Honor Societies as Softs Forum

[admisionquestion]

Are ODK, PKP, PBK worth much as softs? Can you try to back up your answer with some experience or other evidence.

[Veyron]

Are ODK, PKP, PBK worth much as softs? Can you try to back up your answer with some experience or other evidence.

Lol, wut?

I hear the LSAT honors society is worth something.

[2014]

Not really.

The criteria to get into a given honors society is to have a high GPA which most law school applicants do regardless. You aren't differentiating yourself from anyone by being in one. Plus most of them are like any standard extracurricular. They might meet once every week or two, have an occasional event and token fundraiser, and recruit once a year, but you aren't doing anything particularly work changing or tangible like someone in the army, peace corp, teach for america, etc.

[UnitarySpace]

45.240434% of people who applied to law school who were in pbk were admitted.

This information is available because people care enough compile these kinds of statistics.

If that doesn't convince you, everybody that I know who was in pbk who applied to law school got into one of HYSCCN.
Everybody I know who wasn't didn't get into any of those.

End of discussion.

[paratactical]

Are ODK, PKP, PBK worth much as softs? Can you try to back up your answer with some experience or other evidence.

Too many people can get into Honor Societies to make it a valuable soft. Lots and lots and lots of applicants will have some kind of honor society or similar group on their resumes, so don't expect it to mean anything, especially since it should already be reflected by your GPA, which will count.

[admisionquestion]

Well, you are all saying what I expected so thats good. My only question would be, if everyone has them than wouldnt not having them be a minor negative mark?

[paratactical]

Well, you are all saying what I expected so thats good. My only question would be, if everyone has them than wouldnt not having them be a minor negative mark?

If you had two people who had the same stats (LSAT, GPA), I doubt they would really care that much if one candidate didn't bother to join the club. It's the GPA they care about.

[2014]

Well, you are all saying what I expected so thats good. My only question would be, if everyone has them than wouldnt not having them be a minor negative mark?

The only difference between an applicant who is in one and one who is not is that the one who joined was willing to pay the membership fees.

Pretty much everyone you are competing against was eligible for the same ones you were and law schools don't care who shells out 75 bucks or whatever a given one charges you.

[Veyron]

Well, you are all saying what I expected so thats good. My only question would be, if everyone has them than wouldnt not having them be a minor negative mark?

Just suaytp honors society and join phi beta 99%. Honestly, if you had spent the time you wasted on this thread on this thread studying for the LSAT, it would have given you more of a boost than an "honors" society.

[JOThompson]

It doesn't to hurt to list them if you have space. If you held an office in your local honor society that distinguished you from the rank and file members, then it might be a very, very tiny boost against people with the exact same LSAT/GPA.

For what it's worth, I was president of both the history and poli sci honor societies and my cycle performance was better than LSN or TLS predicted. Should I attribute that success to my personal statement or other softs? I don't know, probably the former.

[paratactical]

It doesn't to hurt to list them if you have space. If you held an office in your local honor society that distinguished you from the rank and file members, then it might be a very, very tiny boost against people with the exact same LSAT/GPA.

For what it's worth, I was president of both the history and poli sci honor societies and my cycle performance was better than LSN or TLS predicted. Should I attribute that success to my personal statement or other softs? I don't know, probably the former.

Realistically, it's a combination of both.

[r6_philly]

I didn't even get graduation honors because I was a transfer student. I don't expect anyone to hold that over me. It's nice to list all the honor societies but it isn't going to out perform your GPA like other said.

[albusdumbledore]

PBK is legit. Mostly because you don't join, you get selected. I even had a couple of grad apps have a specific check box for PBK.

[Veyron]

PBK is legit. Mostly because you don't join, you get selected. I even had a couple of grad apps have a specific check box for PBK.

Link to the T-14 that asks about PBK, oh waaaaaait. Enjoy your MFA, gtfo, this is TLS.

[r6_philly]

PBK is legit. Mostly because you don't join, you get selected. I even had a couple of grad apps have a specific check box for PBK.

Link to the T-14 that asks about PBK, oh waaaaaait. Enjoy your MFA, gtfo, this is TLS.

I wish you would talk like this in person, then it'd actually be cool.

[Veyron]

PBK is legit. Mostly because you don't join, you get selected. I even had a couple of grad apps have a specific check box for PBK.

Link to the T-14 that asks about PBK, oh waaaaaait. Enjoy your MFA, gtfo, this is TLS.

I wish you would talk like this in person, then it'd actually be cool.

I do talk like this in person. If you get into Penn, it will be pretty easy to figure out who I am.

[r6_philly]

PBK is legit. Mostly because you don't join, you get selected. I even had a couple of grad apps have a specific check box for PBK.

Link to the T-14 that asks about PBK, oh waaaaaait. Enjoy your MFA, gtfo, this is TLS.

I wish you would talk like this in person, then it'd actually be cool.

I do talk like this in person. If you get into Penn, it will be pretty easy to figure out who I am.

Then we'd hang out, cuz that's how I talk in person I look forward to it.

[eandy]

If it is an honor society that you are ACTUALLY selected for(I mean you apply not you get a gold star in the mail) that is more than GPA, go for it if you have the cash. If it is just GPA, if you don't have the money, it isn't really that exclusive don't worry about it. List it if you have it, but if you don't have it, don't worry about it.