Top Law Schools

I hear some schools, like Chicago, like to see the number of hours committed to each activity on your resume. I've seen many here on TLS say they make separate resumes for schools with special requests like this. My question is, why not just make one resume that fits all special requests like this and use it for all schools? Would Harvard, for example, look down upon you simply giving this info?

jlb251 wrote:I hear some schools, like Chicago, like to see the number of hours committed to each activity on your resume. I've seen many here on TLS say they make separate resumes for schools with special requests like this. My question is, why not just make one resume that fits all special requests like this and use it for all schools? Would Harvard, for example, look down upon you simply giving this info?

Because no one wants that info and it messes up the format of a normal resume.

It also gives away the fact that you aren't personalizing your application material for each school. An adcomm from a top school may feel slighted by direct evidence that you didn't take the time to tailor your app for their school.

In the end it is all about that LSAT/GPA but why take a chance on making your chances worse all because you are too lazy to tailor your apps?

I didn't view it as being lazy. I thought maybe they would actually appreciate the info even though they're not specifically asking for it. But I suppose it might be best to play it safe.

Have one generic resume that can be used for most schools, and then tweak it a bit for schools with any special requests. Putting hours for all of your jobs/activities like Chicago asks for is easy to incorporate into the generic resume if need be. Even if schools don't ask for hours, it does serve to put your application in context (especially if you're working 20+ hours per week while still taking a full course load) - but the hours still aren't necessary unless a school asks. However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

My default was going to be to send the condensed version, and then only go over a page for schools like Chicago and Berkeley that specifically ask for more info. Am I thinking about this wrong? If so, what other T14 schools should get the one page version? I assume Northwestern, with their focus on professionalism, would prefer just a page?

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fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

And you should have only a one page resume to begin with. Even the schools ask for more information, I would try to keep it to one page.

The exception to this is if you been out of school for at least (AT LEAST) five years, preferably closer to 10. In all my years of application consulting, I've only had two resumes that needed to go on a second page - a career military man with a decade of service, and someone who'd spent several years in Africa doing humanitarian work for various organizations.

bp shinners wrote:

fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

And you should have only a one page resume to begin with. Even the schools ask for more information, I would try to keep it to one page.

The exception to this is if you been out of school for at least (AT LEAST) five years, preferably closer to 10. In all my years of application consulting, I've only had two resumes that needed to go on a second page - a career military man with a decade of service, and someone who'd spent several years in Africa doing humanitarian work for various organizations.

So, my resume definitely doesn't need to exceed one page. But Dean Tom (Boalt)'s TLS interview says this: "Yes. You can also send a resume, which I recommend doing. The resumes are generally one page, but that can be exceeded. More information can usually only help your application, so throw in the kitchen sink."

If I'm going over one page, I can include some jobs I worked in school that aren't particularly impressive, but maybe give a little bit of context to my grades. Given that he's saying to "throw in the kitchen sink", is there a reason to stick to the 1-page rule?

One-page resumes are a must for applying to jobs, but it doesn't hurt to send a longer one for law school apps if you've had a lot of jobs or leadership positions over the years. If you're sticking with a one-page resume though, just send it to every school except Chicago (and put hours on for theirs).

RELIC wrote:
Because no one wants that info and it messes up the format of a normal resume.

It also gives away the fact that you aren't personalizing your application material for each school. An adcomm from a top school may feel slighted by direct evidence that you didn't take the time to tailor your app for their school.

In the end it is all about that LSAT/GPA but why take a chance on making your chances worse all because you are too lazy to tailor your apps?

How big of a chance are you really taking there, though? Adcomms understand that good applicants are applying to many schools. So long as everything requested is there (recs are good, personal statement is good, numbers are good, etc, etc), what exactly are the chances of an adcomm actually giving a "lack of tailoring" in an app any significant weight at all, especially when its only evidenced by something as minor as added hours-per-week in a resume?

I'm not sure, but the odds seem low to me. Why should adcomms take something so trivial so personally, especially given the highly impersonal, cold, and competitive nature of admissions at elite law schools?

midwest17 wrote:

bp shinners wrote:

fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

And you should have only a one page resume to begin with. Even the schools ask for more information, I would try to keep it to one page.

