stack.

Right. And also note that she won a writing/journalism award for her contributions to Crimson at the end of her first year. I highly doubt those aren't competitive.

Much can be said about her personality/behavior but to claim that a girl who managed to get accepted to Harvard from what isn't exactly a WASP-y background, won writing awards, graduated with honors and wrote a bestselling novel isn't intelligent is a little much. Let's have some perspective here.

So are we saying Dean Koontz is brilliant?

[dresden doll]

I would doubt that English at Harvard is an exceptionally easy major. Don't get me wrong, it is at many schools, but the higher up the food chain you get the more technical and really spectacular an English degree can be. Also, most professors have a built in curve, even if there isn't one stated.

Not to say it's the hardest thing you could do, but it probably falls near the head of the humanities stack.

Right. And also note that she won a writing/journalism award for her contributions to Crimson at the end of her first year. I highly doubt those aren't competitive.

Much can be said about her personality/behavior but to claim that a girl who managed to get accepted to Harvard from what isn't exactly a WASP-y background, won writing awards, graduated with honors and wrote a bestselling novel isn't intelligent is a little much. Let's have some perspective here.

So are we saying Dean Koontz is brilliant?

I am not familiar with Koontz so I won't opine on that point.

[bilbobaggins]

He's sold way more books than Wurtzel.