Will Public Interest Discussion Hurt? Forum

[username99]

This may sound like a strange question, but can discussing public interest law too much hurt your app? My background over the last few years has been geared toward public interest law and my essay is naturally about that. I wonder, though, if it may hurt my chances to talk about this since schools may want to see their graduates go on to firms and make money. Again, I may be wildly overthinking this. But can a discussion of public interest law hurt my chances? Or can it help them?

[Excellence = a Habit]

I'm sort of just guessing, and I'm in the same boat as you so I'm thinking optimistically, but I think the general answer is no, it can't hurt, and the more specific answer is that it depends on the school. For places like NYU that are known for public interest, I seriously doubt it could be a turn-off. For places like Columbia that are traditionally more feeders for big law, I'm not quite as sure... But in the end, I think, Public Interest Lawyers have plenty of opportunities to rise to prominence in their fields (as heads of non-profits, within the justice system, in government, etc.), and I bet most schools view those alumni as just as valuable as their wealthy alumni. (Am I being too optimistic here?)

[username99]

Well, I hope you are right!

[bk1]

I doubt it would hurt or help. What really matters is how well written it is, regardless of topic.

[ArchRoark]

I wonder, though, if it may hurt my chances to talk about this since schools may want to see their graduates go on to firms and make money.

This is a false premise. Schools want their graduates to go on to be successful leaders within their chosen careers. If they only wanted their graduates to pursue big law they would not provide the various alternative opportunities (externships, clinics, public service fellowships, pro bono/public service requirements) that in fact most if not all do.