Yale c/o 2015 Applicants (2011-2012 cycle) Forum

[Curious1]

You should always just tell the truth. I wrote a single sentence that I had friends and family, as well as a pre-law adviser from the undergraduate university proof my essays. Its not going to hurt you.

If it's not going to be a factor (however tiny) in making admissions decisions, why would they ask the question?

By the way, I did have a friend proofread my essay, so I'll go change my answer because I don't think they expect you to do it all by yourself, but if you were one of those people who paid thousands of dollars on LSAT prep and admissions consulting, then I definitely think it WILL hurt you.

Yes, that's why they ask, because they want to know about that sort of thing. I meant that saying family members or what not proof read your essays is not going to hurt you, which is the question he asked about. As for whether hiring a private consultant for that question will "hurt" you - not per se but it gives them full information to evaluate your application. If your PS reads like it should be in the New Yorker, but you generally got B-s in your college lit courses, they might take that into consideration. Whether its "hurting" you or just giving them an accurate assessment of your capabilities is up for you to decide I suppose (though I would tend to the latter).

Plus, you should NEVER EVER lie on a law school app. Unless you enjoy paying potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education you may then not be able to use. Really....over whether you took a Kaplan course? Think about it.

If you got B's in your college lit courses, you have no business applying to Yale...

We're talking about people with near perfect GPA's and near perfect LSATs, where the tiniest distinction could get your app thrown out. I think the question only gives you a chance to handicap yourself.

Personally, if I had tens of thousands of dollars to hire admissions consultants and/or LSAT prep, I would feel pretty stupid right now. On one hand, if I admit it I might be rejected, on the other, if I lie about it I might fail the bar. Because these consulting companies usually respect the privacy of their clients (I don't believe the bar association can ask them if you even hired them), the question will only hurt honest applicants. It's really a terrible decision on their part.

[Curious1]

BTW I just pulled up the app and the section is called "Optional Information", yet every question is mandatory...I can only assume this means you don't HAVE to provide details. This also leads me to believe that they're collecting information for demographic purposes only and it will have no impact on your chances unless you were stupid enough to list the consulting companies you worked with and the LSAT courses you took.

So if you paid lots of money on LSAT prep/admissions consulting, just check yes, but don't go into detail.

[jim-green]

I actually like the new questions because they level the playing field.

[American_in_China]

/1st problems.

[soj]

I heard it's snowing in New Haven! Brrrr

Doesn't make me want to go to Yale any less, though.

[jim-green]

I heard it's snowing in New Haven! Brrrr
Doesn't make me want to go to Yale any less, though.

Soj, you badass!

[tamarind49]

Just submitted my app to Yale today! Does Yale have a status checker? I wonder when I'll go "complete" and UR. Nervous and exciting!

[thederangedwang]

how did u guys approach the activities and work attachment format wise?

like did u just do

A) Student Council Rep (XXX-XXX)

B) Waitress at XXX (XXX-XXX)


or did u guys make it all fancy kinda like a resume?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I did mine sort of like a resume.

[yoiav]

how did u guys approach the activities and work attachment format wise?

like did u just do

A) Student Council Rep (XXX-XXX)

B) Waitress at XXX (XXX-XXX)


or did u guys make it all fancy kinda like a resume?

A) 1. project x with a brief desc.
2. "
3. "
B) 1. job x with a brief desc.

C) short paragraph descr activities

[annyong]

how did u guys approach the activities and work attachment format wise?

like did u just do

A) Student Council Rep (XXX-XXX)

B) Waitress at XXX (XXX-XXX)


or did u guys make it all fancy kinda like a resume?

Since there wasn't really any specific info, I just listed it out kind of like you have above, and I included brief explanatory information. I emphasized somewhat different aspects than what is on my resume, though its kind of the same.

I was pretty unsure, but since it's Yale, I figured redundant information > not enough

[thederangedwang]

thanks for all the responses, asha kinda talked about it in her blog post i just found out

"You must answer Question 5a-c (honors, extracurriculars, employment during school), even if you are including a resume. Please. We won't complete your application without these answers. Many of you spend a lot of time (based on the questions we get in the office) wondering whether to answer these in bullet format, or in a little spreadsheet, or some other manner. Really, it just needs to be readable. Bullets are fine. If there is some honor or activity that isn't self-explanatory or on which you feel you need to elaborate further, a short narrative is OK. "

[kulshan]

App received. Baby steps!

[MumofCad]

App received. Baby steps!

Did you get a status checker then?

[kulshan]

No checker, just this:

Dear X,
We have received notification from LSAC that you have submitted an application to Yale Law School. In order to make application processing as efficient as possible, we have asked LSAC to hold applications that do not meet certain criteria for completeness.

