Former Yale Law School Admissions Director Critiques Real Yale Law Applications

In this video, former Yale Law School Director of Enrollment & Financial Aid Nick Everdell critiques two real applications to the Yale Law School, then guesses what admissions decisions they got.
Note: there were time constraints on the filming of this video, and its relatively short length does not in any way reflect the relative lengths of time admissions officers spend reading applications at any of the law schools we have highlighted.
Please note that for all of the videos in this series, the applications we use were graciously volunteered by members of the Law School Admissions subreddit, and none have paid Spivey Consulting for our admissions services. Think we should use a different type of application? Looking for a critique on someone with a lower GPA, or a C&F issue, or 10+ years of work experience? Send us your apps! We can only critique the applications that are sent to us, and we'd love to do more. Our team is made up of former law school admissions officers from Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Chicago, Penn, Michigan, WUSTL, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, UNC, University of Washington, University of Colorado, University of Richmond, Syracuse, University of Houston, Penn State, UNLV, and Lewis & Clark - we would happily accept completed applications to any of these schools for this video series.
As always, email us at [e-mail] for more information about our law school admissions consulting services, or to set up a free initial phone consultation with one of our consultants!

[@richardzhao9641]

One of my takeaways is how random the system is. There is a chance that your app is read by a prof who likes you and a chance that it is read by a prof who simply does not vibe with you. So, whatever the decision is, one should keep the moral high!

[@aalegalfocus]

Agreed, although a good student with a high LSAT score should still be able to get into a top tier law school, even if it's not Yale.

[@aalegalfocus]

@Justinian Yi yes agreed. I got into Georgetown with barely a 3.3 probably because I scored 170 9n the LSAT. Yale rejected me though, not surprisingly.

[@DeliaSerene]

R Fox what minorities do you know?

[@oscarmora1734]

@@aalegalfocus Did you apply to Columbia? If so, may I ask if you got in? 😊 I have a 3.6 and currently prepping for the LSAT.

[@famasitotony1578]

​@@oscarmora1734 did you go tu columbia or an other law school ?

[@andyhawkins7988]

Why would you cover his face with the result of the application right while you are revealing the result?

[@joseywales9726]

really stuck on the white/male part and the conservative Christian rubbed him the wrong way...

[@joannamarie6759]

literally all he said was that if the professor is liberal that can be an influence but they also might be inclined to admit him because of diversity in ideologies.

[@pep590]

That's why there are a few lawsuits out there suing for these anti-white racial actions and mindsets.

[@devoncastro7385]

Take away the music please, otherwise great video

[@IrvinBeast]

I know if I had a 3.9 GPA and a 175 LSAT I’d be livid if I didn’t get into any law school I applied to 🤣🤣. Yale is my dream school, I have the GPA but I can’t get a 170 LSAT to save my life so I know won’t get accepted lol

[@MrBjorn6]

Go to the best law school for free!

[@pep590]

@@MrBjorn6 Great advice!

[@ritamix33]

for him to think the first applicant was impressive but the gpa wasn't't good enough is crazy to me especially in the beginning when he said it doesn't play a role in decision making at 2:31. BUT IT DOES.

[@EasyMoneyGoat]

It’s all bull excrement. Kristi and Miriam from HLS AND YLS say numbers don’t matter and that they take a holistic approach to admissions but take a look at their data. They have zero percent admissions of students with anything below 168 LSAT AND 3.6 GPA.

[@banardadams8776]

Yea, I wanna know his lsat score too. I heard from a Yale admission counselor that your essays and lsat are the two biggest things. GPA can be influenced heavily by your major and professors.

[@martuni1539]

Great video. I wish the audio were a little less muddled

[@statuscheckwithspivey]

Yeah we do not have any video/audio experience, and we are a small company, so we are largely muddling through here. We'll do our best in the future and thank you for the feedback!

[@AlexLabaro]

@@statuscheckwithspivey I have experience film-making, editing, and working with audio. I'd be happy to help!

