Resume Building Advice - Applying Fall 2011

[DaftAndDirect]

Hey TLS,

I've been a long-time lurker but not much of a poster for the past couple years, and I've decided to man up and "ask the stupid question" to all you overachievers here at TLS...

I graduated in 2009 and have been working for a consulting firm in the financial sector for the last 2 years. I plan on applying ED to Northwestern as I am a Chicago native who would love to stay in the city, but would also like the national reach of a T14 name. I also plan to apply to several other schools in the T14 and T25 (and yes I'm aware that the T25 distinction is relatively meaningless).

With a 170 and a 3.7, it looks like I'm right on the bubble as far as NU numbers go, and I am looking for ways to boost the appeal of my resume as much as possible before ED applications come due in September. That said, Are there any non-career soft factors that you guys have built post-college that were particularly helpful in crafting a personal statement/ providing a particularly interesting interview?

Any input is appreciated. Apologies for the long post. Thanks for reading!

[FiveSermon]

Hey TLS,

I've been a long-time lurker but not much of a poster for the past couple years, and I've decided to man up and "ask the stupid question" to all you overachievers here at TLS...

I graduated in 2009 and have been working for a consulting firm in the financial sector for the last 2 years. I plan on applying ED to Northwestern as I am a Chicago native who would love to stay in the city, but would also like the national reach of a T14 name. I also plan to apply to several other schools in the T14 and T25 (and yes I'm aware that the T25 distinction is relatively meaningless).

With a 170 and a 3.7, it looks like I'm right on the bubble as far as NU numbers go, and I am looking for ways to boost the appeal of my resume as much as possible before ED applications come due in September. That said, Are there any non-career soft factors that you guys have built post-college that were particularly helpful in crafting a personal statement/ providing a particularly interesting interview?

Any input is appreciated. Apologies for the long post. Thanks for reading!

You should be in.

[DaftAndDirect]

Haha thanks for the response/vote of confidence. I guess I should clarify though...

I'm still interested in the original question as it applies to ALL of my applications, not just NU:

Are there any non-career soft factors that you guys have built post-college that were particularly helpful in crafting a personal statement/ providing a particularly interesting interview?

I'm looking to cover all my bases here just in case I puke on myself during the interview

[TTH]

Haha thanks for the response/vote of confidence. I guess I should clarify though...

I'm still interested in the original question as it applies to ALL of my applications, not just NU:

Are there any non-career soft factors that you guys have built post-college that were particularly helpful in crafting a personal statement/ providing a particularly interesting interview?

I'm looking to cover all my bases here just in case I puke on myself during the interview

It really depends on when you plan to apply. If you're thinking 3-5 years out, there may be some things you can do to make you look like a more attractive candidate. You could do some volunteer work to demonstrate a commitment to your community or maybe do a Master's Degree (although it's probably unnecessary. With your numbers, you've got a good shot at NU).

However, anything you do prior to this fall is just going to look like resume padding and AdComms aren't really going to care about it. First, softs don't matter much at all, but beyond that, any soft that you've acquired immediately prior to applying is just going to look like something you've done to help your application. It doesn't fool anyone.

So, my advice: if you want to do something, do it because it's something you want to do, or spend the time just chilling out and enjoying life before law school.