- If your LSDAS report is complete (meaning it contains an LSAT score, transcripts from the undergraduate schools which you attended, and at least two letters of recommendation), we should receive your application and LSDAS report from LSAC in a week and we will begin processing your application at that time.

- If your LSDAS report is missing only two letters of recommendation, we will receive your application once two letters are on file with LSAC or after December 1, whichever comes sooner. We will begin processing your application as soon as we receive it from LSAC.

- If your LSDAS report is missing either an LSAT score or undergraduate transcript, we will receive your application once both of these items are on file with LSAC or after January 1, whichever comes sooner. We will begin processing your application as soon as we receive it from LSAC.

We will contact you by email when your application is complete and ready for review. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Law School and the admissions process by visiting our Admissions Blog at http://www.law.yale.edu/203blog. You may also be interested in our Student Perspectives Blog, at http://www.law.yale.edu/studentperspectives, which offers a glimpse of the various aspects of student life at Yale.

We thank you for your application and appreciate your interest in Yale Law School.

Yale Law School Office of Admissions
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions
203.432.4995

[AspiringAcademic]

App received. Baby steps!

Did you get a status checker then?

I got an email saying:
"We have received notification from LSAC that you have submitted an application to Yale Law School."

It then went on to say that, if the application was not complete, nothing would happen until it was and, if the application was complete, they would figure that out in a week or so and let me know.

Edit: Cross post. Oops!

[MumofCad]

No checker, just this:

Dear X,
We have received notification from LSAC that you have submitted an application to Yale Law School. In order to make application processing as efficient as possible, we have asked LSAC to hold applications that do not meet certain criteria for completeness.

- If your LSDAS report is complete (meaning it contains an LSAT score, transcripts from the undergraduate schools which you attended, and at least two letters of recommendation), we should receive your application and LSDAS report from LSAC in a week and we will begin processing your application at that time.

- If your LSDAS report is missing only two letters of recommendation, we will receive your application once two letters are on file with LSAC or after December 1, whichever comes sooner. We will begin processing your application as soon as we receive it from LSAC.

- If your LSDAS report is missing either an LSAT score or undergraduate transcript, we will receive your application once both of these items are on file with LSAC or after January 1, whichever comes sooner. We will begin processing your application as soon as we receive it from LSAC.

We will contact you by email when your application is complete and ready for review. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Law School and the admissions process by visiting our Admissions Blog at http://www.law.yale.edu/203blog. You may also be interested in our Student Perspectives Blog, at http://www.law.yale.edu/studentperspectives, which offers a glimpse of the various aspects of student life at Yale.

We thank you for your application and appreciate your interest in Yale Law School.

Yale Law School Office of Admissions
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions
203.432.4995

Interesting. When did you submit? I can't remember getting one of these, but I'm sure I'm complete, so I'll just have to wait and see. Sounds like no status checker will be forthcoming. I'm fine with that since none seem to be very informative. I'd rather just be notified by email of status changes.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I got the email as well. It's not exactly an 'app received' email... but it's close enough that I'll change my LSN.

[igelchen]

just got it as well. :>

[kulshan]

I think I submitted one of the very first apps, just a few hours after it became available.

[ladybug89]

Yeah I got that email today too, and I submitted last week.

[kulshan]

Did y'all disclose speeding tickets on this app? I just remembered that I got one in 2007. Do they care?

[admisionquestion]

You need to send in a correction asap. Yes you must disclose. I would also write a brief apology note regarding the oversight.

[Mustapha.Mond]

Did y'all disclose speeding tickets on this app? I just remembered that I got one in 2007. Do they care?

As long as the question has not changed since I submitted my application last week, the question should read: "Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a felony or misdemeanor or are there any criminal charges pending against you at the present time?"

I believe that if your speeding ticket was a simple traffic infraction - many speeding tickets are not misdemeanors - then you do not have to disclose this on the application. If, however, your speeding ticket was a misdemeanor - reckless driving, for example, may be a misdemeanor in some states - then you must disclose it on the application. My best guess would be that generally, speeding tickets will be simple infractions that do not have to be disclosed.

[mjitbswyd]

Received 12 hours ago:

Dear Your Eminence,
Your application for admission to Yale Law School is complete. We will communicate with you again when a decision has been reached.

Because the entire faculty are involved in reviewing applications, our review process naturally takes longer than that of most schools. The majority of our decisions are made in February, March, and April. We ask that you please do not contact the Admissions Office to inquire about the status of your application; frequent phone and email inquiries delay consideration of applications.

Thank you for your interest in Yale. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Yale Law School Admissions Office
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions
203.432.4995