Controversial political activities coming back to bite Forum

[niederbomb]

I did a Google search under my name and turned up a few things I'm no longer proud of. I am afraid these things may hurt me at law schools.

I worked for a famous conservative political think-tank in 2007, and they made me write all sorts of stuff on controversial political issues, like gun control and gay marriage. Of course, I was happy to get a high-paying internship, and I did what they told me.

Will this hurt me? Should I write an addendum? I haven't exactly worked for the DNC; however, I haven't done anything political since that time, and I do live in a Communist country.

[Eugenie Danglars]

I'm pretty sure they let conservatives into law school, too.

[nonprofit-prophet]

I'm sure you aren't the first law school applicant to intern at heritage.

[socraticmethodman]

John Ashcroft went to law school at a t6

[txadv11]

John Ashcroft went to law school at a t6

and now affiliates with TTTT (Regent)

[vanwinkle]

Will this hurt me? Should I write an addendum? I haven't exactly worked for the DNC; however, I haven't done anything political since that time, and I do live in a Communist country.

Venezuela?

[Eugenie Danglars]

Will this hurt me? Should I write an addendum? I haven't exactly worked for the DNC; however, I haven't done anything political since that time, and I do live in a Communist country.

Venezuela?

I think he means the big, red one...

[vanwinkle]

I think he means the big, red one...

Canada?

[Shooter]

Lol, "I did what they told me."

Jeeez, Republicans aren't Nazis man. You'll be fine!

[Eugenie Danglars]

I think he means the big, red one...

Canada?

Yup. Damn Canadian commies...

[jarofsoup]

Just don't express your politics in your personal statement. Unless u r going to pepperdine.

Don't say that NYU is a communist education camp. Heritage is a bit out there. They have an affection for Margaret Thatcher that is unnatural.

[niederbomb]

Just don't express your politics in your personal statement. Unless u r going to pepperdine.

Don't say that NYU is a communist education camp. Heritage is a bit out there. They have an affection for Margaret Thatcher that is unnatural.

Here's the thing: I don't really have any politics. Liberal think-tanks like the Urban Institute don't pay a stipend while many conservative ones do. I was poor, indebted, and broke with no college assistance from my family, so I followed the money.

I have heard that top law schools are socially liberal, and they make a special commitment to GLBT rights, so I was a bit worried after I got rejected from a Canadian law school to which I should have been an auto-admit. I googled myself. But the consensus here is that this will not affect my law school chances in the U.S?

[Eugenie Danglars]

Just don't express your politics in your personal statement. Unless u r going to pepperdine.

Don't say that NYU is a communist education camp. Heritage is a bit out there. They have an affection for Margaret Thatcher that is unnatural.

Here's the thing: I don't really have any politics. Liberal think-tanks like the Urban Institute don't pay a stipend while many conservative ones do. I was poor, indebted, and broke with no college assistance from my family, so I followed the money.

I have heard that top law schools are socially liberal, and they make a special commitment to GLBT rights, so I was a bit worried after I got rejected from a Canadian law school to which I should have been an auto-admit. I googled myself. But the consensus here is that this will not affect my law school chances in the U.S?

Who knows? Maybe you'll get diversity points for appearing to have minority political views.

[joebloe]

Just don't mention politics. Live with what you wrote. If you try to back away from anything with your name on it that you actually wrote (or gave permission to have your name signed to) with a "I wrote what they told me" stance, you risk coming off as making bullshit excuses for your unpopular convictions, and I think looking like someone who backs down easily is a big minus for a lawyer.

Unless what you wrote advocated a position generally considered to be extremist (e.g., Neo-Nazism). Then you probably should do something, but I don't think simply disavowing it is the answer even then.

[vanwinkle]

But the consensus here is that this will not affect my law school chances in the U.S?

I still don't understand what country you live in.

[niederbomb]

Just don't mention politics. Live with what you wrote. If you try to back away from anything with your name on it that you actually wrote (or gave permission to have your name signed to) with a "I wrote what they told me" stance, you risk coming off as making bullshit excuses for your unpopular convictions, and I think looking like someone who backs down easily is a big minus for a lawyer.

Unless what you wrote advocated a position generally considered to be extremist (e.g., Neo-Nazism). Then you probably should do something, but I don't think simply disavowing it is the answer even then.

How about anti gay rights? It's a position that is becoming more extreme every year.

[bergg007]

Just don't mention politics. Live with what you wrote. If you try to back away from anything with your name on it that you actually wrote (or gave permission to have your name signed to) with a "I wrote what they told me" stance, you risk coming off as making bullshit excuses for your unpopular convictions, and I think looking like someone who backs down easily is a big minus for a lawyer.

