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merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

lonelylenore wrote:Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place. I searched the forum and didn't find what I was looking for, so here goes nothing!

It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

After getting my A.A., I transferred to a four-year and quit my job. I worked at a hospital for many years, but resigned in '08 to "pursue other interests"-- namely schooling & poker.
I've played semi-pro in Atlantic City since 08, and have been going to college full-time, maintaining a good GPA. I say "semi-pro" because it's not a full-time gig, but it is my main source of income (I pay for school with loans, grants and a scholarship).

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app? Should I leave it off my resume and just explain that I haven't had a job the last two years because I was focusing on my studies (which is mostly true)? Is this kind of experience useful in a PS, or better left out?

Any advice will be helpful

Iconoclast wrote:

lonelylenore wrote:Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place. I searched the forum and didn't find what I was looking for, so here goes nothing!

It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

After getting my A.A., I transferred to a four-year and quit my job. I worked at a hospital for many years, but resigned in '08 to "pursue other interests"-- namely schooling & poker.
I've played semi-pro in Atlantic City since 08, and have been going to college full-time, maintaining a good GPA. I say "semi-pro" because it's not a full-time gig, but it is my main source of income (I pay for school with loans, grants and a scholarship).

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app? Should I leave it off my resume and just explain that I haven't had a job the last two years because I was focusing on my studies (which is mostly true)? Is this kind of experience useful in a PS, or better left out?

Any advice will be helpful

Have you kept detailed records and declared your poker winnings as income? If not, then it doesn't belong on a resume as anything other than a hobby.

Can it be spun into a decent PS? Sure it can. But again, it's not "semi-pro" unless you have documented and declared income. Lots of people play poker regularly and some of us win more often than we lose. But we don't go around calling ourselves semi-pro players.

cartercl wrote:

merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

Yeah, but how does playing poker spark one's interest in practicing law? Not saying you're wrong, but I'm curious as to how OP would spin this.

cartercl wrote:

merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

Yeah, but how does playing poker spark one's interest in practicing law? Not saying you're wrong, but I'm curious as to how OP would spin this.

Iconoclast wrote:

lonelylenore wrote:Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place. I searched the forum and didn't find what I was looking for, so here goes nothing!

It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

After getting my A.A., I transferred to a four-year and quit my job. I worked at a hospital for many years, but resigned in '08 to "pursue other interests"-- namely schooling & poker.
I've played semi-pro in Atlantic City since 08, and have been going to college full-time, maintaining a good GPA. I say "semi-pro" because it's not a full-time gig, but it is my main source of income (I pay for school with loans, grants and a scholarship).

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app? Should I leave it off my resume and just explain that I haven't had a job the last two years because I was focusing on my studies (which is mostly true)? Is this kind of experience useful in a PS, or better left out?

Any advice will be helpful

Have you kept detailed records and declared your poker winnings as income? If not, then it doesn't belong on a resume as anything other than a hobby.

Can it be spun into a decent PS? Sure it can. But again, it's not "semi-pro" unless you have documented and declared income. Lots of people play poker regularly and some of us win more often than we lose. But we don't go around calling ourselves semi-pro players.

lonelylenore wrote:

merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

Thanks! I'm a little conflicted about whether to include it on my resume because I've never paid taxes on that income... thoughts?

romothesavior wrote:

cartercl wrote:

merichard87 wrote:I think, if done in good taste, that would make a great PS. And if it was your main source of income I would consider it a job and put it on a resume.

Yeah, but how does playing poker spark one's interest in practicing law? Not saying you're wrong, but I'm curious as to how OP would spin this.

Your PS doesn't have to have anything to do with why you want to practice law. It is supposed to provide an insight to who you are as a person.

lonelylenore wrote:
It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app?

Any advice will be helpful

lonelylenore wrote:Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so sorry in advance if it's in the wrong place. I searched the forum and didn't find what I was looking for, so here goes nothing!

