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Procrastinating final edit of write-on. AMA

What are the incredible Yale-worthy softs that you must have? Can you speak thirty languages? Did you cure a disease?

on average, how many times a day do you tell people you go to yale?

How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

Relatedly, where are you in the class? Do you guys even know where you stand?

fatduck wrote:on average, how many times a day do you tell people you go to yale?

0. My mom already knows and is not impressed and my grandma doesn't understand why she should care. There is nobody else in the world I really have to impress.

Damn. Write-on's still not over?

What are you doing for the summer? How difficult did people find it to get 1L SAs without business work experience? (I have decent Texas ties, and I know there's a lot more 1L hiring there, but I'd like to know about NY/DC too.)

Thanks!

ph14 wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

Relatedly, where are you in the class? Do you guys even know where you stand?

I honestly have no idea. This is because of a combination of factors:

1.) First semester of 1L is Credit/Fail. No one fails. Your transcripts are all identical.
2.) Second semester, there are "grades" insofar as there are Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail. Nobody fails. Very few people get Low Passes. (I think maybe six or so in my blackletter class of like 60 people.) It's kind of a toss up who gets a P and who gets an H in any given exam-based class.
3.) Yale doesn't do class ranks.
4.) Some profs don't even give out spring semester grades until September. They can take their damn time.

So in a nutshell, nobody really knows where they stand. You are probably okay if you don't have LPs.

ETA: Blackletter classes are usually harder to get Hs in than other ones, not surprisingly.

angua wrote:

ph14 wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

Relatedly, where are you in the class? Do you guys even know where you stand?

I honestly have no idea. This is because of a combination of factors:

1.) First semester of 1L is Credit/Fail. No one fails. Your transcripts are all identical.
2.) Second semester, there are "grades" insofar as there are Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail. Nobody fails. Very few people get Low Passes. (I think maybe six or so in my property class of like 60 people.) It's kind of a toss up who gets a P and who gets an H in any given exam-based class.
3.) Yale doesn't do class ranks.
4.) Some profs don't even give out spring semester grades until September. They can take their damn time.

So in a nutshell, nobody really knows where they stand. You are probably okay if you don't have LPs.

10% LPs seems like quite a bit to me.

Elston Gunn wrote:Damn. Write-on's still not over?

What are you doing for the summer? How difficult did people find it to get 1L SAs without business work experience? (I have decent Texas ties, and I know there's a lot more 1L hiring there, but I'd like to know about NY/DC too.)

Thanks!

It's due in 24 hours. We have a weird journal admissions process, compared to other schools.

I really don't think a lot of people got 1L SA experience at big law firms. One guy who did worked for a long time in consulting before law school. More often than not, 1Ls will either get firm jobs in dinky markets or will get positions where a firm is looking for a very particular background, upbringing, demonstrated interest, or whatever. Very, very few firms seem to want 1L summers.

With Texas you might have more luck than DC/NY. If you really really want DC, federal gov't jobs are a good bet. If you really really want a firm, go for Texas. But honestly, I'm actually kind of glad I decided *not* to do a firm this summer. 1L summer is your big freebie. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you have something interesting to talk about at OCI. Do something fun or unexpected or something you think you might like, but you're not sure of.

I'm working in New Haven, actually, in a clinic. It's actually a lot more hands-on legal work and responsibility than I'd have gotten as an SA. Most people do something public interest-y, like work at USAOs or for the government or legal aid places. Lots of people also spend the summer doing research for professors.

ph14 wrote:

angua wrote:

ph14 wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

Relatedly, where are you in the class? Do you guys even know where you stand?

I honestly have no idea. This is because of a combination of factors:

1.) First semester of 1L is Credit/Fail. No one fails. Your transcripts are all identical.
2.) Second semester, there are "grades" insofar as there are Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail. Nobody fails. Very few people get Low Passes. (I think maybe six or so in my property class of like 60 people.) It's kind of a toss up who gets a P and who gets an H in any given exam-based class.
3.) Yale doesn't do class ranks.
4.) Some profs don't even give out spring semester grades until September. They can take their damn time.

So in a nutshell, nobody really knows where they stand. You are probably okay if you don't have LPs.

10% LPs seems like quite a bit to me.

That is a kind of extreme example. Most profs don't actually give them. This particular prof is known for having a strict curving policy, but that prof is an outlier. You have to try harder to get an LP than an H, I think.

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

I mean, it's nice in that I don't have to hyperventilate over whether there is a + or a - next to my letter grades. I am grateful every damn day that I get to be where I am. That said, I work very very hard to make the most of it. You can work hard, or you can coast through. Your professional success isn't guaranteed here if you blow stuff off. I can't lie though, it's nice not having to freak out as much about the economy.

joemoviebuff wrote:What are the incredible Yale-worthy softs that you must have? Can you speak thirty languages? Did you cure a disease?

