The role of your personal politics and getting into LS Forum

[MiracleNeeded]

I'm a republican, and very pro second amendment. In recent years I've helped organize a local progun rally, and was a key player in the recent rally in my state capital. I've worked with the NRA-ILA, one of my letters of recommendation will come from a retired Air Force Colonel I worked closely with in organizing a prepper's convention.

These are all great "softs" in a way, but re they useless due to the fact that they are very right wing? Academia is not exactly the most accepting place when it comes to people who have politics such as mine. S is it best to shut up about it?

[09042014]

I'm a republican, and very pro second amendment. In recent years I've helped organize a local progun rally, and was a key player in the recent rally in my state capital. I've worked with the NRA-ILA, one of my letters of recommendation will come from a retired Air Force Colonel I worked closely with in organizing a prepper's convention.

These are all great "softs" in a way, but re they useless due to the fact that they are very right wing? Academia is not exactly the most accepting place when it comes to people who have politics such as mine. S is it best to shut up about it?

Softs don't matter. And yours aren't really that great anyway.

[Dr. Dre]

softs only matter if you are going to apply to scholarships unrelated to law school. Like service based schollys



Law schools is a numbers game

[Dany]

Your softs will neither help you nor hurt you.

[kay2016]

I'm very republican-y. My application showed that... It didn't hurt me.

[MonsterTRM]

Ditto. I had an internship with a Republican senator, but did just fine. LS is definitely a numbers game.

[kay2016]

I was huge in college republicans (state board, local, at my school etc), a vice pct committeemen, worked on several local and statewide republican campaigns, worked at the local party...

No problems

[Dr. Dre]

Softs don't matter.

[dkb17xzx]

Softs don't matter.

Law schools is a numbers game

No problems

[Dr. Dre]

Softs don't matter.

Law schools is a numbers game

No problems

[ArchieHicox]

Some of my Personal Statement talked about attending a Jesuit Undergrad institution and how that impacted me. Some off-hand mentions in my resume of some Pro-Life organizations, and it as far as I can tell never hurt. FWIW, I overperformed at the one Jesuit Law School I applied to.

With all due respect, I don't think organizing rally constitutes a "great" soft. That said, it won't hurt you. If anything, most Law Schools would want to have a more diverse student body (and being conservative is in a way a rare thing).

[bp shinners]

one of my letters of recommendation will come from a retired Air Force Colonel I worked closely with in organizing a prepper's convention.

While a common belief, being a conservative won't negatively affect your admissions cycle since law schools really do value ideological diversity, and every school has conservative faculty that wants students to do research with them. However, you want to be careful with toeing the line between conservative and radical conservative. I'm not saying that organizing a prepper's convention makes you a radical conservative, but some people definitely would. I would probably advise dropping that LoR and any specifics about the convention. It's not impressive enough to risk someone viewing you in a negative light because of it.

[TripTrip]

one of my letters of recommendation will come from a retired Air Force Colonel I worked closely with in organizing a prepper's convention.

Did he oversee any of your academic work? If not, you should really read the instructions most schools provide about who should be writing your letters of recommendation.

[MiracleNeeded]

one of my letters of recommendation will come from a retired Air Force Colonel I worked closely with in organizing a prepper's convention.

While a common belief, being a conservative won't negatively affect your admissions cycle since law schools really do value ideological diversity, and every school has conservative faculty that wants students to do research with them. However, you want to be careful with toeing the line between conservative and radical conservative. I'm not saying that organizing a prepper's convention makes you a radical conservative, but some people definitely would. I would probably advise dropping that LoR and any specifics about the convention. It's not impressive enough to risk someone viewing you in a negative light because of it.

Great point. While I don't see myself as a radical, many will. i do think most people who thought being a "prepper" was crazy have changed after SANDY, you can still come off as a crazy.

[sublime]

..

[09042014]

I wrote my PS about fighting to impeach the Kenyian Dictator and I got into many law schools.

[Dr. Dre]

I wrote my PS about fighting to impeach the Kenyian Dictator and I got into many law schools.

correlation does not mean causation.

there could be alternate causes, like ur high LSAT score.

[eric922]

The only way I could imagine your personal politics hurting you is if you happened to be an open card carrying member of the Nazi Party. That might cause adcomms to look the other way, but being a member of one of the two major political parties in the U.S. is not going to hurt you.

[sublime]

..

[eric922]

I wrote my PS about fighting to impeach the Kenyian Dictator and I got into many law schools.

correlation does not mean causation.

there could be alternate causes, like ur high LSAT score.

Pretty sure that was sarcasm.

[MiracleNeeded]

A prepper's convention? Seriously? I would consider leaving that out or spinning it a certain way. I disagree with your view on gun control, but that is a useful, although not very strong soft. Organizing people preparing for the "coming" apocalypse, nuclear attack, UN invasion, or disarming of the United States is quite a bit radical. I say this as someone whose political and social views are considered "radical" in this country, albeit the other way. I mentioned some civic service work I did and working on Obama's campaign, but left out anything that would indicate that I am approximately where Senator Bernie Sanders(I-VT) is politically.

Like mine, your softs are not impressive enough to make a difference. There is too much risk associated with talking about a "prepper convention" and seeming like a loon compared to the possible reward (which is close to none). I would leave it out, and seek out another LOR if needed.

I get your overall point, those reading comp bibles are working. I will say that your assumptions about what peppers are actually prepping for, are way off. We prep for hurricanes, blizzards, power outages, and civil unrest, terrorist attack. All of those have happened in this country within the last 25 years. 3 out of 4 happened I within the last two years, and one just 12 years ago.

Getting doctors, the local sheriff, and a fire chief in one room to discuss the zombie apocalypse would have been hard to do. We're more about food storage, water, and generators, not so much bomb shelters and foil hats. I do have quite a bit of ammo stored for my many guns, but I would have left that out.

[sublime]

..

[eric922]

Also, I'd like to point something out. I think it is a myth that academia discriminates against conservatives. I've met plenty of right-wing professors in my undergrad years. Hell, I've never met a single liberal in the economics department of my college and I had one professor who openly attacked FDR and things as moderate as Keynesian Economics.

[sublime]

..

[eric922]

Also, I'd like to point something out. I think it is a myth that academia discriminates against conservatives. I've met plenty of right-wing professors in my undergrad years. Hell, I've never met a single liberal in the economics department of my college and I had one professor who openly attacked FDR and things as moderate as Keynesian Economics.

It varies by field. In mine, sociology was completely very liberal (obviously), poli sci had a decent mix, but tilted liberal, although very slightly. Economics/business are usually conservative. It is likely the same way with law. The business law prof is likely conservative, at least fiscally, while the civil rights law prof is liberal.

Sociology had some open Marxists teaching it. It was really interesting. Strangely enough I'm taking a Journalism class and the teacher talks about Marx a lot too. The class is all about how the media affects society and the professor focuses a lot on the economics of who owns the media and the theory of hegemony so Marx isn't a stretch. Overall, I'm actually really enjoyed classes like that. It's good to hear a viewpoint that you aren't normally exposed to. It's one of the reasons I'm planning on reading up on Critical Legal theory when I get the chance. It's something I doubt I'll study in law school, but it should be interesting none the less.