Law School Quietly Removes Video Application Requirement – The American Spectator

On Aug 3, 2023

For less than 24 hours, Columbia Law School’s website said it would require applicants to submit a video of themselves — then, it deleted that requirement.

The policy appeared on the website Monday morning before the school removed it that evening. It would have required applicants to submit a video shorter than 90 seconds addressing “a question chosen at random.”

The school claimed that the video component would “provide the Admissions Committee with additional insight into their personal strengths and academic or other achievements.”

“Through the video statement, the Admissions Committee may better understand the motivations behind the candidates’ professional and academic goals,” the website read.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the school removed the policy following a request for comment, and a spokesperson claimed the university made a mistake.

One critic said that Columbia may have instituted the requirement to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in June. George Mason Law School professor David Bernstein told the Washington Free Beacon that the policy “looks like an insurance policy in case their lawyers say ‘you’re not allowed to ask about race.’”

“I have never heard of law school requiring video,” Bernstein said.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action, a Columbia dean issued a statement reiterating the school’s “commitment to fostering a diverse community.”

“Diversity is a positive force across every dimension of Columbia,” the statement read, “and we can and must find a durable and meaningful path to preserve it.”

Emma Verrigni is a rising sophomore at Hillsdale College studying history and journalism. A member of The American Spectator’s 2023 intern class, Emma enjoys reading philosophy and the news.

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