What can we take away from Rebecca’s essay? It’s also tiny, with only 200 slots available each year. The professors and peer group will push Rebecca to be the best lawyer she can be. I was in my freshman year at the University of Michigan and enrolled in an ecology class focused on aquatic ecosystems. Harvard Law School is several times the size of Yale Law School. While Malcolm chooses to discuss an extracurricular activity, horticulture, that doesn’t immediately seem connected to law, he uses it to convey personal qualities that would make him a good lawyer: diligence, a love of research, and an insistence on accurate definitions. My friend, Mariam, who was part of a student activist group, invited me to participate in a bottled water collection drive which culminated in a group of us driving up to Flint a few weeks later to drop off the supplies we’d gathered. B ut alas this is a tale every bit as fraught and overly dramatic as “Waiting for Superman,” for you see there are now so many TFA alumni applying to attend Yale Law that they are literally cancelling each other out with their own excellence. And to get into most accredited law schools, a score of at least 150 is necessary. Yale Law School also requires a 250-word essay, known as the “Yale 250,” in addition to a personal statement. Enter your name and email for high-yield admissions strategies we use to get students into T-14 programs. Yale Law School also permits JD students to enroll in joint degree programs with a number of other Yale graduate programs, pending case-by-case approval. Even my mother says so. Admitted students with very low scores likely have other aspects of their applications that are extraordinary in some way. Yale's early action program is single-choice early action, which means you can only apply to one school (Yale), but your acceptance is not binding. Since writing well is an incredibly important skill for lawyers, Yale’s admissions officers will absolutely be paying attention to how you write in addition to what you write. So Yale Law School admitted students with an LSAT score as low as 154. This guide will go over everything you need to know to tackle your Yale Law School application, including statistics, a discussion of standardized tests, an overview of all the application components, and full-length examples of personal essays. By comparison, Harvard Law is twice as easy. While some law schools require dean’s certificate forms as part of their application, Yale only requires them if and when you receive an admission offer and decide to accept. Items you might attach as addenda include explanations of unusually low grades or test scores or any other items in your application materials that you feel need clarifying. Enter your name and email for the strategies we use to get students into T-14 programs. For those 500 seats in its first-year law class, Yale receives over 7,000 applications. With its world-renowned faculty, fascinating students, and distinguished speakers, Yale Law School is an invigorating place to think about the law. It's well known to people who care about such things, though, that Yale has the most selective law school … Emphases are ours: “The personal statement should help us learn about the personal, professional, and academic qualities an applicant would bring to the Law School community. If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. The admission rate is 6.9%. And belonging to the community of YLS’s exceptionally motivated future legal leaders would offer me the challenge, support, and inspiration to aim high as I demand a better and more equitable future. When I first read the term “environmental racism” in an article about Flint, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I've written a blog post on this, or, more correctly, copied a story: Post in Law School Admissions The only thing I have to add to that is a quote from my first conversation with their then Dean of admissions (now deceased), Jim Thomas. Do you know how hard it … Yale’s is the highest ranked, most selective law school in the United States, boasting renowned faculty members, small class sizes, an untraditional grading system, and a plethora of illustrious and powerful alumni, including two former Presidents, three sitting Supreme Court Justices, and many other leading figures in politics, academia, business, and media. While a chronological order is by no means necessary to writing a good essay, it works well here because it anchors the personal information that naturally leads into Rebecca’s explanation of why she would benefit from a Yale education. Not only has this shown me that I can change my own life through hard work, it’s also strengthened my resolve to advocate for those who have been less fortunate than I have. It was there that the economic and racial contours of the situation sharpened in my eyes. It's also tiny, with only 200 slots available each year. As I read more about environmental racism, I began to understand that disadvantaged communities all over the country and the globe were being impacted by toxic environments. programs. Scott Johnson writes – Do you know how hard it is to get into Yale Law School? Scott Johnson writes – Do you know how hard it is to get into Yale Law School? The Yale 250 is about adding color and often quirk to your application. The Supervised Analytic Writing (SAW), “is designed to increase the student’s proficiency in legal research, analytic reasoning, and writing in a single field of concentration.” Students also are required to produce a “Substantial Paper,” … Resources and programs designed to make it possible