I am living proof that Yale takes totally ordinary people. I have a BA and really boring work experience, like fast food and glorified babysitting. I majored in something sort of uncommon, which maybe caught their eye. Other than that, not a lot. I virtually went straight through from undergrad with about a year in between of volunteering at various places. I speak Spanish and German well and Chinese brokenly.

Then again, there are people here who have basically already conquered the world, so, you get the full spectrum.

Thanks for your answer above.

Anyway, what are your career goals right now? Are you going to try to clerk? Do you have a sense yet of what it takes to get the different levels of clerkships?

Elston Gunn wrote:Thanks for your answer above.

Anyway, what are your career goals right now? Are you going to try to clerk? Do you have a sense yet of what it takes to get the different levels of clerkships?

Do I have a sense yet? Yes and no. It's really confusing (at least to someone who's just finished 1L). We have very patient, very knowledgeable career services people though. They are oracles of wisdom who will guide you through the whole process.

What I do know right now is that having a transcript with lots of solid, black-letter classes like legislation, fed courts, property, ad law, etc. will look great for you when you're applying for clerkships. (With the caveat that if you aren't actually interested in those things, it's really going to suck to take them. I'm an ad law nerd, but I know a lot of people who cannot stand it.) Polishing up a really nice writing sample is important. Journal also helps, but you already know that.

I do want to clerk, then work in litigation. We'll see what happens. I wouldn't place any bets on me.

angua wrote:This particular prof is known for having a strict curving policy, but that prof is an outlier.

Care to share what prof that is?

jd5 wrote:

angua wrote:This particular prof is known for having a strict curving policy, but that prof is an outlier.

Care to share what prof that is?

There are a few more old-school profs who like to do it this way. You will figure it out as you go along. They're 100% worth taking though. No reason you should do poorly unless you're one of those people who just never ever shows up to a single class.

angua wrote:

ph14 wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:How does it feel to know that you are guaranteed professional success in this life?

Relatedly, where are you in the class? Do you guys even know where you stand?

I honestly have no idea. This is because of a combination of factors:

1.) First semester of 1L is Credit/Fail. No one fails. Your transcripts are all identical.
2.) Second semester, there are "grades" insofar as there are Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail. Nobody fails. Very few people get Low Passes. (I think maybe six or so in my blackletter class of like 60 people.) It's kind of a toss up who gets a P and who gets an H in any given exam-based class.
3.) Yale doesn't do class ranks.
4.) Some profs don't even give out spring semester grades until September. They can take their damn time.

So in a nutshell, nobody really knows where they stand. You are probably okay if you don't have LPs.

ETA: Blackletter classes are usually harder to get Hs in than other ones, not surprisingly.

Also a rising 2L here. This is so true. Grades take forever, the difference between H and P is opaque, and we have no idea where we stand relative to others. This is undoubtedly by design, and it's probably best for us, but it's still kind of weird.

angua wrote:

joemoviebuff wrote:What are the incredible Yale-worthy softs that you must have? Can you speak thirty languages? Did you cure a disease?

I am living proof that Yale takes totally ordinary people. I have a BA and really boring work experience, like fast food and glorified babysitting. I majored in something sort of uncommon, which maybe caught their eye. Other than that, not a lot. I virtually went straight through from undergrad with about a year in between of volunteering at various places. I speak Spanish and German well and Chinese brokenly.

Then again, there are people here who have basically already conquered the world, so, you get the full spectrum.

This is also true. Lots of us came straight through and haven't done anything other than go to school, let alone saved the world.

pereatmundus wrote:

Also a rising 2L here. This is so true. Grades take forever, the difference between H and P is opaque, and we have no idea where we stand relative to others. This is undoubtedly by design, and it's probably best for us, but it's still kind of weird.

I think it's probably:

• intentional torture of type-A personalities
• a desire to keep us from killing each other out of envy/competitive bloodlust
• an incentive to make us do other stuff, like moot court and journals, so that our resumes will stand out from the crowd

Have you heard of/met/run across any enlisted military students? What are the older students like (25+)?

sunshine21 wrote:Have you heard of/met/run across any enlisted military students? What are the older students like (25+)?

Yes, I definitely have. There are plenty of military (including some reservists) and former military students here.

The older students are absolutely great. Many have advanced degrees (MA, Ph.D.) already; several have started families; all of them are brilliant and doing a frankly incredible job of balancing school and life. There are also supportive groups here for married students and I think also for students with children. Socially, I have not noticed any cliquish isolation of young vs. old students, single vs. married, etc.

angua wrote:

sunshine21 wrote:Have you heard of/met/run across any enlisted military students? What are the older students like (25+)?

Yes, I definitely have. There are plenty of military (including some reservists) and former military students here.

The older students are absolutely great. Many have advanced degrees (MA, Ph.D.) already; several have started families; all of them are brilliant and doing a frankly incredible job of balancing school and life. There are also supportive groups here for married students and I think also for students with children. Socially, I have not noticed any cliquish isolation of young vs. old students, single vs. married, etc.

thanks.