당연히 전/현직 미국 대통령 자녀 등의 VIP(VIP를 위한 진학 절차는 따로 진행됨)가 아닌 경우 이들 법대 합격을 보장할 수 있는 방법은 없지만, 합격 가능성을 최대한 높이기 위해선 우수한 GPA 성적과 LSAT/GRE 점수 외에도 영향력 있는 추천서와 남다른 활동, 경력, 경험(모두 에세이(SOP)에 반영됨) 등이 필요한데, 남다른 활동, 경력, 경험 등을 위해선 gap year(학업을 잠시 중단하거나 병행하면서 봉사, 여행, 진로탐색, 교육, 인턴, 창업 등의 활동을 체험하며 흥미와 적성을 찾고 앞으로의 진로를 설정하는 기간)를 갖는 게 좋다네요~~ 전적으로 동의하구요!! 참고로 예일 법대의 경우 85%, 그리고 컬럼비아 법대의 경우 73%의 학격생들이 최소한 1년의 gap year를 갖고 있으며, 위 사진의 예측 어플리케이션 등은 신뢰하지 않는 게 바람직합니다!!
I’d like to do graduate school at Yale or Columbia (JD/PhD). What could I do now to ensure admission? I’m currently a freshman at a state university.
What can you do to ensure that you’ll be admitted to either Yale or Columbia for grad school and/or law school?
What can you do to ensure that you’ll be admitted to either Yale or Columbia for grad school and/or law school?
You can’t.
With universities as selective as Yale and Columbia, there is no such thing as an application that is guaranteed to be accepted, not even if you earn perfect grades and get a perfect score on the GRE/LSAT. The best you can hope for is to maximize your chances of admission.
Just for fun, let’s look at the results you get when you input a perfect GPA and LSAT score into an online law school admissions predictor. As you can see, the algorithm gives this hypothetical applicant a 77% chance of being admitted to Yale Law School. (위 사진 참고)
How do you maximize your chances of being admitted to a postgraduate program at an elite university?
(1) Earn excellent grades.
Three-quarters of the students who were admitted to Yale Law in the latest admissions cycle have undergraduate GPAs of 3.88 or higher.
(2) Ace the LSAT or GRE.
Three-quarters of the students who were admitted to Yale Law in the latest admissions cycle have 98th percentile (or higher) LSAT scores. More than half of the students who were admitted to Yale Law in the latest admissions cycle have 99th percentile LSAT scores.
(3) Get out of the library once in a while.
Elite universities actively look for students who have aptitudes and interests outside of the classroom. Do something to make yourself stand out. I can’t tell you what that “something” is, because it varies from person to person. Play the cello. Learn to speak Estonian. Become a tap dancer. Participate in student government.
(4) Consider taking a gap year.
You might be surprised to learn that 85% of Yale Law’s entering students, and 73% of Columbia Law’s entering students, are at least one year out of college.
(5) Network.
Get to know your undergraduate professors. It’ll be easier for you to get quality letters of recommendation if they know who you are.
