Resume Question Forum

[aas911]

Admissions Basics

To say that gaining admission into William & Mary is competitive is a bit of an understatement. Its acceptance rate rivals that of such top schools as NYU, Michigan, Duke, and Georgetown. More applicants have applied each year for the past three years while class size has remained steady. Shealy, perhaps with these numbers in mind, encourages students to “take each part of the application process seriously. The competition will be putting their best foot forward each step of the way. So should you.”

She goes on to say, “This is not a time to be modest. Admission officers need to know all the strengths the applicant can bring to the school and it behooves you to be detailed and proactive.” That said, you should have no shame in putting down all of your achievements, even if they seem irrelevant to the study of law. Being an apprentice puppet-maker, an accomplished viola player, or even a certified crossword puzzle master might be news that separates you from the pack.

Would you list that your a "certified sommelier" on your resume even if it has no bearing on your career past/present/future?

[reasonable_man]

Only if you can open a bottle of champaine with a sword by cutting through the glass... If not, leave it off the resume.

[sarahh]

Yes, if there is space

[aas911]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1oPvpCd ... re=related (If I tried to sabre a bottle I'd probably end up like this guy)

Wouldn't this skill and my study as a sommelier come in handy during "bar reviews"?


In all honesty, I wasn't planning on including it but I saw the quote in my original post and thought twice about it. I'll see what kind of room I have on the resume then include if there is space. Thanks guys

[ahduth]

I'd definitely include it, maybe fleshing it out by stating who certified you.

Picture these scenarios where two admissions officers are trying to fill the final spot for the class of 2014:

Officer one: "Hey, what about that guy who was on the student council at his school?"
Officer two: "..."

or,

Officer one: "Hey, what about that certified sommelier?"
Officer two: "Hell yeah!"

That's obvious hyperbole, but you get my drift. A distinctive application is good.

[Renzo]

Only if you can open a bottle of champaine with a sword by cutting through the glass... If not, leave it off the resume.

No way. Include the sommelier bit. And, if you can open a bottle with a saber, include that too.

[reasonable_man]

As a practical matter, Op, this should be a great soft for a LS to consider... Most Law school grads have no hope of getting a job.. A sommelier is, at least, employable, I would think... If I were an adcom, I'd look at you as a potential "employed upong graduation" statistic.

[kalvano]

It's really freaking cool and unusual. Leave it on. Standing out for good reasons is good.

[Renzo]

On a related note, as a sommelier can you explain to me why none of the liquor stores in my (relatively posh) neighborhood carry madeira ?

[Grizz]

As a practical matter, Op, this should be a great soft for a LS to consider... Most Law school grads have no hope of getting a job.. A sommelier is, at least, employable, I would think... If I were an adcom, I'd look at you as a potential "employed upong graduation" statistic.

Actually I read somewhere that the sommelier market is insanely competitive right now haha

[rinkrat19]

Would you list that your a "certified sommelier" on your resume even if it has no bearing on your career past/present/future?

Hell, yes, list it. It's a form of job training/education, even if you never worked in the field. And if they know anything about wine, they'll understand that it took a fair bit of study and dedication.

[Cupidity]

Yes. At our orientation, the Dean of Admissions ran off a list of shit like this that students had listed. They think it's cool.

[bdubs]

I would list which organizations you are certified by and not just write the term "certified", otherwise it is fine. It should appear somewhere near the bottom of your resume (unless it is part of a job at a restaurant).

[electricfeel]

At my orientation, the dean of admissions gave a really cheap bottle of wine to a person who listed sommelier on his application. By all means do it, there is nothing to lose by leaving it in.

[kalvano]

Would you list that your a "certified sommelier" on your resume even if it has no bearing on your career past/present/future?

Hell, yes, list it. It's a form of job training/education, even if you never worked in the field. And if they know anything about wine, they'll understand that it took a fair bit of study and dedication.

This is pretty sound - it's freaking hard to get a certification like that.

[aas911]

Actually I read somewhere that the sommelier market is insanely competitive right now haha

TITCR




Thanks again everyone. Who would've thought that drinking/studying alcohol as a hobby could be considered a "decent" soft.

IMO studying for the exam was much more fun then studying for the LSAT.