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

[LaCumparsita]

From my understanding, Yale doesn't ask for additional information on the application, and so doesn't leave room for a diversity statement. Should I cut my DS down and use it for the 250, or should I write a separate 250 and just include my DS anyway?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

From my understanding, Yale doesn't ask for additional information on the application, and so doesn't leave room for a diversity statement. Should I cut my DS down and use it for the 250, or should I write a separate 250 and just include my DS anyway?

Just attach your DS as an addendum.

[LaCumparsita]

What if I already have an addendum? Can I attach it as a second addendum? Lol

[soj]

probably best to ask the admissions folks, but i'm sure they're used to getting multiple addenda (e.g. one to explain GPA trend, one as a DS).

[MumofCad]

I remember reading an interview with Asha where she said the PS topic, about overcoming a GPA issue written as overcoming an obstacle, would have been much better served as a simple GPA addendum. So I bet they get plenty of applicants with more than one addendum of some sort.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

probably best to ask the admissions folks, but i'm sure they're used to getting multiple addenda (e.g. one to explain GPA trend, one as a DS).

This is my guess as well.

[Mista Bojangles]

why is writing 250 words so much more difficult than writing 2500?

[MumofCad]

Does anyone know when the app becomes available? The 15th I assume?

[FlyHigh]

Taking my own shot at Yale. GPA is 4.0 from Canada, yet to take the LSAT so everything comes down to the test.

Glad this one isn't rolling adm.

[MumofCad]

So Yale's app is still not available. I guess the 15th is not the day. Anyone have a guess when it will be?

Anyone want to exchange 250s? Or just look at mine for the fun of it lol?

[MumofCad]

I didn't want to have to keep compulsively checking, so I gave them a call. They have some issues they are correcting and expect it will available early October.

[madvillain]

I didn't want to have to keep compulsively checking, so I gave them a call. They have some issues they are correcting and expect it will available early October.

I must say I am disappointed with all these computer issues. Of course for Yale it's not a big deal because it's not rolling and it's Yale. But I sort of feel nostalgic for the good old days where every school had their own app for some reason and they had them up mid September by the latest, without all these annoying glitches.

[MumofCad]

I must say I am disappointed with all these computer issues. Of course for Yale it's not a big deal because it's not rolling and it's Yale. But I sort of feel nostalgic for the good old days where every school had their own app for some reason and they had them up mid September by the latest, without all these annoying glitches.

I was surprised that it seemed like I was the first one to call them, because she had to check to get an answer for why it wasn't available. I checked in several places on their site and it all had Sept 15th as the date when applications would be received. I would think they'll be getting alot more calls, because she didn't seem positive that Oct 1 would be the date - just sometime in early October. We'll see when it actually pops up.

They all seem pretty standard to me though. The questions are the same, the fill in the blanks are largely the same. I would assume Yale has special issues with the new flex apps because they'll want to make it easy for their prof reviewers to quickly access info most relevant to them. Some of the flex app PDFs are less than appealing visually. One had a whole page blank in the middle on mine. That's probably not an issue for adcoms, but might frustrate some profs to no end. Not sure what else the hang-up could be really.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I didn't want to have to keep compulsively checking, so I gave them a call. They have some issues they are correcting and expect it will available early October.

Oh wow, thanks for the info.

[MumofCad]

They've officially changed their website today to have a new timeline; Oct 1 - Yale begins accepting applications

Also, I was skimming through an old thread and realized that many people found this blog post from Yale very useful last year, but missed it and committed some of the errors flagged up - might be useful info for the intro thread? I particularly saw them commenting that Yale, due to its questions regarding the information, only wants a 1 page resume unlike Harvard and others. They don't want you to repeat information in your resume: http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... tters.aspx

[meliorquamheri]

Hey folks,

Current Yalie here: I used this forum extensively when I applied last year, so I thought I'd return the favour now. (I know there's a thread where people can ask Yale students questions, but it's kind of a ghost town.)