[@JacobGust]

@@statuscheckwithspivey Late here, but I think the issue with the Blue Yeti is the gain setting. Turn the knob all the way down or close to it and it should sound much better.

[@yalelaw]

This guy talked for 11 mins and really got both decisions completely wrong bruhhh

[@banardadams8776]

He literally said throughout the video how each person in admissions has a different view on who’s good enough and who isn’t. That’s why luck plays a part in getting someone who likes your application.

[@melodywu9412]

Please do a Columbia law school version if you could!

[@cko1992]

It essentially all boiled down to numbers for this gentleman. That within itself is problematic.

[@nate10465]

About letters of recommendation. I hear they're very important, especially for Yale Law School, and that they much prefer them from professors because they have had a chance to really experience the applicant as a student and are most familiar with their academic rigor and capacity. All of that makes a lot of sense for why they value professor letters of recommendation so highly. But what about someone who has been out of college for a year or more and who feels their bosses have a better connection/understanding to their work ethic and knowledge than their professors ever did? Would you look poorly on an applicant who has been out of college for a couple years and instead has glowing recommendations from their job rather than from professors? Does this immediately take them out of the running against others with similar applications that had professor letters of recommendation instead?

[@lizpark9854]

I just saw this video so I know this comment is late, but typically, it's best to have 1 academic letter of rec and 1 outside!

[@shepburn4755]

I agree. Ive been in the workforce 5 yrs and the partners at my law firm wrote my rec letters. I had to reach back to a business law prof at my university for a rec from her. I found an old email chain about a capstone project I did with her, and then asked to meet up so she could find out more about what I had been doing the last 5yrs. Our reconnection went vert well, and she did remember me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have had an academic rec, because all my classes were big.

[@生き甲斐-z5h]

There is nothing worse than having your application & entire fate judged by someone mediocre..it's rare for these adcoms to have gone to harvard/oxford/yale/cambridge themselves, much less have a passport/are able to tell where countries are on the map... to think that your entire fate rests on a surface level judgment of a n undersocialized bumpkin is unimaginable..

[@DarleneDrozdowski]

Was the LSAT score of the first applicant included?

[@prabh_kaur4886]

no

[@Brainjoy01]

@@prabh_kaur4886 do not need lsat at a lot of liberal CA colleges perhaps

[@aalegalfocus]

Too bad information like this wasn't available when I applied to law schools. Yale Law School reject here-- this I believe made a huge difference in how my legal career went.

[@texan903]

Can you be specific in the difficulties you encountered in your journey?

[@aalegalfocus]

@@texan903 please feel free to watch some of the videos I have recently made on my channel, like the ones about Why Going to Law School is a Bad Idea, Document Review Hell, Tales of Misery with a Law Degree, etc. I'm still practicing law (unlike many of my friends who washed out of the profession), but there were so many times I regretted ever going to law school.

[@aalegalfocus]

@Justinian Yi Yes, I strongly believe that going to Yale would have made a huge difference in my career outcome. Mainly because Yale doesn't give letter grades-- as far as I know, it's pass, fail, or high honors. That way no one is humiliated or ruined by being at the bottom of a class of gunners. My ex-husband went to Yale law and after doing a prestigious clerkship and working for big law, is now a professor. Meanwhile, I had difficulty finding jobs and wound up making lousy pay at small law firms before finally striking out on my own and being a solo practitioner in North Carolina. I would be flattered if you watched some of my videos! The quality isn't the best, but I'm trying to improve my equipment and editing skills- tough while still juggling a law practice. Thank you, and wishing you the best!

[@idkwhattonamemyacxount88]

@@aalegalfocus hi! So law schools look at your 3 best undergrad years and calculate that GPA? Or 3 last years? Last 2 years? All 4 years? Thanks!

[@pep590]

I thoroughly enjoy your channel and videos. Great job!

[@memyself4431]

Going to apply to Yale Law just for the hell of it 😂

[@mannyobrian9744]

I am in Ghana and I want to study there what should I do sir.

