Yale 2010 Forum

[CardinalRules]

So my application's not complete yet, sent it a couple weeks ago, and I just learned that I won all the departmental awards. I got the same three awards last year too, so they're already on my resume. I'd just be saying "hey, I got these again." Worth sending an update to my file?

In related news, I'm rich now.

YOU ARE SO AWESOME!

Well, I'd say I'm only pretty awesome.

It was kind of a stupid post to make, and I normally don't like to brag, but it's a serious question. It's not like I won a Rhodes Scholarship or anything, but it is something, and I dunno if I should update my application with it or not.

I definitely would update your application. Sweeping all of the awards twice in a row shows tremendous consistency. Usually, departments like to divide the spoils among their students, so it is an especially impressive achievement. Congratulations on being the Roger Federer of your department!

[crackberry]

Wait do you actually want us to edit these posts?

[CardinalRules]

On the other hand, I have no problem with tooting my own horn when it comes to academic achievements and can be a shameless self-promoter when I feel the need. I made a lot out of a little on my own apps.

I'm happy to edit my post, but I can't imagine that Asha would mind what I said at this point. Let me know, though.

[Dignan]

I understand everyone's anxiety, but the outcomes of the Yale admissions process aren't nearly as unpredictable as some are making it seem. The majority of Yale admits were also accepted by both Harvard and Stanford, and the overwhelming majority of Yale admits were accepted by at least one of the other two top schools.

The faculty review process at Yale is unique, and I get that law professors can be quirky. But the applications are not being evaluated based on whim and caprice. I mean, it's not like the faculty reviewers are picking their favorite color or something. For the most part, the professors are relying on the same criteria--grades, test scores, recommendations, writing quality--that adcomms around the country are using.

Even if you look at nothing but LSAT score and GPA, the Yale law school class ends up looking like what it is: a selection of the top students in the country. Yes, you see the occasional applicant who was admitted without stellar numbers. You see such cases at every school, including Harvard and Stanford. All this shows is that, like almost every other top law school, Yale is willing to look beyond the numbers in a few exceptional cases.

True, but I think the point may be that Yale is capricious within that pool of hyper-qualified applicants. That is, among students that got into Y/H/S, it's hard to pin-point why some got into Yale and some did not.

But isn't that mostly the result of Yale's small class size and high yield rate? The smaller the pool of acceptances, the harder it is to discern a pattern. If Yale had to offer 800 acceptances a year instead of 200, I imagine that the product of its admissions cycle would look a lot like Harvard's.

[tomhobbes]

Wait do you actually want us to edit these posts?

Nah, forget it. It's not a big deal. I just feel stupid asking for advice on what information to send a dean of admissions when we know that she's reading the thread and she knows that we know. I also felt like it sounded like I was bragging, but you understand that I'm not, so it's no big deal.

Let's talk about what law-school-admissions related phrases could also work as the titles for Nicholas Sparks novels. I've thought about this a lot and I have two suggestions: The Waiting List and Hold Me Until July. What do you guys think?

[crackberry]

Wait do you actually want us to edit these posts?

Nah, forget it. It's not a big deal. I just feel stupid asking for advice on what information to send a dean of admissions when we know that she's reading the thread and she knows that we know. I also felt like it sounded like I was bragging, but you understand that I'm not, so it's no big deal.

Let's talk about what law-school-admissions related phrases could also work as the titles for Nicholas Sparks novels. I've thought about this a lot and I have two suggestions: The Waiting List and Hold Me Until July. What do you guys think?

Never heard of Nicholas Sparks.

[Dignan]

So my application's not complete yet, sent it a couple weeks ago, and I just learned that I won all the departmental awards. I got the same three awards last year too, so they're already on my resume. I'd just be saying "hey, I got these again." Worth sending an update to my file?

In related news, I'm rich now.

YOU ARE SO AWESOME!

Well, I'd say I'm only pretty awesome.

It was kind of a stupid post to make, and I normally don't like to brag, but it's a serious question. It's not like I won a Rhodes Scholarship or anything, but it is something, and I dunno if I should update my application with it or not.

I'd probably not send it, given that you won it last year as well. Also, for the record, I like semicolons as well.

I don't get it.

[MellonCollie]

I understand everyone's anxiety, but the outcomes of the Yale admissions process aren't nearly as unpredictable as some are making it seem. The majority of Yale admits were also accepted by both Harvard and Stanford, and the overwhelming majority of Yale admits were accepted by at least one of the other two top schools.

The faculty review process at Yale is unique, and I get that law professors can be quirky. But the applications are not being evaluated based on whim and caprice. I mean, it's not like the faculty reviewers are picking their favorite color or something. For the most part, the professors are relying on the same criteria--grades, test scores, recommendations, writing quality--that adcomms around the country are using.

Even if you look at nothing but LSAT score and GPA, the Yale law school class ends up looking like what it is: a selection of the top students in the country. Yes, you see the occasional applicant who was admitted without stellar numbers. You see such cases at every school, including Harvard and Stanford. All this shows is that, like almost every other top law school, Yale is willing to look beyond the numbers in a few exceptional cases.

