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

[majodm5]

How late is late?

From what little I've seen ITT, acceptances have been going out roughly (but maybe not strictly) in order of submission. We're well into December now.

I assume you mean that went complete in December. Or do you mean submitted in December?

Submitted and went complete in early to mid-December.

Ah well... I submitted 12/14 and went complete 1/5... guess that means I'll be hearing relatively soon one way or another. The wait is torture though. Well good luck to all of you guys who are also still waiting!!

[cogitoergosum]

I was complete 11/4 and haven't received anything in the mail yet. Does this mean I'm not an auto-reject?

[soj]

But, it also looks like the second and third waves of rejections last year were basically all late (post New Years) submitters also. So, if we make it past this week and still haven't heard anything...we are probably waitlisted? Not sure, but I would assume we got to faculty review, otherwise why would they not have sent the ding?

I think so, too. That's basically what I'm hoping for.

[AntipodeanPhil]

From what little I've seen ITT, acceptances have been going out roughly (but maybe not strictly) in order of submission. We're well into December now.

Yep, this has been my fear. Looking at LSN, I don't see good news for being an early submitter and not hearing yet. But until the letter is in my mailbox, I'll keep dreaming...

Last year's LSN data suggests there won't be good news for early submitters who haven't heard back already, but the problem is that so few people are accepted at Yale, it's very hard to see trends. If you look back beyond last year on LSN, quite a few early applicants (pre-December) got accepted in late February or March, and at least one person got WLed and then accepted in early April.

[thederangedwang]

Survived another day, whew.

So, assuming that we don't all wake to letters tomorrow, how are we interpreting this? Early submission + not rejected now = gone to faculty review?

Attempt to not obsess: failed.

Acceptances will continue to trickle out for a few more months, but I have a bad feeling most of them will be for late submitters. Last year, there were three waves of rejections and one wave of waitlists. The wave of waitlists came out in April, at the same time as the last wave of rejections.

But, it also looks like the second and third waves of rejections last year were basically all late (post New Years) submitters also. So, if we make it past this week and still haven't heard anything...we are probably waitlisted? Not sure, but I would assume we got to faculty review, otherwise why would they not have sent the ding?

Although the acceptances have been going roughly by admit date, i wouldnt go so far as to say we are all waitlisted or that the acceptances have gone past us..all the rolling acceptances have been auto admits...Yale hasnt started the regular admit decisions and so I think if we make it through these reject waves, we stand a chance at being waitlisted, but also making it in with the regular admit wave

[soj]

Actually, I think Yale has definitely started faculty review admits.

1. The YLS admissions blog says plenty of December admits have gone through faculty review.

2. There are already almost 100 people in the facebook group. I'm sure a few of them are admissions office staff and some of them are admitted students from last year who deferred, but that's still a lot of people when you consider that only 50-80 each year are auto-admits (according to the admissions blog), a number that includes auto-admits among late submitters.

[seahawk32]

What constitutes an auto-admit?

[soj]

What constitutes an auto-admit?

According to the blog, a really, really attractive applicant.

[phl516]

Actually, I think Yale has definitely started faculty review admits.

1. The YLS admissions blog says plenty of December admits have gone through faculty review.

2. There are already almost 100 people in the facebook group. I'm sure a few of them are admissions office staff and some of them are admitted students from last year who deferred, but that's still a lot of people when you consider that only 50-80 each year are auto-admits (according to the admissions blog), a number that includes auto-admits among late submitters.

Yes, while I don't disagree with deranged that some early submitters could still get accepted, the statement that everyone accepted so far has been an auto-admit is definitely not true for these reasons. But, hey, 100 is less than 250, so hope spring eternal.

[AntipodeanPhil]

What constitutes an auto-admit?

Well, an auto-admit is just someone who avoids faculty review.

Looking at the profiles of people who were admitted early on TLS (and were presumably auto admits), they all have AMAZING numbers, and most attended an Ivy or Ivy-equivalent UG. Some were K-JD, and some claimed to only have average softs.

[seahawk32]

God. Getting into YLS is tougher than getting into Hogwarts.

[majodm5]

God. Getting into YLS is tougher than getting into Hogwarts.

This was great! Thank you for making me laugh in the middle of my obsessive TLS checking... helps with the stress ! Good luck!

[Elliott_Smith]

Nothing in the mail again tonight.

Le sigh of relief.