[@TheEpicProOfMinecraf]

I highly recommend asking this question on the lawschooladmissions reddit

[@shepburn4755]

I laughed through this because there were so many issues with it. First, two white males. No females. No URMs. People who have high GPAs from "elite" schools are not really equal to students who go to rigorous universities who DONT curve! So a 3.4 from a top business school could be equal to a 3.8 at a top liberal arts school. It's all so ridiculous that you have to depend on a faculty member for admission. I think people who work for several years out of undergrad, as well as work during the summers from freshman year, in substantive jobs are more impressive than someone coming straight out of Univ esp if they have an excellent recommendations. Judging by some of the famous people Yale has admitted over the last 40 yrs, they don't have a very good track record.

[@amybigbruda]

Listening to this just makes me say fuck it. Ill just apply and whatever happens happens. My 3.29 aint got a shot no matter my lsat

[@hendystein367]

What was applicant #1s LSAT score?

[@thatweirdscienceguy9880]

That's what I was wondering...

[@hula2563]

The scores can't tell if a student is talent or not. They should view the overall application materials. I know people who have excellent research experiences skills and publications but have low GPAs. It really depends.

[@anushaya897]

I have a question So I transferred from my community college with a low GPA of 2.7 I have a cumulative GPA at my current undergrad university of 3.9 (expected to reach a 4.0 by the time I graduate) So my overall Gpa is 3.2 currently (but expected to hit 3.6 by the time I graduate) I was not motivated at my community college but I have gotten all A's at my current institution. It's my dream to go to Columbia law school or any Ivy League, so do you think they will look at my overall GPA or the Cumulative GPA I have from my current school? Or do you think if they look at both, they'll look at the fact that I really increased my performance when I transferred to a university? I worked insanely hard to get to where I am with my academics but I am really worried that the grad schools I am applying to won't notice my performance boost at my current institution.

[@ahmonwilliams6640]

I believe they will look at your cumulative gpa. Note: I am a cc student planning to transfer out to a 4 year (hopefully Yale). I hope you get into Columbia Law School!! Best of luck

[@banardadams8776]

@@ahmonwilliams6640 get a 180 on the LSAT and you’ll be fine

[@idkwhattonamemyacxount88]

This is my current situation except I did poorly my first year at the same school but have gotten all A’s since. You can write an addendum to explain why you did poorly when applying but I too am wondering if they calculate all 4 years or just 3 years for our GPA

[@MESSI-fx1ob]

lower t14 is likely if you can get that 3.6 and get a 170 plus lsat also if you are urm your chances are good at all schools expect for the t3

[@shepburn4755]

And yet Yale says right on their Law school website that they take a "holistic" approach to every application. That is BS. You can have a compelling story and be a great writer, but went to a tough undergrad that doesn't curve their grades like the ivy league schools do. I had HS acquaintances at Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown and all their grades were curved. They're brand ambassadors now. It's ridiculous.

[@fredimorales6681]

Hi. You said, "white male." I thought you could not see ethnicity/race of the applicant as stated in a previous video? I may be mistaken, I watch a lot of videos like this one.

[@statuscheckwithspivey]

It's different for different schools!

[@DanielUmstead]

@@statuscheckwithspivey wow

[@Irisicaaa]

What was the first applicants LSAT? 😬 Had to be a 175+??

[@wehkfam5680]

I liked the candid admission that being white and male was a negative for the candidate.

[@pep590]

Yes, I at least appreciated his honesty. Really makes a mockery of the slur..."white privilege".

[@AdrianPica-Borjas]

This was an extremely interesting and helpful video. Thank you!

[@justinmaloney1]

would love a UCLA/splitter video if you get the submissions

[@elizabuga4337]

I wish the GPA itself mattered less than the actual course. A 4.0 in English is not that hard to get. A 3.6 in engineering is very difficult and a ton of work.