for students to pursue their legal education at Yale. 95% of incoming students who attended high schools … All of the things Anne mentioned, however, will also get you into almost any other law school in the country, so you can prepare for Yale as well as everywhere else. Even harder. You can also learn more about our 1-on-1 law school admissions support here. Harvard, as a much larger school, will take most people above this threshold. Yale is an excellent school (the best), ranked 1st in the nation (out of 187 law schools). Though both facts are important to understanding who she is as an applicant, by choosing one element of her background, her essay is given focus and clarity. Notwithstanding its reputation as a very “academic” law school, YLS students are still fully aware that law school is, at its most basic, a professional school – that is, a place you enter looking to get something specific, whether that be a skill, a network, or a job. But here are a few general guidelines: 1. First, high GPA (3.8+) and LSATs (174+) are very nearly a prerequisite. Start strong. Forget about it. Students may undertake independent writing projects following their own academic interests or organize reading groups around a specific topic. While initially discouraged, my desire to feel at home prompted me to do what I do best: research. In this section, we’ll go over how to approach writing each of the essays in Yale Law School’s application, plus show you full-length example essays. Be sure to carefully follow essay instructions, including length guidelines. How could water—the thing we had so much of in Michigan—be full of poison? Using the Flint story as a spine, she seamlessly weaves in information about her academic interests, geographic and socioeconomic background, and political awakening. To my dismay, my new greenery browned at an alarmingly quick rate. Each year, Yale has an entering class of about 500 law students. A student perspective on corporate law, clinics, and students organizations at Yale Law School. […] Becoming a student again at age thirty, just twenty minutes away from where my college career had ended, was exhilarating, surreal, and challenging in ways I could not have anticipated. Forget about it. Most students looking to practice law will be interested in earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Since a good GPA … Data from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) shows that you should have a GPA of 3.59 and an LSAT of 162 or more to get into one of the top 10 law schools. The admission rate is 6.9%. View a collection of photos and videos that gives an inside look at the world of Yale Law School and its stunning and historic campus. Typically, only about ten students a year are accepted. When I first moved out, I was eager to replicate my mother’s jungle. An unmatched environment of excellence and educational intimacy. More or less on a whim, I decided to apply to Smith College’s Ada Comstock Scholars Program, which is designed for women of nontraditional age. Instead, Rebecca uses the majority of her essay to tell a story about herself, which is what a personal statement should do. When she does turn to YLS, she offers a few specifics while also nodding to the clearest and most powerful thing Yale has going for it: the people. Your guide is on its way. If you push yourself to excel all the way through your senior year and beyond, we take that to be a good sign that you will do the same at Yale. Yale writes: “Although Yale Law School does not require a diversity statement, many applicants submit diversity statements that help us learn more about them and how they would contribute to our community. I thought about my mother frequently during these years. If you want to get into a Top 10 law school, aim for a score above 162. When we dropped the water off at Flint’s Red Cross chapter, it became obvious to me that the majority of people who were suffering were working class and black. 1 school in the 2019 Best Law Schools rankings – Yale Law School – had an acceptance rate below 8.4 percent in fall 2017. To get into Yale Law School, you should spend your undergraduate years working as hard as you can to earn top grades. This school is also known as: Yale University. By comparison, Harvard Law is twice as easy. Diversity statements also fall under this optional category. While plants adorn nearly every surface in my home, I don’t find the claim of a green thumb accurate. In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Yale and build a strong application. She was killed instantly. Choosing a Law School. If a joint degree program interests you, depending on the specific program in question, you’ll either need to apply to your non-JD program at the same time that you apply to Yale Law or you’ll apply during your first year of law school. What can we learn from Maya’s diversity essay? Reader: their Eden is a place that I like to call New Haven, Connecticut, home of Yale Law School. Get a free consultation with Ann on your own law school admissions journey today. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are. Through the essay, we learn that he and his mother lived in a small apartment and that their plants were often found rather than bought. The rigorous and highly competitive admissions process might make some high school students wonder if they have what it takes to get into Yale. Remember that we are looking for students who will make the most of Yale and the most of their talents. On that note, while the subjects of Yale and law serve as the culmination of Rebecca’s essay, they take up little space relative to the essay as a whole. But roughly 25% of the entering classes at Harvard, Yale, and Stanford have LSAT scores at or below 170. Knowing how you have engaged in high school gives us an idea of how you might engage at Yale. It’s also tiny, with only 200 slots available each year. Republished with permission from the Naked Dollar. 