Unless what you wrote advocated a position generally considered to be extremist (e.g., Neo-Nazism). Then you probably should do something, but I don't think simply disavowing it is the answer even then.

How about anti gay rights? It's a position that is becoming more extreme every year.

I go to a university known for conservatism and it is sponsored by the biggest single donor to the prop 8 campaign. That hasn't hurt my cycle at all. i even wrote a PS about my religious involvement with said community. I've received comments from the schools that accepted and said that they were especially interested in me as a candidate because of my unique background.

I would say that as long as your papers didn't say the words "master race" or "kill all LGBT" I think you are ok. Maybe your PS just sucks.

[vanwinkle]

A couple things:

1) The whole "law schools are liberal" thing is a little tiring. Even if you take this argument at face value, you have to remember that one "liberal" principle that they embrace is inclusion of multiple viewpoints and diversity of opinion. Whether it's because they're not liberal or they are liberal and admit people this way, many rather obvious conservatives get into top law schools every year, and there's a complete and total lack of people claiming they didn't get into schools matching their numbers and must have been discriminated against.

2) If you don't mention it at all on your application, I don't think it'll even matter.

[existenz]

Law school adcomms will not be Googling your name. Hell, they'll barely skim your PS.

Future employers are a different matter entirely. Depending on what you wrote under your own name, it could hurt you.

[joebloe]

It may depend on what you wrote. I'd suggest this as a rule of thumb: If a politician in the region you want to practice would have his career rapidly destroyed by openly advocating the position your writing advocated, it might be politically extreme. I wouldn't consider being against gay marriage (for instance) politically extreme in that vein as it's something still hotly debated and not definitively decided.

Keep in mind that Senator Robert Byrd had been an Exalted Cyclops in the KKK in the 1940s, and yet served in the US Senate up until his death this past June. While he had apologized for his involvement with the Klan, and getting elected is somewhat different than making it into LS, I think the lesson here is that even such an albatross (as Byrd called it) as a past with the KKK is not a deathblow to your career.

And also keep in mind that SIU Carbondale took Matthew Hale and graduated him with a JD in 1998, despite his being a prominent white supremacist (though it's also worth noting that his views resulted in his being permanently denied an Illinois license to practice law).

[HopefulFish]

Just don't express your politics in your personal statement. Unless u r going to pepperdine.

Don't say that NYU is a communist education camp. Heritage is a bit out there. They have an affection for Margaret Thatcher that is unnatural.

Here's the thing: I don't really have any politics. Liberal think-tanks like the Urban Institute don't pay a stipend while many conservative ones do. I was poor, indebted, and broke with no college assistance from my family, so I followed the money.

I have heard that top law schools are socially liberal, and they make a special commitment to GLBT rights, so I was a bit worried after I got rejected from a Canadian law school to which I should have been an auto-admit. I googled myself. But the consensus here is that this will not affect my law school chances in the U.S?

ahh classic case of compromising conscience for money. It's all good; we all did it at some point. Just have a fair and open mindset and take it in the ass like a champ. Then learn your lesson and don't do it again.

[Grizz]

Was this before or after you banged that hooker?

[09042014]

Was this before or after you banged that hooker?

Gay hooker, it was a republican think tank.

[ryne saxe]

Just don't express your politics in your personal statement. Unless u r going to pepperdine.

Don't say that NYU is a communist education camp. Heritage is a bit out there. They have an affection for Margaret Thatcher that is unnatural.

Here's the thing: I don't really have any politics. Liberal think-tanks like the Urban Institute don't pay a stipend while many conservative ones do. I was poor, indebted, and broke with no college assistance from my family, so I followed the money.

I have heard that top law schools are socially liberal, and they make a special commitment to GLBT rights, so I was a bit worried after I got rejected from a Canadian law school to which I should have been an auto-admit. I googled myself. But the consensus here is that this will not affect my law school chances in the U.S?

ahh classic case of compromising conscience for money. It's all good; we all did it at some point. Just have a fair and open mindset and take it in the ass like a champ. Then learn your lesson and don't do it again.

Top law schools are committed to diversity. If you can spin orientation so that it relates to your interest/passion in legal study, then it's a supplement. I think the top law schools - especially your Stanfords and Berkeleys - seek out students whose passions are leading them to study law, and who can add to the broader intellectual profile (personality?) of an incoming class. If you simply play the GLBT card without qualifying it, I don't sympathize. And I think they'll see right through it. HopefulFish's comment? Hilarious.

[mala2]

Didn't that annoying blonde chick go to Harvard?