Resume Question Forum

appellative · Post by **appellative** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:17 pm

Bumping this thread --

Hard to imagine it ever tipping the scale but I could just see it creating a fuller picture of an applicant. My real curiosity is if putting something from high school would hurt.

I have a couple of academic scholarships from high school that I'm considering including...

Any new info out there regarding the norms on this?

grizz20 · Post by **grizz20** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 8:49 pm

admisionquestion wrote: Winning state and national forensic tournaments is a big deal.

Why is it called a "forensic" tournament?

Emilia_law · Post by **Emilia_law** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:42 pm

coldshoulder wrote:I graduated in 3 years and have some significant accomplishments from my teenage/high school years to put on my resume. Should I include these, or leave out everything from high school? How much should one remark on high school accomplishments?

i may sound like a robot in saying this, but only your GPA and LSAT matter. your PS, however, might make a tiny difference in terms of 'fit' in certain circumstances. just do whatever you think feels right, and it will most likely be credited. don't ever second-guess your own opinion, as you are always correct, unless you're f'd up.

PoopyPants · Post by **PoopyPants** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:16 pm

Maybe I'm underthinking this (possible, though I tend to nuke stuff instead), or maybe it's because I've written plenty of resumes, but the advice to keep high school stuff off your resume is primarily so that you have room to include all the stuff you did in college and after (if that exists). Yes, GPA and LSAT are what matter the most, but if all you have to put on your resume from college and beyond are those two things, then you missed out.

ETA: Someone mentioned showing continued growth. That's definitely part of it too, but it's pretty simple. You've done stuff in college. You've worked. You've done extracurriculars. You've won awards. That's what goes on your resume because it's A) more relevant to law school, and B) more recent.

NoLongerALurker · Post by **NoLongerALurker** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 11:01 pm

Applicants are fucking insufferable with this back and forth, Jesus. There's no firm rule, and you know your life better than random strangers posting here. If you still identify with your accomplishments in high school, list them. If they're all four years old it's gonna look like you did nothing in college, but like you can weigh the pros and cons of that yourself.

If you're this neurotic as a 1L then you're gonna be one of those people everyone talks about behind their backs for being weird.

Good luck, though --- just stop overthinking things.

Gray · Post by **Gray** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 11:04 pm

NoLongerALurker · Post by **NoLongerALurker** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 11:09 pm

I included a high school award and a high school position on my resume. Got into H, Y, and S. Was a topic of discussion in my H interview. Was not particularly special, in the grand scheme of things. I wouldnt exactly recommend it but I also wouldn't be aghast

MistakenGenius · Post by **MistakenGenius** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:42 am

Post removed.

A. Nony Mouse · Post by **A. Nony Mouse** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:02 am

Keep in mind that the actual original OP who wrote the list of potential things to include was asking the question in 2011.

Gray · Post by **Gray** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 10:09 am

MistakenGenius · Post by **MistakenGenius** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:31 pm

Post removed.

Gray · Post by **Gray** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:33 pm

appellative · Post by **appellative** » Mon Oct 05, 2015 12:09 pm

guilty.. i like to minimize thread proliferation!

sauciness aside actually found NLAL's responses to be pretty useful. thanks!