[arewehavingfunyet]

The Yale admissions process is so different from other law schools that, I hate to say it, getting through this wave does not mean that you're super safe. I know everyone knows how the YLS admissions process works (Asha+Faculty Review etc.) but among the people who are getting rejected there are definitely some auto-rejects but truth be told the only auto-rejects are the 3.5, 170s on LSN and the like. Most people getting dinged went through Asha who scored them for faculty review and then their faculty review score resulted in their rejection. There is no faculty time limit for reading apps and so it is entirely dependent on who reads your applicaition and when they get it back etc. Basically, person X could submit their YLS app on October 1st and have a super slow faculty review process only to hear they got dinged in April while person Y submitted January 15 and heard February 9 because they had quick readers. Essentially, time passed means nothing in the YLS admissions process because most of you were never going to be auto-dings in the first place. All it means is that either Asha hasn't reasd your app yet or you have slow readers.

[ned]

I have auto-ding numbers, very interesting softs, solid LORs, unique resume, and possibly the best personal statement Asha will read all year. I haven't been dinged though. Which tells me there is no such thing as auto-ding numbers. Just auto-ding applications. I'm pretty sure I'll be dinged. But not automatically.

[pupshaw]

I have auto-ding numbers, very interesting softs, solid LORs, unique resume, and possibly the best personal statement Asha will read all year. I haven't been dinged though. Which tells me there is no such thing as auto-ding numbers. Just auto-ding applications. I'm pretty sure I'll be dinged. But not automatically.

lol

[AmandaPB]

I have auto-ding numbers, very interesting softs, solid LORs, unique resume, and possibly the best personal statement Asha will read all year. I haven't been dinged though. Which tells me there is no such thing as auto-ding numbers. Just auto-ding applications. I'm pretty sure I'll be dinged. But not automatically.

lol

+1. Glad you were able to compare it with the rest of ours to determine that.

[heavy]

+1

I post very rarely, but cant resist agreeing, that was a bit over the top

[thederangedwang]

why is only the part about the personal statement bolded? the whole post was lol

[ned]

Seriously, it's that good. I spent like a year writing it. I spent more time on my statement than on LSAT prep. I know it will pay off.

[arewehavingfunyet]

Seriously, it's that good. I spent like a year writing it. I spent more time on my statement than on LSAT prep. I know it will pay off.

Not trying to be a dick but I cannot help it. I just looked at your numbers and you should have definitely put in more time on LSAT prep. Additionally, no PS is worth a year of work, all that tells me is that it is completely overworked.

[ned]

It seems that text-based forums are the wrong place for deadpan delivery and lighthearted critique of an absurd process. Or maybe everyone's nerves are frayed right now. It's a good thing that "sense of humor" is not one of the requirements for law school admission.

As for my numbers, well XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. But you're right, I should have just studied harder. Don't mean to be a dick either. It just happens though, doesn't it.

edit: Just to clarify, I did not actually spend a year on my personal statement. That would be absurd.
edit 2: removed extenuating circumstance, which would tip my identity to anyone perusing this thread with access to my addendum

[amc987]

I have auto-ding numbers, very interesting softs, solid LORs, unique resume, and possibly the best personal statement Asha will read all year. I haven't been dinged though. Which tells me there is no such thing as auto-ding numbers. Just auto-ding applications. I'm pretty sure I'll be dinged. But not automatically.

I don't usually post in this thread because I didn't apply to YLS. I thought this merited an exception.

There is no such thing as the "best personal statement". Period. There are more compelling ones and less compelling ones. There are ones that are well written and ones that aren't. However, differentiating among a bunch of really good personal statements -- and based on the applicant pool, there will certainly more than a few excellent writers vying for spots at YLS-- is a totally subjective exercise. It's like saying Hemingway is a better novelist than Tolstoy or Meryl Streep is a better actress than Audrey Hepburn. You might think X is best, I may think Y is better, and Asha may think Z trumps all. It's a silly thing to even assert.

Also, not to state the obvious, but you need really good numbers just to be in the running at YLS. I don't mean to burst your bubble because maybe you cured cancer in your spare time or something, but I wouldn't count on your PS and a bunch of extra-curricular experiences overcoming a less-than-stellar academic profile.

[ned]

OK, last reply and off to bed. Of course I don't actually think I wrote the best statement Asha has read all year. Of course you can't make a claim that one statement is the best. It happens to be the strongest aspect of my application but that won't help me much, and I was making light of that. I'm new here but which emoticon signifies "ironic statement with deadpan delivery"? Perhaps my wit is too dry, but jeeze, ya'll need to lighten up a tad.

[JoeMo]

What makes his academic record less than stellar? Not everyone scores a 180 on the LSAT and his GPA is pretty solid. He also went to RISD which is known to be a pretty rigorous program... granted, some people look the other way at art degrees but it's still the best at what it does.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here and also my numbers are pretty similar, just a tiny bit higher and I don't see where I feel like I have a less than stellar academic record. A less than stellar LSAT? Yes. But that hasn't stopped me from having a pretty good cycle already.

I also don't think I have a shot at YLS.