Yale 2011 applicants Forum

[juliachild-ish]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

[swampthang]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale? And what did you write your 250 about?

[almightypush]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale?

I'm terribly interested in this as well.

Edit. Nvm... just read your reply in the Harvard thread. Oddly enough, your impressions aren't too far off from my (admittedly uninformed) preconceptions of HLS.

[sonervous88]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale?

I'm terribly interested in this as well.

Same. I'm held at Harvard and no response from Yale so I'm unlikely to ever have that option. but still interested lol

[ChriLa425]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale?

I'm terribly interested in this as well.

Same. I'm held at Harvard and no response from Yale so I'm unlikely to ever have that option. but still interested lol

+1

[jd20132013]

I thought the Harvard asw was great personally

[juliachild-ish]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale? And what did you write your 250 about?

Well, I certainly didn't cry! I also don't feel any obligation to go to Harvard just because it's Harvard. Sure, I'm hoping to get into Yale and not have to worry about the prestige issue, but I now feel that I could still be happy with the decision to go to, say, Berkeley over Harvard. Why spend three years being miserable in the hope that it will help you get a particular job? I did that for UG and really regret it, since it didn't even end up paying off with a good job.

I wrote a [excessively long] writeup of my experience over in the Harvard thread, so you can check it out if you're really curious. There are a few things I think would be better at Yale. First of all, I thought the students (both admitted and actual) I met at Harvard were, as a rule, boring and often immature. Given Yale's reputation and application process, I'd guess that the students there are much more diverse and interesting. I could be wrong, but how else do you explain the black-box nature of Yale's admissions? There must be something special about everyone who gets admitted to Yale beyond just numbers, and that doesn't seem to be the case at Harvard.

I will admit that I'm not 100% sure I want to be a lawyer/practice law. I know from personal acquaintance with Yale alums that quite a few do not practice law, or don't do so for very long. Many do, of course, but I think, of all the law schools, it is the most possible to easily do something else with your degree from YLS. Just look at Dean Asha, who worked as a FBI agent after school. This is aided by their loan repayment program, which, unlike Harvard's, doesn't require you to be in the public sector or even to be practicing law. You just have to be poor, which I am already! So basically, it's very low commitment. I'm not planning on doing something completely unrelated to law, but just in case, I love that freedom and flexibility.

So basically, I'm really hoping to get accepted to Yale, and if not, I may not end up at law school in the fall, which would be okay too. Oh, and I'll PM you what I wrote my 250 essay about--don't want to completely out myself any more than I already have!

[brooklynwegohard]

I had a mixed reaction to Harvard's admit weekend, too, but what depressed me the most was that many of the "boring and often immature" (admitted and actual) students were also admitted to Yale. I may just be bitter because I'm still waiting for a decision, but I definitely didn't think there was anything special or magical about the people I met who get to pick between Harvard and Yale. I also know some really incredible people (current SCOTUS clerks, for example), who were rejected. My current theory is that the faculty review process allows for a lot of randomness.

That said, still hoping to get in...

[swampthang]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale? And what did you write your 250 about?

Well, I certainly didn't cry! I also don't feel any obligation to go to Harvard just because it's Harvard. Sure, I'm hoping to get into Yale and not have to worry about the prestige issue, but I now feel that I could still be happy with the decision to go to, say, Berkeley over Harvard. Why spend three years being miserable in the hope that it will help you get a particular job? I did that for UG and really regret it, since it didn't even end up paying off with a good job.

I wrote a [excessively long] writeup of my experience over in the Harvard thread, so you can check it out if you're really curious. There are a few things I think would be better at Yale. First of all, I thought the students (both admitted and actual) I met at Harvard were, as a rule, boring and often immature. Given Yale's reputation and application process, I'd guess that the students there are much more diverse and interesting. I could be wrong, but how else do you explain the black-box nature of Yale's admissions? There must be something special about everyone who gets admitted to Yale beyond just numbers, and that doesn't seem to be the case at Harvard.

I will admit that I'm not 100% sure I want to be a lawyer/practice law. I know from personal acquaintance with Yale alums that quite a few do not practice law, or don't do so for very long. Many do, of course, but I think, of all the law schools, it is the most possible to easily do something else with your degree from YLS. Just look at Dean Asha, who worked as a FBI agent after school. This is aided by their loan repayment program, which, unlike Harvard's, doesn't require you to be in the public sector or even to be practicing law. You just have to be poor, which I am already! So basically, it's very low commitment. I'm not planning on doing something completely unrelated to law, but just in case, I love that freedom and flexibility.

So basically, I'm really hoping to get accepted to Yale, and if not, I may not end up at law school in the fall, which would be okay too. Oh, and I'll PM you what I wrote my 250 essay about--don't want to completely out myself any more than I already have!

