Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes Forum

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cesium

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Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by cesium » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:36 pm

Say an applicant typesets his/her personal statements and resumes using LaTeX. Would adcomms notice? If so, would it suggest the applicant is tech-savvy (which is good)? Or would they think the applicant is out-of-touch with the legal world(most attorneys use MS Word)?

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a.sleepyhead

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by a.sleepyhead » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:53 pm

I'm guessing most adcomms aren't familiar with LaTeX, but I don't think it would hurt unless it was awkwardly formatted. I used InDesign for my stuff to make the formatting cleaner, but I don't think it does anything either way.

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dnptan

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by dnptan » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:53 pm

Not many people know about LaTex. LSAC doesn't accept PDF files for uploads. I'm assuming it's unfamiliar with dvi and tex files either. Nobody will know what program you're using. It doesn't matter in the least bit. Worry more about content than medium.

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ScottRiqui

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by ScottRiqui » Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:59 pm

cesium wrote:Say an applicant typesets his/her personal statements and resumes using LaTeX. Would adcomms notice? If so, would it suggest the applicant is tech-savvy (which is good)? Or would they think the applicant is out-of-touch with the legal world(most attorneys use MS Word)?
1) Except perhaps on the resumé, I doubt the adcomms would notice; to the untrained eye, a couple of standard-width paragraphs isn't going to look wildly different in LaTeX compared to Word.

2) If they do notice something different, they're probably just going to assume you used a slightly different font or something like that, rather than realizing you used an advanced typesetting program.

3) Does the LSAC site even let you upload files in .tex format?

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twenty

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by twenty » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:24 pm

1) No one will notice.
2) Even if someone notices, no one will care.
3) Fairly sure LSAC doesn't take .tex files.
4) Just don't.

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cron1834

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by cron1834 » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:51 pm

cesium wrote:Say an applicant typesets his/her personal statements and resumes using LaTeX. Would adcomms notice? If so, would it suggest the applicant is tech-savvy (which is good)? Or would they think the applicant is out-of-touch with the legal world(most attorneys use MS Word)?
JFC.

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patogordo

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by patogordo » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:55 pm

you should also insist on paying your application fees in bitcoin

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papercut

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by papercut » Sat Feb 22, 2014 12:05 pm

I'm pretty sure LSAC doesn't accept PDFs. End thread.

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iamgeorgebush

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by iamgeorgebush » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:29 pm

patogordo wrote:you should also insist on paying your application fees in bitcoin
titcr

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xRON MEXiCOx

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by xRON MEXiCOx » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:35 pm

A lot of attorneys still use Word Perfect. I don't think it's going to impress them.

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TheSpanishMain

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by TheSpanishMain » Sun Feb 23, 2014 10:42 pm

Dude, you're really insanely neurotic.

Skump

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by Skump » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:14 am

First I was like. (LinkRemoved)

Then I was like. (LinkRemoved)

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Hipster but Athletic

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by Hipster but Athletic » Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:18 am

I used tex for my cover letters/resumes because it's easier to programmatically change the firm names/addressees in the tex files...although I probably could've found like a python-word plug in. I'm thinking about switching back to word though in the future becasue the software that pulls the information from resumes tends to a lot better job getting it right from .doc's than my res.sty resume. That said, I might look into ways to better format res.sty to make it HR-software compatible.

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cach22

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by cach22 » Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:50 pm

.
Last edited by cach22 on Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Clearly

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by Clearly » Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:52 pm

cach22 wrote:....to be clear...I think LSAC does indeed accept PDFs
lsac 100% does not accept pdf's. Because they use an auto-merging software to join individual essays into an app, and pdfs often can't be merged.

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aboutmydaylight

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by aboutmydaylight » Fri Mar 14, 2014 10:11 pm

Is there any point to learning LaTeX for law school? I know its very popular among grad students, especially those that need to type mathematical formulas but I don't see an apparent reason why it would be necessary in law school.

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Mack.Hambleton

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by Mack.Hambleton » Sat Mar 15, 2014 12:59 am

cach22 wrote:....to be clear...I think LSAC does indeed accept PDFs
>bumping this thread to give bad info

120 bro

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Hipster but Athletic

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Re: Using LaTeX for personal statements and resumes

Post by Hipster but Athletic » Sat Mar 15, 2014 1:00 am

aboutmydaylight wrote:Is there any point to learning LaTeX for law school? I know its very popular among grad students, especially those that need to type mathematical formulas but I don't see an apparent reason why it would be necessary in law school.
There's no reason at all

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