[@ConcernedCitizen5514]

I agree. I went top a Top-14 law school. I had a BSEE and a 3.50 GPA from undergrad and when I applied, I only got into law schools where I had an LSAT above the media for the previous year's class. I don't think that law schools gave much weight to the fact that my GPA was in an engineering degree.

[@hamzachaudhry8729]

Unfortunately, they will never change it. Since law schools rankings are based on USNEWS ranking, their increase in rank is based on average GPA/LSAT. In which they could care less about major but solely numbers to benefit the institution itself. Law Schools don’t care about you, only how it will benefit the institution itself in terms of rankings.

[@jollyholly2851]

@Jhon Sayendjejjd That's wrong. I have perfect SAT 2 scores in Biology, Chem, and Math Level 2 and have a 4.0 in all my general education classes. And I'm an English major. And sorry, but: most scientists are horrific writers; you're probably one. If you can't write what you're researching, you're no scientist.

[@superior120v5]

Why would an engineering major go to law school lol

[@hurryandleave9680]

@@superior120v5 I hear patent attorneys make a ton of money. That's where an engineering background helps.

[@a.k9056]

Can somebody explain to me why race is mentioned in the applications?

[@salum6690]

Not sure if you care anymore, but prestigious institutions like Yale are looking to have a diverse student body. There are lots of reasons behind that like creating an environment with multiple different perspectives or just taking someone out of a historically poor environment and giving them an opportunity to create a brighter future for more people of that race. That's why white students are at a disadvantage when it comes to applications. They're seen as having an inherent advantage or that they lack the ability to bring new insights into the university.

[@superior120v5]

Wonder how many Yale professors are white males

[@pep590]

Because anti-white RACISM is the backbone of the left and the Democrat Party. They also care nothing that a large percentage of minorities that are accepted, are unable to be successful at a school like Yale as they are unprepared of it's rigorous high level of academic requirements. This results in 1000's of minorities failing and then quitting Yale annually for example and still carrying large school loans to be paid for. This racist actions by Yale in this case hurts everyone. And yes, whites are thought of lacking the ability to bring new insights into the university, like anti-white hate and racial victimology to a high enough level to satisfy the leftist professors.

[@MorganHorse]

Do you think you have to have a consultant to get into a top law school?

[@statuscheckwithspivey]

Definitely not! Consulting can be a good fit for some applicants, but not all, and plenty of people are able to put together fantastic essays and applications on their own.

[@trueindian499]

Tanners school, good to know.

[@marcelasena5108]

Do schools look down upon applicants who have taken 6 years to earn a bachelor's degree?

[@TeddyWeng194274]

Possibly. I would assume you need a pretty valid reason for why it took 6 years. I am not a law school admissions counselor or anything so it might be vastly different for grad school admissions, but if you were applying to a job at a fortune 50 company or something the hiring manager would at least question the 6 yr degree.

[@ilikethatboulder.thatisani5496]

I think it's fine as long as you apply right away after finishing your bachelor's.There's people who didn't go to law school untill 30 years after finishing their bachelor's which I think would be more problematic.

[@statuscheckwithspivey]

Depends on the reason, and how clearly you convey the reasoning in your application. If you are, say, working full-time to help support your family while taking a lighter course load, that's very different from, say, taking random semesters off throughout undergrad to sit around and do nothing. And obviously there are lots of reasons in between.

[@paulcrooks3742]

So much to qualify. Then after they graduate, they just like a piece of shit. They have no impact. I went through it when I was doing my premed

[@emmam5465]

Dear god there are enough white male lawyers in the world

[@salum6690]

I hope you can look back at this comment and realize that it may have been inappropriate. I know that you may want to see more people in a similar situation to yourself succeeding in prestigious fields like law school at Yale, but I would hope that you wouldn't actively discriminate against someone based on their race or gender.

[@Muskeljudentum]

Comments like yours embolden right wing racial politics.

[@pep590]

Dear god, there are enough anti-white racists in the world like Emma and the anti-white racists who clicked like on her Racist comment.