I totally hear you about buyer's remorse and thinking that going to some elite school sets you up for life only to find, oh wait, you still have to work. OTOH, I'd hate to have gone to a lesser school and found my options somehow limited. That said, I think it's very mature that you're taking factors into account beyond the school's ranking and reputation (or at least the minute granular advantage that Harvard might have in that regard vs. Boalt). The more I look around and see employment statistics or whatnot, the more it seems within a certain range, you're really no better off at one place than another, so it all boils down to personal preference.

I linked your ASW write-up here (or at least one of them). So people don't have to searching. Sorry you found people at Harvard boring, but at least we can benefit from your experience now? And for the 250, I find the idea fascinating so I keep asking people about theirs. Don't worry about it; just impertinently curious.

[dot]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

[dueprocess14]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I'm not going to wade into the general YLS vs. HLS issues (although for the record, I largely agree with Julia, thus why I chose Y over H), but I want to clarify one thing: I actually think, counter to what people seem to think, that YLS is AWESOME if you DON'T want to go into academia. Think about it: Yale already has the best resources per student, and since there is such a large portion seeking out academia, for those who aren't, there are all these other resources available that are less fought over. Indeed, I almost wish I weren't hoping to go into academia, because I actually think it's much more of an uphill battle given how many of your peers also want it.

[WestOfTheRest]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I'm not going to wade into the general YLS vs. HLS issues (although for the record, I largely agree with Julia, thus why I chose Y over H), but I want to clarify one thing: I actually think, counter to what people seem to think, that YLS is AWESOME if you DON'T want to go into academia. Think about it: Yale already has the best resources per student, and since there is such a large portion seeking out academia, for those who aren't, there are all these other resources available that are less fought over. Indeed, I almost wish I weren't hoping to go into academia, because I actually think it's much more of an uphill battle given how many of your peers also want it.

Doesn't really touch on his/her question I don't think? I think he/she was trying to say from outsider appearances. Although, I think the difference is probably fairly negligible.

[dot]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I'm not going to wade into the general YLS vs. HLS issues (although for the record, I largely agree with Julia, thus why I chose Y over H), but I want to clarify one thing: I actually think, counter to what people seem to think, that YLS is AWESOME if you DON'T want to go into academia. Think about it: Yale already has the best resources per student, and since there is such a large portion seeking out academia, for those who aren't, there are all these other resources available that are less fought over. Indeed, I almost wish I weren't hoping to go into academia, because I actually think it's much more of an uphill battle given how many of your peers also want it.

Doesn't really touch on his/her question I don't think? I think he/she was trying to say from outsider appearances. Although, I think the difference is probably fairly negligible.

Dunno. I think one of the biggest differences between HYS is outside the legal profession. Also outside the US.

As someone who may not stick to legal work my entire life and also someone who will live and work abroad, the H brand has considerable market value, I think.

Willing to hear other opinions, esp. if more informed than mine about Yale degree in non-legal work and also abroad. Of course it will still be highly respected, but does it have the boom of HLS?

[pennyloafer17]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I thought the general consensus was YLS>HLS ALWAYS;)

[dot]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I thought the general consensus was YLS>HLS ALWAYS;)

Haha. My university grad friends here (Europe) know harvard and only know Yale from Gilmore girls. Seriously, when I mention having an app in at Yale, I almost invariably get the response, "oh like in gilmore girls? So that's a good school, too, right?"


Granted these are not future employers of mine.

[dueprocess14]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I thought the general consensus was YLS>HLS ALWAYS;)

Haha. My university grad friends here (Europe) know harvard and only know Yale from Gilmore girls. Seriously, when I mention having an app in at Yale, I almost invariably get the response, "oh like in gilmore girls? So that's a good school, too, right?"


Granted these are not future employers of mine.

If five 21-year-olds in Europe don't know it, then by damn, what a waste of money and time!

[ChriLa425]

lol

[dot]

I thought the consensus was outside of legal prof. HLS > YLS?

I thought the general consensus was YLS>HLS ALWAYS;)

Haha. My university grad friends here (Europe) know harvard and only know Yale from Gilmore girls. Seriously, when I mention having an app in at Yale, I almost invariably get the response, "oh like in gilmore girls? So that's a good school, too, right?"


Granted these are not future employers of mine.

If five 21-year-olds in Europe don't know it, then by damn, what a waste of money and time!

Haha (where I am, 21-year-olds are probably in their first or second year of university... so we're talking a few years older, but yea).

Well my read is still that outside of the legal field, H wins in prestige, and this is compounded greatly when you get outta the US (and stay outta legal)

Edit: right and cuz I've posted a few times about this now, I just want to clarify that I am not intending to troll pro-Harvard. I'm like the least likely person to do that; this is just kind of "the one thing" Harvard currently has going for it over Yale (and Stanford) in my personal read of things.

[ebeth]

First of all, I thought the students (both admitted and actual) I met at Harvard were, as a rule, boring and often immature.

