Guide to the Yale 250 Essay
For the class of 2022, Yale offered admission to only about eight percent of applicants. If you are applying to Yale Law School, you have to submit a mandatory 250-word essay on top of your personal statement. One of the best ways to set yourself apart from other applicants is through the essays you submit, especially the 250-word essay. Composing a well-written, cogent essay that lets your personality shine through can give you a leg up when members from the Yale Law School admissions committee review your application package.
Below I provide more information about the Yale 250 and tips you can follow to write a strong essay that can increase your chances for acceptance at Yale Law School.
The Yale 250 Essay Prompt
Unlike some other law programs that offer optional essays with specific prompts, Yale's 250-word essay is mandatory and the prompt broad, allowing applicants to choose pretty much any topic they want to write about. Yale Law School's website provides the following instructions with regard to the 250-word essay:
"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. 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."
Writing Your Mandatory Yale 250 Essay
Some struggle to write their Yale 250 essay because they aren't sure how to get started. Having the freedom to write about anything you want is, indeed, a blessing and a curse at the same time. Writing a weak essay will not help your Yale Law School application package. In fact, a weak essay could hurt your chances for acceptance.
Below I offer tips to help you choose topics, narrow them down, and compose your Yale 250 so it adds value to your application package and increases your chances for acceptance.
Brainstorm Topics for Each Area of the Yale 250 Prompt
Brainstorming is commonly looked upon as the first step of writing an essay. Yet, people skip this step all the time, especially when they are under a time crunch. Take at least 30 minutes to brainstorm topics for your Yale 250 essay. It's much easier to edit too many ideas than struggle to fight with one or two. Ultimately, this will ensure you land on a strong topic for your essay.
Review Sample Essays
It's always best to look at sample essays after you brainstorm so they don't influence the topics you write down. A quick internet search will return some sample Yale 250 essays, but you can also check out the ones in this Sample Application Materials Package. As you read each sample, take note of the topic and the author's approach to the topic and think about how you can use their approach to inform the topic you choose. A good essay takes an ordinary or common topic and puts a colorful twist on it. Conversely, a weak essay can take a colorful topic and make it boring and forgetful.
Choose Your Yale 250 Topic
Choosing the topic for your Yale 250 essay will be the most difficult part of the Yale Law School application package for some. If you spent some time brainstorming and reviewing sample essays, narrowing down your choice will be easy. Eliminate the following topics from your list:
Any topic that covers information the admissions committee can find elsewhere. The Yale 250 is an opportunity to provide more insight into your life and your fit for the program. Committee members do not want to read essays that repeat information from the personal statement or diversity statement. Instead, submit an essay that demonstrates your professionalism and strong writing skills while highlighting your personality and experience in a creative way.
Any topic that makes it difficult for readers to feel your writing. Strong essays evoke a strong emotional response from readers, making them unforgettable. Your goal is not to shock readers but to create a narrative that results in readers feeling sad, happy, angry, inspired, or some other emotion. Admission members are more likely to remember your essay, giving you a better chance for acceptance.
Any topic that falls under the umbrella of cliché or stereotypical. These types of topics feed into stereotypes and offer little in the way of adding value to an application package. Admissions committee members have read several essays about applicants who grew up with a single parent or in a working-class neighborhood. You are not the first. Instead, share how these experiences inform your specific topic and show what separates you from applicants with similar backgrounds.
Write From a Place of Authenticity
Don't compose your Yale 250 essay by writing what you think the admissions committee wants to read. Committees include various people from various backgrounds. If you try to please everyone, you will likely please no one because your essay will be disingenuous. Instead, be yourself and provide a well-written, succinct essay that shows your personality.
Depth and Style Matter
The Yale 250 prompt is broad, but it includes three different areas: academic, extracurricular, and professional. Some of the best essays for the Yale 250 recognize that Yale is a school that treasures intellectual curiosity, academic thought exercises, and strong, beautiful prose.
I cannot overemphasize how important it is that you have strong writing. If you need help getting your Yale 250 reviewed, don’t hesitate to contact us for hourly document review. Students who show promise in the Yale application process demonstrate that they are careful about their word choice, articulate in their descriptions, creative in their organization, and deeply introspective. They use the power of words to impact the reader, teach the reader something new, or invite the reader to think deeply about a topic. It is important to remember that Yale uses faculty (professor) readers for its applications. Professors at Yale are looking for students who can show the academic prowess through this essay to be a student in their class.
Don't Go Over the Word Count
Yale Law School explicitly requests a 250-word essay. Writing over the word count demonstrates to committee members that you cannot follow instructions. This is not a good picture to paint for those interested in pursuing the varied nuances of a law career. It can be difficult to cover a topic in 250 words. Narrow your focus to specific moments as you write and eliminate fluff to ensure you stay under the word count.
Learn More About the Yale 250 Essay
Law school application packages require a significant amount of writing, including personal statements, diversity statements, and essays. If you have more questions about Yale Law School's 250-word essay or other aspects of your application, the team at Barrier Breakers® Admissions Advising is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through discounted advising for BIPOC, first-generation, and LSAC Fee Waiver applicants, our essay review services and courses, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, we're here to help make this process easier.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@barrier-breakers.org with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.