Here are the pieces of advice I found most useful during my application process (especially to Yale):

1) It's not a good idea to make your 250-word statement wacky and autobiographical. Most of the successful applicants with whom I've talked about this have used academic topics. The statement is above all an opportunity for professors to see what kind of a writer you are, i.e. how well you would survive in a rigorous, legal writing environment. When I applied, I think they referred to it as a writing sample rather than an additional essay, and there's a good reason for that. Maybe you can showcase the quality of your prose in a 250-word essay about how much you love walking on stilts or juggling, but in general that's what the personal statement is for.

2) I believe that no resume for law school applications should be longer than one page. You can usually get away with two, but the operative term is "get away": there's no application officer anywhere that would prefer to read more than one page. The point is that nobody is as important as he thinks, and nobody's qualifications are as indispensable as she thinks. If you're really pressed for space, and it's a choice between including that Rhodes Scholarship or that Olympic weightlifting medal, then fine, take a little extra. But in every case I've ever seen, the single-pager is the way to go. Admissions officers know that there's more to your life than a single page and will assume good editing skills rather than a lack of accomplishment if you keep it to one.

Those are the two things that seem to have already come up on this thread. Good luck to everybody in their applications, and I hope to see you next year in New Haven!

[kulshan]

Maybe my resume is too much like a CV, but I'm not budging from my 2 pages.

[soj]

Thanks, meliorquamheri. Feel free to stop by and give more advice.

[spek]

Thanks for the advice meliorquamheri! What would you suggest if the PS is already somewhat academic? Would an academic 250 make the overall application feel too "intellectual"?

[meliorquamheri]

@kulshan: that's a fair option. I just remember that I thought that there was no way I could reduce my resume to one page, but ultimately it ended up much better that way.

@spek: my PS was about an academic topic (specifically, about research and teaching I had done in one of my majors), and it seems to have worked out, but I don't think I would recommend that approach. Diversity of interests as well as backgrounds is definitely valued at Yale.

One other speculative thing I haven't mentioned: I think that Yale's application system rewards conservative applicants. At other schools, if you're a reach and you write a risky essay or two, there's still an off chance that the admissions officer will fall in love with you and you'll be admitted. (In fact, if your profile is sufficiently below the median accepted profile, increasing your variance is clearly the best strategy). At Yale, the goal is to make three randomly selected professors with presumably diverse backgrounds think that you're in the top 25% of the applicants they see (which means that you're in the top 10% or so of applicants to Yale, according to the professor). If any one of them gives you a 3 instead of a 4, you very well might be out. So the goal is to make 3 people think you're really good, not to make 1 person think you're just the coolest cat they've ever met. This is why I discourage unusual or non-academic 250s - because it might blow away 2 profs, but 1 might just find it annoying.

You'd think that Yale would have a really plain vanilla student population as a result, but the opposite is true. The people here are a lot more diverse than I've observed at any other law school. However, I think that they're often diverse in obviously impressive ways. You've got your Rhodes Scholars, your published authors, your African entrepreneurs, your Indian human rights activists, etc. Even if they're submarine officers or mixed martial arts champions, the common thread is that they all have to have incredible writing skills and great scores/grades.

[thederangedwang]

Maybe my resume is too much like a CV, but I'm not budging from my 2 pages.

u really really really should.....
http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... tters.aspx

.....but go ahead and don't, less competition for me!!

[kulshan]

Yeah, I know :/

I just don't know what I could cut. Maybe I'm fooling myself. Work and education would take up a whole page alone!

[thederangedwang]

Yeah, I know :/

I just don't know what I could cut. Maybe I'm fooling myself. Work and education would take up a whole page alone!

edu shouldnt take that much space.....there is always something to cut

[kulshan]

.

[soj]

So, this is how I have things now. Suggestions?

University of Star Wars at Hoth, Hoth, Space
Ph.D., Philosophy (in progress); GPA: 4.0.
In Spring 2012 I will have finished my coursework, defended the prospectus for my dissertation, and earned the Graduate Certificate in Ewok and Wookie Studies. My research areas are Ethics (Normative and Meta-), Social and Political Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Law.
I will receive the MA degree in Spring 2012.
Alderaan University, Alderaan, Space
B.A., summa cum laude with departmental honors in Philosophy (May 2008); GPA: 4.0.
Honors Thesis: “The Force” Advisor: Prof. Kenobi.

Cut out the bolded stuff

Explain it through other sections of your app (PS, LOR, "Education" section)