The exception to this is if you been out of school for at least (AT LEAST) five years, preferably closer to 10. In all my years of application consulting, I've only had two resumes that needed to go on a second page - a career military man with a decade of service, and someone who'd spent several years in Africa doing humanitarian work for various organizations.

So, my resume definitely doesn't need to exceed one page. But Dean Tom (Boalt)'s TLS interview says this: "Yes. You can also send a resume, which I recommend doing. The resumes are generally one page, but that can be exceeded. More information can usually only help your application, so throw in the kitchen sink."

If I'm going over one page, I can include some jobs I worked in school that aren't particularly impressive, but maybe give a little bit of context to my grades. Given that he's saying to "throw in the kitchen sink", is there a reason to stick to the 1-page rule?

Boalt is definitely weird with a lot of their application material requests. Even with him saying that, however, I'd still cut it down to one page.

midwest17 wrote:

bp shinners wrote:

fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

And you should have only a one page resume to begin with. Even the schools ask for more information, I would try to keep it to one page.

The exception to this is if you been out of school for at least (AT LEAST) five years, preferably closer to 10. In all my years of application consulting, I've only had two resumes that needed to go on a second page - a career military man with a decade of service, and someone who'd spent several years in Africa doing humanitarian work for various organizations.

So, my resume definitely doesn't need to exceed one page. But Dean Tom (Boalt)'s TLS interview says this: "Yes. You can also send a resume, which I recommend doing. The resumes are generally one page, but that can be exceeded. More information can usually only help your application, so throw in the kitchen sink."

If I'm going over one page, I can include some jobs I worked in school that aren't particularly impressive, but maybe give a little bit of context to my grades. Given that he's saying to "throw in the kitchen sink", is there a reason to stick to the 1-page rule?

Exactly how many jobs are we talking here? I have six jobs (with multiple bullet points each), two volunteer positions, and both my UG and law school on mine and it is still one page. A very crowded one page, true, but one readable page.

rinkrat19 wrote:Here's my current resume, genericized and redacted. Red is stuff that has been added since starting law school. The resume I applied to law school with was basically the same design before cramming the new stuff in, except with more relaxed spacing. There may have been a third bullet point under the older jobs.

rinkrat19 wrote:

midwest17 wrote:

bp shinners wrote:

fkt18 wrote:However, for schools like Yale that prefer a one-page resume, you'll really want to just tweak your existing resume rather than sending a condensed version to every single school... unless you only have a one-page resume to begin with.

And you should have only a one page resume to begin with. Even the schools ask for more information, I would try to keep it to one page.

The exception to this is if you been out of school for at least (AT LEAST) five years, preferably closer to 10. In all my years of application consulting, I've only had two resumes that needed to go on a second page - a career military man with a decade of service, and someone who'd spent several years in Africa doing humanitarian work for various organizations.

So, my resume definitely doesn't need to exceed one page. But Dean Tom (Boalt)'s TLS interview says this: "Yes. You can also send a resume, which I recommend doing. The resumes are generally one page, but that can be exceeded. More information can usually only help your application, so throw in the kitchen sink."

If I'm going over one page, I can include some jobs I worked in school that aren't particularly impressive, but maybe give a little bit of context to my grades. Given that he's saying to "throw in the kitchen sink", is there a reason to stick to the 1-page rule?

Exactly how many jobs are we talking here? I have six jobs (with multiple bullet points each), two volunteer positions, and both my UG and law school on mine and it is still one page. A very crowded one page, true, but one readable page.

rinkrat19 wrote:Here's my current resume, genericized and redacted. Red is stuff that has been added since starting law school. The resume I applied to law school with was basically the same design before cramming the new stuff in, except with more relaxed spacing. There may have been a third bullet point under the older jobs.

8 jobs, 1 major EC, plus an interests section.

I could definitely fit it on one page, especially since one or two of the jobs could be cut without losing much substance, and I could decrease the spacing. I definitely wouldn't send this version of my resume, as currently written to NU, or to an employer. But especially for a school like Berkeley, with their 4 page personal statements and lots of instances of the Dean saying to err on the side of including more stuff rather than less, I'm wondering what the downside of a slightly over-inclusive, less-cramped resume would be. Am I taking Dean Tom too much at his word?

ETA: on a different note, when adding hours/week for the Chicago version, should those be included as bullet points? Or is there a better way to do that? And for jobs that were variable, is it fine to give a range, or should I actually try to go back and compute an average?