The “Yale 250” prompts you to show the admissions committee your intellectual curiosity in action. Here is the prompt:
The Law School is a vibrant intellectual community where students are expected to engage academically with faculty and fellow students. In no more than 250 words, applicants must write about an idea or issue from their academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to them. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; this is an opportunity for readers to learn more about how you would engage intellectually in the Law School community.
According to the Yale admissions website, many students write about an academic thesis or major paper, an issue encountered at a job or internship, or an ethical challenge at an extracurricular activity.
Before you get started, take time to brainstorm and consider the following questions:
What idea or issue are you most passionate about? Do you have related personal, academic, or professional experience? Have your views on this topic changed over time? If so, when? Why?
What experiences have prompted you to seek out additional learning or research? Does a particular area of study fascinate you so much that you lose track of time?
What challenges have prompted your most significant evolutions in perspective?
Once you’ve chosen an idea or issue, you’ll want to show the reader your critical thinking in action. How have you grappled with the complexities of this topic? Do you continuously gather more information? How has your perspective changed over time? It’s ok and likely that your work on the issue continues, so you can also discuss questions that still exist for you or additional learning you’d like to pursue. Just be sure to present yourself as someone with an appetite for learning and discourse, who appreciates complexity, nuance, and other points of view.