Guide to the Yale 250 Essay (2023)

For the class of 2025, Yale Law School offered admission to less than six percent of applicants, making it one of the most selective schools for law school admissions. As part of your Yale Law School application, you'll submit a required 250-word essay in addition to your personal statement. One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the other applicants in this competitive pool is through your essays, especially the Yale-specific 250-word essay. Composing a well-written, cogent essay that lets your personality shine through can give you a leg up when members of the Yale Law School admissions committee review your application package.

Understanding the requirements for the Yale 250 and writing a strong essay can increase your chances for admission at Yale Law School.

The Yale 250 Essay Prompt

Unlike some other programs that offer optional essays with specific prompts, Yale's 250-word law school essay is mandatory and offers only a broad prompt. This allows applicants to choose pretty much any topic they want to write about. Yale Law School's website provides the following instructions for the 250-word essay:

"The 250 word essay is an opportunity to write about an idea or issue from your academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to you. Although there are many ways to approach this essay, one option is to write about a time when you changed your mind about an idea or issue that is of interest to you. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; the essay is simply another opportunity for faculty readers to learn more about how you would engage in the Law School community."

Writing Your 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 both a blessing and a curse. You have the opportunity to highlight any part of your background or experience you'd like, but choosing a topic for this law school essay can be a challenge. Regardless of the topic you choose, be sure to write a strong Yale 250 essay. A weak essay can weaken your overall law school application package and hurt your chances for acceptance at Yale Law.

These tips will help you develop topic ideas, narrow them down, and compose your Yale 250 so it adds value to your law school application package and increases your chances for acceptance.

Brainstorm Topics for Each Area of the Yale 250 Prompt

Brainstorming is usually considered the first step of writing an essay. However, people tend to skip this step 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 start with too many law school essay ideas and narrow them down than to struggle to develop a single idea. Ultimately, taking the time to brainstorm will ensure that you settle on a strong topic for your essay.

Review Sample Essays

Sample essays can be incredibly helpful, but it's always best to wait to look at them until after your brainstorming sessions so they don't influence the ideas 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 both the topic itself 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 law school essay takes an ordinary or everyday topic and puts a colorful twist on it. Conversely, a weak essay can take a colorful topic and make it boring and forgettable. 

Choose Your Yale 250 Topic

Choosing the topic for your Yale 250 essay may be the most difficult part of putting together your Yale Law School application package. If you spent some time brainstorming and reviewing sample essays, narrowing down your choice will be easy. If your list includes any of these topics, eliminate them:

• 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 your personal statement or diversity statement. Instead, submit an essay that demonstrates your professionalism and strong writing skills while highlighting aspects of your personality and experience that aren't visible elsewhere in your law school application.

• Any topic that makes it difficult for readers to feel an emotional connection with your writing. Strong essays evoke a strong emotional response from readers, making them unforgettable. Your goal is not to shock readers but rather to create a narrative that causes them to feel sad, happy, angry, inspired, or some other emotion. Admissions committee members who connect with your story emotionally are more likely to remember your essay, which gives you a better chance for acceptance.

• Any topic that falls under the umbrella of cliché or stereotypical. There's a difference between relatable or common topics and clichés. Some topics feed into stereotypes and offer little in the way of adding value to your application package. Admissions committee members have read many essays about applicants who grew up with a single parent or in a working-class neighborhood. You are not the first. Instead of making these experiences the focus of your essay, share how they have informed your individual worldview or subsequent experiences. This lets you show what separates you from other applicants with similar backgrounds.

Write From a Place of Authenticity

Don't compose your Yale 250 essay by writing what you think the law school admissions committee wants to read. Committees include a mix of people from various backgrounds. If you try to please everyone, you will likely please no one because your essay will be disingenuous and fail to spark an authentic emotional response. Instead, be yourself and provide a well-written, succinct essay that showcases your personality and unique voice.

Depth and Style Matter

The Yale 250 prompt is broad, but it directs applicants to write about an experience in one of three different areas: academic, extracurricular, and professional. Don't be afraid to choose an academic or intellectual experience to highlight. Some of the best essays for the Yale 250 recognize that Yale Law is a school that treasures intellectual curiosity, academic thought exercises, and strong, beautiful prose.

Students who show promise in the Yale Law School admissions 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. When crafting your Yale 250 essay, it is important to remember that Yale uses faculty (professor) readers for its applications. Professors at Yale are looking for students who demonstrate that they have the academic prowess to succeed in the professors' classes. 

Don't Go Over the Word Count

Yale Law School explicitly requests a 250-word essay. Writing over the word count shows committee members that you cannot follow instructions. This is not a good picture to paint for those interested in pursuing a law career, where details and nuances are often essential. It can be difficult to cover a topic in 250 words, but consider the Yale 250 an opportunity to demonstrate your skills in concise, effective writing. Narrow your focus to specific moments and eliminate fluff to ensure you stay under the word count.

Final Thoughts

The law school admissions process requires a significant amount of writing, including personal statements, diversity statements, and school-specific essays. If you have more questions about Yale Law School's 250-word essay or other aspects of your application, the team at S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting is here to support you! Whether it's through personalized one-on-one counseling or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, there are plenty of ways we can help make this process a little bit easier. 

As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com 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.