It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

After getting my A.A., I transferred to a four-year and quit my job. I worked at a hospital for many years, but resigned in '08 to "pursue other interests"-- namely schooling & poker.
I've played semi-pro in Atlantic City since 08, and have been going to college full-time, maintaining a good GPA. I say "semi-pro" because it's not a full-time gig, but it is my main source of income (I pay for school with loans, grants and a scholarship).

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app? Should I leave it off my resume and just explain that I haven't had a job the last two years because I was focusing on my studies (which is mostly true)? Is this kind of experience useful in a PS, or better left out?

Any advice will be helpful

NU_Jet55 wrote:Also, re: thread title, you are not clever.

HTH

profs<3mycomments wrote:

lonelylenore wrote:
It's my understanding that resumes are becoming as important as academic history- and now I'm concerned about how to represent myself on my application.

My question is: Is this going to look shady on a law school app?

Any advice will be helpful

First things first - your resume is unimportant for your law school application. Your UGPA and LSAT are important, everything else is peripheral.

I generally agree that it looks funny on a resume, although you could stick it at the bottom under "activities and interests" or whatever. That's probably the best move.

If you want to write your personal statement on it, go ahead. Probably won't be the first one they've seen.

Final tip: 50% of law profs are really into poker. Once you're at law school, tell them that you played semi-pro and they will like you.

pandorasfox wrote:OP,
Depending on the school (religious or not), gambling might pose an ethical issue.. like brigham young probably wouldn't appreciate it... but it might make for a unique application. Just avoid sounding too much like you watch the movie Rounders everyday. Also, playing in a casino is definately more reputable than being an underground hustler. avoid mentioning any elicit activity.

and find a better way to describe it than "semi-pro". Sounds a little cheesy.

anyway, try to make it into a unique PS (or a cool 250 for yale) if you can do it without sounding like a gambler

but i wouldn't put it on a resume unless you had tax info on it. It just seems kind of seedy or something.

good luck

lonelylenore wrote:Well, it's been more than a hobby because I've been earning a living from it for two years. I log hours, and earnings and losses- but only for my own records. I've just never reported as income to the feds. On my taxes, I report it as "gambling winnings", but I only report tournament winnings because the casino keeps tabs and reports tournament wins of over 400$ (or something... not sure about the specific amount).

Iconoclast wrote:

lonelylenore wrote:Well, it's been more than a hobby because I've been earning a living from it for two years. I log hours, and earnings and losses- but only for my own records. I've just never reported as income to the feds. On my taxes, I report it as "gambling winnings", but I only report tournament winnings because the casino keeps tabs and reports tournament wins of over 400$ (or something... not sure about the specific amount).

I would still shy away from any label other than hobby. If you're "earning a living" from it, then I'm guessing that you should either be reporting the entire net gain as either self employment income or gambling winnings... and not just the tourney winnings that the casino reports.

My opinion is that by choosing not to report the income, you've pretty much also made the choice to not be able to claim it as a job.

pandorasfox wrote:OP,
Depending on the school (religious or not), gambling might pose an ethical issue.. like brigham young probably wouldn't appreciate it... but it might make for a unique application. Just avoid sounding too much like you watch the movie Rounders everyday. Also, playing in a casino is definately more reputable than being an underground hustler. avoid mentioning any elicit activity.

and find a better way to describe it than "semi-pro". Sounds a little cheesy.

anyway, try to make it into a unique PS (or a cool 250 for yale) if you can do it without sounding like a gambler

but i wouldn't put it on a resume unless you had tax info on it. It just seems kind of seedy or something.

good luck

lonelylenore wrote:Well, it's been more than a hobby because I've been earning a living from it for two years. I log hours, and earnings and losses- but only for my own records. I've just never reported as income to the feds. On my taxes, I report it as "gambling winnings", but I only report tournament winnings because the casino keeps tabs and reports tournament wins of over 400$ (or something... not sure about the specific amount).