3. I’d never paid much attention to politics up to that point, but as an aspiring environmental scientist and a native Michigander, I felt a mixture of horror, sadness, and anger when I thought about how the residents of Flint had been put in danger so that the government could save money. To get into Yale, you need to stand out academically. Having grown up in a primarily white suburb and then moved to affluent Ann Arbor for college, it was completely unimaginable that something so devastating would be allowed to happen in the version of Michigan that I personally knew. I went down every online rabbit hole about fertilizer, soil, and the indefinable “bright indirect light.” When a plant began to yellow or drop leaves, I’d spend hours reading about how I could improve its water or light levels. Conferences and panels throughout the year continue to explore ideas about the law and its role in society. The median GPA for law school acceptance is 3.42. The admission rate is 6.9%. Statistically speaking, you do have a slightly higher chance of getting into Yale with the early action plan than if you applied regular decision , … Though I’d always imagined myself changing the world as a scientist out in the field, the more I learned, the more I felt that working from the angle of policy and law would be the most effective contribution I could make towards achieving environmental justice. Republished with permission from the Naked Dollar. Typically, only about ten students a year are accepted. How to Get Into HYS Without a High LSAT Score: As you probably expect, most students at the top three law schools have LSAT scores somewhere in the stratosphere. This is the key to writing a successful diversity statement. With an incoming class size of around 200 students per year and a 7:1 student to faculty ratio, Yale Law School is on the smaller end of top-tier law schools, in a way that can make it seem like an even more elite club. Think of it as a chance to add texture about something—perhaps something surprising—that you didn’t get to cover in your main personal statement. I’m a good waitress—I’m quick on my feet, have a remarkably sharp memory, and can banter with the best of them. Ann Levine is the author of the best selling law school admission guide book: The Law School Admission Game and made admissions decisions at two ABA-approved law schools. Over 80% of students offered a place in the class of 2022 at Yale achieved SAT scores over 1400, and 87% achieved ACT scores of 32 or higher. Over these last three-and-a-half years, I’ve come to realize that this journey has been a gift because I truly understand the value of my education, having lived a working adult’s life without it. Let’s break down what works about Malcolm’s essay: In this essay, Malcolm uses a casual, occasionally humorous tone, which is not always the right choice but works here because he balances it with tight, vivid writing. By comparison, Harvard Law is twice as easy. Though overtime I found wonderful and inspiring friends in my fellow Adas, as we were called, I was typically the only nontraditional student in the majority of my courses. By the spring of 2016, Flint was national news and a state of emergency had been declared on local, state, and federal levels. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; this is simply another opportunity for faculty readers to learn more about how you would engage in the Law School community.”. Here’s an example that our student, Rebecca, wrote to apply to Yale Law School: Growing up thirty minutes from Lake Michigan, I always loved water. Step 3: Register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). For the greatest chances of admission, first focus on achieving the very best grades and test scores that you can. Some students choose to focus on traditional “black-letter law” classes, while others experiment with cutting-edge legal theory or interdisciplinary courses. As the #1 ranked law school in the US, Yale is notoriously selective. In addition to a rich history and an accomplished student body, our unmatched faculty-student ratio allows us to offer a vast array of courses, an average class size of approximately 20 students, and countless opportunities for independent research, writing, and student-organized seminars. In early 2015, the news that Flint, Michigan’s water had elevated lead levels began to make local headlines. Their application notes: “The 250-word essay is an opportunity to explore an idea or issue from your academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to you. guide to writing law school diversity statements. Here are some statistics on Yale Law School’s class of 2022: Though there is no minimum GPA or LSAT score for applicants, the lowest GPA and LSAT scores received by a member of Yale Law School’s class of 2022 were 3.32 and 155 respectively. A student perspective on financial aid and clinics at Yale Law School. Since the 250-word essay is open-topic, many applicants have difficulty figuring out how to approach writing it. Students are required to work with renown faculty on not one, but two major research papers. The primary point of difference that Maya highlights is her journey as an older student, though we learn that she’s a first-generation college student as well.