True, but I think the point may be that Yale is capricious within that pool of hyper-qualified applicants. That is, among students that got into Y/H/S, it's hard to pin-point why some got into Yale and some did not.

But isn't that mostly the result of Yale's small class size and high yield rate? The smaller the pool of acceptances, the harder it is to discern a pattern. If Yale had to offer 800 acceptances a year instead of 200, I imagine that the product of its admissions cycle would look a lot like Harvard's.

Right - hard to discern a pattern = unpredictable, whatever the reason may be.

You're right in that out of the entire spectrum of applicants, you'd be able to easily acknowledge that the Yale admits are impressive. I'm just saying out of the much smaller pool of YHS admits, the people that get into Y are not obviously more impressive to me than (many of) the H or S admits who do not get into Yale.

[tomhobbes]

Wait do you actually want us to edit these posts?

Nah, forget it. It's not a big deal. I just feel stupid asking for advice on what information to send a dean of admissions when we know that she's reading the thread and she knows that we know. I also felt like it sounded like I was bragging, but you understand that I'm not, so it's no big deal.

Let's talk about what law-school-admissions related phrases could also work as the titles for Nicholas Sparks novels. I've thought about this a lot and I have two suggestions: The Waiting List and Hold Me Until July. What do you guys think?

Never heard of Nicholas Sparks.

You mean that you've never had a girlfriend then, because this guy is the monster that wrote A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, and a bunch of other books that were made into movies for girls.

[CardinalRules]

Hope Eternal and The Tears of April.

My sister loves the idiot. I hope that Asha doesn't.

[CardinalRules]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

[tomhobbes]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

Not bad, but I really don't see Mr. Sparks going with Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope. It doesn't hit the right romantic notes.

[CardinalRules]

The people that get into Y are not obviously more impressive to me than (many of) the H or S admits who do not get into Yale.

It's safe to say that not everyone who reads this thread agrees with you.

[CardinalRules]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

Not bad, but I really don't see Mr. Sparks going with Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope. It doesn't hit the right romantic notes.

True about that part; maybe he would go with The Golden Emissary instead.

[crackberry]

Also, for the record, I like semicolons as well.

I don't get it.

It's from another thread where a bunch of idiots were making fun of the OP for using an inordinate number of commas. Someone said, "I hate semicolons," and TH countered with: "I like semicolons; they get the job done" or something to that effect.

[BenJ]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

Not bad, but I really don't see Mr. Sparks going with Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope. It doesn't hit the right romantic notes.

Perhaps the more obscure and elegant Emesis would be a better title.

[Dignan]

Also, for the record, I like semicolons as well.

I don't get it.

It's from another thread where a bunch of idiots were making fun of the OP for using an inordinate number of commas. Someone said, "I hate semicolons," and TH countered with: "I like semicolons; they get the job done" or something to that effect.

Thanks for explaining. At least I wasn't missing an Anchorman reference.

[crackberry]

Also, for the record, I like semicolons as well.

I don't get it.

It's from another thread where a bunch of idiots were making fun of the OP for using an inordinate number of commas. Someone said, "I hate semicolons," and TH countered with: "I like semicolons; they get the job done" or something to that effect.

Thanks for explaining. At least I wasn't missing an Anchorman reference.

Silence.

[tomhobbes]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

Not bad, but I really don't see Mr. Sparks going with Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope. It doesn't hit the right romantic notes.

Perhaps the more obscure Emesis would be a better title.

What 16 year old girl drags her boyfriend to see a chick flick called Emesis? Sounds like a sequel to Eragon or something. I suggest that you stick to analyzing Yale's admissions process, sir.

[BenJ]

For the New York audience: Rhapsody in Purple and Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope.

Not bad, but I really don't see Mr. Sparks going with Message in a Vomit-Colored Envelope. It doesn't hit the right romantic notes.

Perhaps the more obscure Emesis would be a better title.

What 16 year old girl drags her boyfriend to see a chick flick called Emesis? I suggest that you stick to analyzing Yale's admissions process, sir.

TBH, I would have no idea what a girlfriend might do, having never dealt with one. But I think she might, if she thought it meant something other than what it actually does. It's all in the marketing. "The Notebook" doesn't sound like a cheesy romance until you see a promotional image; it might well have been about Nazis or math geniuses or high school before that.

[crackberry]

This thread has taken a turn for the worse.

[CardinalRules]

"The Notebook" doesn't sound like a cheesy romance until you see a promotional image; it might well have been about Nazis or math geniuses or high school before that.

Conversely, A Beautiful Mind could have been the title for some hot and kinky stuff.

[r6_philly]

I'll take that as two trustworthy votes not to do anything, in which case let's all use our edit buttons, k? Big Sister is watching.

I vote for sending it, it shows continued excellence. But I am biased because I am not eligible for departmental awards which I will surely win. They give out a "Student of the year too" which I should have a good shot but I don't have enough resident credits. Heck I won't even be able to graduate with a summa cum laude... So I am happy for you!

[r6_philly]

This thread has taken a turn for the worse.

Did someone say something about never been with a girlfriend???

[crackberry]

This thread has taken a turn for the worse.

Did someone say something about never been with a girlfriend???

Yes, TH said that, but he's wrong; my girlfriend just hates movies.