Amicus #4: Harvard & Yale Admissions Deans: What Actually Gets You Into Law School?

Welcome to the fourth episode of Amicus. In this episode, host Joel Vincent speaks with Dean Miriam Ingber, Dean of Admissions at Yale Law School, and Dean Kristi Jobson, Dean of Admissions at Harvard Law School. These guests oversee admissions at two of the world's top law schools and cohost the podcast Navigating Law School Admissions with Miriam and Kristi.

You can listen to their podcast here: https://bit.ly/4u5Iaxo

The episode provides practical advice for those considering a legal career.

Career Timing (10:02 - 16:37):

Why should someone consider law school at all?

How can a student as young as 18 or 20 truly know if law is the right lifelong path?

The Role of AI (16:38 - 25:27):

How should an applicant decide on law school when the very work they are training for—such as contract drafting and due diligence—is being automated and transformed?

Should elite law schools like Harvard and Yale adapt their curriculum to avoid teaching skills that AI can now perform?

Over- and Under-invested Areas (25:28 - 37:40):

What are the areas where applicants spend an enormous amount of time that ultimately does not "move the needle"?

Conversely, what do applicants consistently underinvest in during the process?

Admissions Numbers (37:41 - 47:15):

How do deans reconcile a "holistic" admissions ideal with the reality that median GPAs and test scores are exceptionally high?

When an applicant has a near-perfect numerical profile but is still rejected, what are the most common red flags found in the rest of their application?

Transparency and Access (47:16 - 55:08)

Does the increasing transparency of admissions guidance—through podcasts and panels—actually help applicants, or does it simply create a new kind of pressure for everyone to provide the "right" answers?

What is it like to be the person who makes the life-changing phone call to a successful applicant?

Thank you for listening! Tune in next week for Episode #5.