What are "Good" or "Great" Softs? Forum
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Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about bar exam prep. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
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Desim08
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- Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:48 pm
What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
Last edited by Desim08 on Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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JamMasterJ
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Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
the college ones seem decent, but not extraordinary. The hs stuff isn't worth mentioning
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Band A Long
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Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
It seems the consensus is that they will help you only in extraordinarily close circumstances (i.e. vs. someone with an identical or very nearly identical GPA/LSAT index). Still it certainly adds to a well-rounded application and shows some level of maturity.
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MrPapagiorgio
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Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
Standard/average softs. Great softs are not activities you participate in or positions you held. Rather, a great soft is what you've been through that sets you apart from the sea of numbers. Think escaped-from-the-Rwandan-genocide instead of team captain. (obviously hyperbolic, but you get the point).
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top30man
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Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
Good softs are ones that schools could put in a brochure (eg military veteran, peace corps, tfa).
A school would never put "we have three people in the class of 2016 that had some pretty cool internships" in a brochure.
A school would never put "we have three people in the class of 2016 that had some pretty cool internships" in a brochure.
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jessedvhs
- Posts: 114
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Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
Peace Corps/City Corps
Teach for America
Military combat experience (with an MOH medal for "great soft status" with law schools).
Teach for America
Military combat experience (with an MOH medal for "great soft status" with law schools).
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TheProsecutor
- Posts: 160
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 12:50 pm
Re: What are "Good" or "Great" Softs?
A great soft factor is school dependent and applicant dependent. A soft may be impressive at one school, but common at another.
Good Softs:
1. Student Body President
2. Division One Athlete
3. Editor-in-chief of school paper
4. First in family to go to college
5. Started a student organization with some local impact.
Great Softs:
1. Military Officer that led troops in combat
2. Rhodes Scholarship
3. Professional/Olympic Athlete
4. Pulitizer Prize winner from a major periodical or publication
5. First in family to go to college; raised siblings and supported them
6. Started a national organization with national or international influence
What separates Good Softs from Great softs is the uniqueness. You'll have dozens of candidates with good softs; great softs are truly unique and signify something of importance to a broader community.
Yale Law always has these class profiles "two world class jugglers, 3 black belts, a person that lived in a cave studying archeology..." these aren't softs. They are just interesting. They didn't help the people get in, but one they were in it helped highlight what an interesting class is made up of.
Good Softs:
1. Student Body President
2. Division One Athlete
3. Editor-in-chief of school paper
4. First in family to go to college
5. Started a student organization with some local impact.
Great Softs:
1. Military Officer that led troops in combat
2. Rhodes Scholarship
3. Professional/Olympic Athlete
4. Pulitizer Prize winner from a major periodical or publication
5. First in family to go to college; raised siblings and supported them
6. Started a national organization with national or international influence
What separates Good Softs from Great softs is the uniqueness. You'll have dozens of candidates with good softs; great softs are truly unique and signify something of importance to a broader community.
Yale Law always has these class profiles "two world class jugglers, 3 black belts, a person that lived in a cave studying archeology..." these aren't softs. They are just interesting. They didn't help the people get in, but one they were in it helped highlight what an interesting class is made up of.