What do you mean by this? Do you mean people seemed young and they didn't start telling interesting stories about themselves when you met them? I don't mean to sound fractious; I'm just trying to understand someone else's perspective. I'm in undergrad and I came out of the weekend with a positive impression of the admitted and current students. That said, I totally left hoping that I would get admitted to Yale.

[samsonyte16]

I'm surprised there were no reported calls this weekend. Dean Asha no longer likes to rain on Harvard's parade?

Maybe I'm just bitter because I really disliked my visit to Harvard, and was therefore especially holding out hope for a call from Yale.

Reminds me of a story I heard about a girl at Harvard's ASW a few years back who was crying because she was so miserable there, but knew that she still had to go because it was Harvard. I'd mock, but she's at Harvard and I probably won't be so I guess she wins. What did you dislike so much? What do you think would be better about Yale? And what did you write your 250 about?

Well, I certainly didn't cry! I also don't feel any obligation to go to Harvard just because it's Harvard. Sure, I'm hoping to get into Yale and not have to worry about the prestige issue, but I now feel that I could still be happy with the decision to go to, say, Berkeley over Harvard. Why spend three years being miserable in the hope that it will help you get a particular job? I did that for UG and really regret it, since it didn't even end up paying off with a good job.

I wrote a [excessively long] writeup of my experience over in the Harvard thread, so you can check it out if you're really curious. There are a few things I think would be better at Yale. First of all, I thought the students (both admitted and actual) I met at Harvard were, as a rule, boring and often immature. Given Yale's reputation and application process, I'd guess that the students there are much more diverse and interesting. I could be wrong, but how else do you explain the black-box nature of Yale's admissions? There must be something special about everyone who gets admitted to Yale beyond just numbers, and that doesn't seem to be the case at Harvard.

I will admit that I'm not 100% sure I want to be a lawyer/practice law. I know from personal acquaintance with Yale alums that quite a few do not practice law, or don't do so for very long. Many do, of course, but I think, of all the law schools, it is the most possible to easily do something else with your degree from YLS. Just look at Dean Asha, who worked as a FBI agent after school. This is aided by their loan repayment program, which, unlike Harvard's, doesn't require you to be in the public sector or even to be practicing law. You just have to be poor, which I am already! So basically, it's very low commitment. I'm not planning on doing something completely unrelated to law, but just in case, I love that freedom and flexibility.

So basically, I'm really hoping to get accepted to Yale, and if not, I may not end up at law school in the fall, which would be okay too. Oh, and I'll PM you what I wrote my 250 essay about--don't want to completely out myself any more than I already have!

Remember that many/most of the people who have already been admitted to Yale were at the Harvard ASW. Admissions differences not withstanding, if you didn't find interesting, exciting people last weekend you may not find them in New Haven either.

-someone who got into H and hasn't heard from Y

[The Real Jack McCoy]

Anyone up for some bad news?

I looked at LSN and the huge March rejection wave started right after YLS began their spring recess (03/12 last year). There were also a couple acceptances on the Sat. and Mon. of spring recess. A very similar pattern in 2009--a couple acceptances a few days after break starts, but rejection letters start showing up en masse the week of YLS break. So I suspect they try to send out a bunch of rejections before they go on break.

YLS' spring recess starts tomorrow.

[jtemp320]

Just got an email from them that my app is still incomplete because they don't have my Dean's Certification. I have transcripts from five different schools but was only a full time student at a couple. I asked those where I was a full time student to send Dean's Certifications to Yale months ago - so not sure which of them hasn't completed it. Of course Yale admissions' phone system goes straight to voicemail and email triggers an automatic response saying to call. Not sure which school to follow up with. Any suggestions?

[Knock]

Just got an email from them that my app is still incomplete because they don't have my Dean's Certification. I have transcripts from five different schools but was only a full time student at a couple. I asked those where I was a full time student to send Dean's Certifications to Yale months ago - so not sure which of them hasn't completed it. Of course Yale admissions' phone system goes straight to voicemail and email triggers an automatic response saying to call. Not sure which school to follow up with. Any suggestions?

I had the same thing, turns out my dean's cert got lost in the mail. Finally went complete a few days ago. The only Dean's cert I sent was from my degree granting 4 year institution. I didn't send the multiple community college transcripts where I took a summer school class or two and still went complete.

[moneko]

.

[jd20132013]

Anyone up for some bad news?

I looked at LSN and the huge March rejection wave started right after YLS began their spring recess (03/12 last year). There were also a couple acceptances on the Sat. and Mon. of spring recess. A very similar pattern in 2009--a couple acceptances a few days after break starts, but rejection letters start showing up en masse the week of YLS break. So I suspect they try to send out a bunch of rejections before they go on break.

YLS' spring recess starts tomorrow.

Sounds like good news to me. I just want to know the yes/no