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Stanford admission requirements: school specific LORs and Why X essay

MarkmarkMarkmark Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 976 karma

I have two questions. On the SLS website it says "Please be aware of the high value Stanford places on school-specific letters of recommendation." I take it this is their subtle way of saying "If you don't write an SLS specific LOR we may just throw your app in the trash." Does anyone have experience with this or an alternate explanation?

Second, on the SLS application process page there is no mention of a "Why X" essay at all. Does this mean we should not write a Why X essay for Stanford? On other schools' pages there is mention of a Why X essay but not here. Would it be inappropriate to send a Why X essay? Thanks!!

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  • taschasptaschasp Alum Member Sage ⭐
    796 karma

    Saying they'll throw your app in the trash if you don't have school-specific LORs is a stretch. Most schools don't really expect you to have LORs specifically written for that school, so Stanford is just making a point that they do care if you (and your recommenders) make the effort to do so.

    To your second point, you're overgeneralizing the "Why X" essay. Not all schools ask for one or give you room to provide one. In fact, none of the T6 do. If you think you have something compelling to say about it, you could mention why you want to go to Stanford in your PS. But, yes, it would be inappropriate to send them an additional unsolicited essay of any kind, including a why Stanford essay. The only exception would be if you are waitlisted, you could send them a LOCI that could touch on why you want to go to Stanford.

  • MarkmarkMarkmark Alum Member
    976 karma

    Wonderful response thank you so much!

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