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203 Redux

I've been increasingly getting writer's block when sitting down to write for the blog, and realized recently that it might be because we've been blogging now for FIVE YEARS and have already covered a lot of ground.  Going back and reading some of my old posts, I noticed that I've gotten more ranty (rantier?) as time has passed, which I attribute to the fact that I went from having 0 to 2 children in that same time period.  Anyway, rantiness aside, many of my older posts cover some of the questions we consistently get during our recruiting visits, so I thought it was worth a recap post highlighting some of the more pertinent ones to this time of year.

Of course as you prepare your Yale Law School applications you should review the P.S. Boot Camp series, which highlights some of the the things that are -- and are not -- typically successful in our admissions process.  I also wrote an older post on personal statements generally, as well as one on common pitfalls in writing the 250-word essay.  This post about how to format your application also ought to cover many of your questions.  Finally, I've been told by applicants and admitted students that my posts about diversity and diversity statements were very helpful. 

One of my favorite posts which I don't think gets a lot of traffic, but offers some insight into how different schools evaluate law school applications, is this collaborative effort between Yale and several peer schools to answer some frqeuently asked questions.  The post takes you to appropriate areas of those schools' websites/blogs, so you can get a sense of how to tailor your application to specific schools. 

As my reading load increases and the days start getting shorter (between November and March -- so pretty much most of admissions season), I get inspired to write my Bad Idea Jeans posts, which offer some honest advice, like the importance of proper punctuation and keeping your crazy under control in your application. 

Finally, I would like to especially draw your attention to the posts about character and fitness, like this one and this one.  (DO NOT LIE IN YOUR APPLICATION. Thx.)

I hope (notice I did not say "hopefully"!) that this will give you some entertaining, if not informative, reading to keep you occupied until you decide to submit your Yale Law School application.  Good luck -- we're as anxious to start filling the Class of 2016 as you are!

Posted: Oct 15 2012, 02:51 PM by asha | with 7 comment(s)
Filed under: ,

Comments

asha said:

@It's a Secret: Hmmm.  These are the kind of questions that pose a slight conflict of interest for me as an admissions dean.  So, are you under an *obligation* to disclose that you left TFA?  Probably not -- it's not a C&F issue or anything, and people leave jobs all the time, even before their commitment is up (I'm thinking here of people, for example, who might leave two year finance or business analyst positions, or even people who leave grad programs early for non-academic or disciplinary reasons, etc.).  Sometimes you realize something is not a good fit.

If I'm reviewing your application, however, and I get the sense that you've cut out early from something that you had wanted to do (and unless you omit any mention of TFA completely -- which would be a bit misleading -- I would know that), yes, I'd probably want to know why.  I don't think it has to be dramatic and drawn out, but I'd want to know, at the very least, that law school is something that you've thought about and are moving towards, rather than that you are escaping from something you don't like and it's an easy way out.

To that end, I think an addendum is fine.  On Yale's application, we ask you what you've been doing if you've been out of school more than 3 months (this is why it's likely I would know that you did TFA), and you could always briefly mention there that you left after one year because you realized that your interests were in x, y, and z, and that you discuss these things further in your personal statement.

BTW, please note that I am speaking for myself here, and not for any other law school's admissions process: I'd guess they'd be coming from the same place but you'd want to ask/verify that with the individual school.  I hope this helps!

# October 22, 2012 3:38 PM

It's A Secret said:

Most helpful. Thanks.

# October 22, 2012 5:09 PM

An Indian undergrad student said:

Hi!

Thank you for your valuable posts. I am a student from India and I am doing my first degree in law. I wanted to know whether there are any specific requirements for the LLM programme at Yale (which is meant for law teaching)? As I am still a law student, yet I want to join the field of academics, my PS would still be naive to an extent. Does the LLM PS have to be mature due to its nature or will my 'young law student' approach work?

Thanks!

# November 21, 2012 11:50 AM

Sue said:

@Indian undergrad: Our office does not handle LLM admissions, but you can find the contact information for the Graduate Programs Office at www.law.yale.edu/.../gradpro_contact.htm.

# December 12, 2012 10:37 AM

Mark said:

When I came to your blog, the first thing I looked for was some form of "top 5 posts", FAQs, or a list of a few blog posts that will give the new reader a feel for the flavor of the blog. I think this post would serve said purpose perfectly!

# February 27, 2013 7:15 PM

Lola said:

Thank you for your informative and hilarious posts--they have been the bright spot on my otherwise gloomy admissions horizon. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into demystifying the process for us. Know that we value and look forward to your posts.

Cheers!  

# March 7, 2013 3:21 PM
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