Yale Law's appeal forces tighter acceptance rate

As if trying to gain admission to the country's hardest law school were not difficult enough already, this year the Yale Law School will be accepting even fewer students, due to a recent trend of increased admission yields.

TYLER MERTES/YH Yale Law's hallowed halls draw students from near and far. This year, gaining a coveted spot will become even harder.

"If you have a higher yield, you can't offer as many spots...unless you decide to let the class grow more," Director of Admissions for Yale Law School Jean Webb said. Since Yale Law is committed to maintaining small class sizes, the only option was to lower its acceptance rate.

Last year, 3,600 students applied to Yale Law, 188 were accepted, and 173 chose to attend. These statistics--an 8.5 percent acceptance rate and a 92 percent yield--make Yale's law school the most competitive in the nation. Harvard Law and Stanford Law, which follow Yale in the national rankings, have admission rates hovering between 10 and 13 percent.

While applications to Yale Law have been steadily decreasing since 1989, the percentage of students choosing to matriculate has gone up 10 percent in the last five years. Webb attributes the school's popularity to its relatively small environment and its diverse, accomplished student population. "Because of our strong reputation, we have the opportunity to select students from among the brightest and most capable students in the country," she said.

For David Lam, BR '97, LAW '00, the small class sizes played a big role in his decision to attend Yale Law School. "I chose [Yale Law] because the small classes facilitate student-professor interaction," he said. "The type of students at the school are very dynamic and accomplished."

Yale Law students also appreciate the school's unique grading policy. Instead of giving letter grades, Yale Law gives Cr/D/F grades for the first term and grades of "honors," "pass," "low pass," or "fail" for every term thereafter. Lam said the policy "relieves a lot of the pressure associated with law school and creates a more cooperative, friendly environment."

For Emily Lam, PC '97, LAW '00, the most distinguishing aspect of the Law School is that it encourages students to enter a variety of fields in addition to private practice.

"If you are interested in the law but not sure about whether you want to become a practicing attorney, Yale Law School is the best place to go," she said. "While other law schools tend to go into procedure and the black letter of the law, there's a lot of focus at [Yale Law School] on interdisciplinary issues and public interest...so Yale has a strong history of turning out academics and public interest-oriented people."

While good grades and high Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores are important, the admissions committee also considers the skills which applicants have developed outside the classroom. "It's not the kind of extracurricular activities [the applicant has participated in], but the kind of leadership and the skills they exhibited in the course of those activities," Webb said.

Webb also commented that while Yale undergraduates don't automatically get special consideration because of their connection to Yale, their strong educational background is taken into account.

"We certainly have a great respect for students of Yale College and the education they have received," she stated. "It is usually the most represented school in the first-year class." This year is an exception, however, with only 22 Yale students in the first-year class, as compared to 28 Harvard graduates.

David Lam advises potential applicants to keep in mind Yale Law's unique teaching philosophy. "An analytical mind is important," he acknowledged. "But Yale Law School wants you to push the limits further and apply what you're learning and improve it."

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