Resume Q: list invitation to apply for Furman (NYU)? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L. I emailed OCS to ask, no answer yet. You're told to list if you're a Furman or a RTK or AnBryce, so it makes sense that you should list an invitation to apply. On the other hand, I half-expect OCS to say "no" because of their aversion to anything resembling class rank or calculated GPA on an OCI resume.

Reposted because I wanted to post this anon, sorry.

[somewhatwayward]

LOL no

are you going to list your bestest participant trophy from t-ball, too?

ETA: don't worry that you can't put anything on your resume to hint at your amazing GPA; the first thing they will do when you go into the interview is look at your transcript

[Anonymous User]

I realize that the attitude here is often "shut up gunner, be happy you will get a job." But I know that law firms are desparate for ways to distinguish largely identical hordes of law students, and in competing with other people who also have good GPAs from more prestigious schools, we need every boost we can get.

Being able to say you fell on the good side of some arbitrary line is exactly what helps break ties in your favor. See, e.g., Law Review.

[somewhatwayward]

all i'm saying is i wouldn't put it on my resume but i guess do what career services tells you

also, it's desperate

[piccolittle]

I think the problem is that we don't know what the "invitation to apply" means, and neither will employers. It's like putting "invitation to apply for Law Review." If you didn't actually get on Law Review, so what? If you had the grades but didn't get on, that's almost worst IMO.

If you can explain more about the Furman selection process and why being invited to apply is something worthy of taking up space on your resume, maybe we can offer more opinions. However, the fact that we don't understand and are having that reaction is a good sign that employers will feel the same way.

[thsmthcrmnl]

Are you talking about an invitation from before school started or one from this summer?

[Anonymous User]

Thanks re: desperate.

Sorry, I should have been more clear - I am talking about an invitation I only got this summer, after 1L. Getting invited to apply after 1L is based, as far as I know, on a pure GPA cutoff. That's why I thought it would be worth mentioning. There's an alum on Linkedin who phrased it as

One of the top 30 students nominated for a Furman Scholarship based on first-year grades

The actual selection process requires you to submit essay, past academic work, your best lawyering assignment, CV, etc. That stuff is not what I thought was worth communicating on a resume, because as you rightly note, I might not get it. I thought the value added would be from being able to allude to something like a top 30.

Of course, I have no idea how many people were invited to apply, so I can't say "top ___," but I thought it would be a boost to say I was invited after 1L. You may well be right that it raises too many questions to be worth mentioning.

[Ozymandias]

Put Furman Scholar on your resume in the event that you actually get selected.

Other than that, it looks bizarre to put an invite to apply for something you might not get, and if your grades are that high, they'll speak for themselves.

[CanadianWolf]

An "invitation to apply" is listed below your Mensa membership.

P.S. A nomination for a named scholarship due to achievement of qualifying factors can be listed, however.

[RonnyDworkin]

For those invited and accepted as Furman Scholars after 1L, do you receive a similar full tuition scholarship as those accepted into the program coming into law school? Or is it more just programmatic support?

[aces]

Will the results be out by the beginning of OCI? If so, I definitely wouldn't list it, since you can just hand them an updated resume at your screener if you get it, and if you don't get it you'll look like an ass.

Even if the results won't be out by the beginning of OCI, I don't think you list it. Firms are smart, especially the kind of firm I imagine you're targeting. They will be able to figure out your class ranking from your GPA, and if it's top-30 or whatever, that will stand for itself. I'm not sure what the value-added will be of listing it on your resume. I think you have to be risk-adverse here-- yeah, there's a small chance it might stand out to an employer, but there's a much greater chance that it turns an interviewer off and kills a potentially promising opportunity. You stand to gain very little but lose a lot.

[Anonymous User]

The invitation to apply isn't very explicit about money, but it led me to believe there might be some "tuition relief," though of course that could just be a spa trip. I think what if any tuition assistance you get depends on how badly they want you and how much aid you already have, if any.

I don't know when the results will be out and I've basically been convinced by TLS and OCS - especially because the Furman is ostensibly for aspiring academics, and explaining that you want to be a law professor won't necessarily endear you to a firm.

Thanks for your help!

[Anonymous User]

Mind me asking when you got the invitation? I am someone who is in the top 30 and very interested in the program but have not heard anything.

Thanks

[Anonymous User]

Email on 7/24. How do you know you're in the top 30? I don't have any way to know what the cutoff is for sure, I was just inferring from some alum's LinkedIn. But that, if true, only speaks to her year.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the quick response. Mind me asking if you were a pomeroy scholar? I didn't make pomeroy but made law review (and i believe graded on), so i should be within the top 20 or whatever. Hopefully for me they invited only the pomeroy's thus far and will be inviting more people at some point. Thanks

[Anonymous User]

I am not a Pomeroy. The letter said "you have been selected to apply based on your academic performance so far." I did not get on to LR.

[Anonymous User]

You got on LR either through combined writing/grades, pure writing, or diversity. The Furman application deadline (according to the letter) is 7/31, so I don't think they are sending out more invites. It said they do sometimes invite people after 2L though.

[Anonymous User]

I personally know someone who was invited to apply in August last year after 1L, and received the furman. Furthermore, since both myself and 1 other person i know on LR had between a 3.85-3.9 and neither of us received an email about Furman, I am pretty sure/hoping they did not invite everyone yet.

I appreciate your pessimism though.

[Anonymous User]

Sorry, I really did not mean to be rude - your GPA is significantly higher than mine. I assumed it was lower because I really don't understand why they would a) stagger invitations or b) omit inviting students with a GPA higher than mine, when the letter made it sound like a pure grade cutoff. I can promise you, I did not get invited based on WE, and I am a non-URM.

The letter also made the deadline sound sort of final. Look, maybe that generic-seeming letter was actually carefully targetted at me, and the deadline also only applies to me. Once again, sorry for seeming like a jerk. Congrats on LR!

[Anonymous User]

No problem at all, I apologize if my response was a bit snippy as well. Obviously getting invited is a potentially huge deal, and its something I care very much about (so I am just getting a little nervous/jealous).

Congrats on the invite, and thanks for the helpful information.

[Anonymous User]

I personally know someone who was invited to apply in August last year after 1L, and received the furman.

The letter implied that they might not pick anyone to be a Furman at all ("there is no commitment that any will be awarded at this time"). That might explain why you know someone who was invited (by the way, as there's only one listed Class of 2013 Furman, I think I know who this is) in August.

Or, it occurs to me, the more likely explanation is that he was invited in August because they invited every Furman candidate in August. Maybe this year they just got it organized earlier.

Thank you and you're welcome!

[Anonymous User]

To the person who didn't get an invite. Just e-mail Barry Friedman and express your interest. You have nothing to lose.

[Anonymous User]

The person I know who is a furman is not listed on the website. I am fairly certain that they do not put every furman on the website. Also, I have thought about email Friedman, but its kind of an akward thing to do. I will hold out a few days, I am fairly confident they will be inviting more people.

[Anonymous User]

I believe you re: the website, so I no longer know what the heck is going on. We're all in the matrix now.

I agree, given the level of apparent misdirection (is Barry Friedman even real?) you are probably right that they will extend more invitations. Especially because of the weird contradiction we've noted w/ GPAs.

I don't know if one can Anon PM, but if you would like me to let you know when I get dinged (or, much less likely, accepted), I am happy to.

[Anonymous User]

I dont think you can pm anonymously. Maybe sometimes ignorance is bliss, I will just wait and see what happens. Good luck with your application.