high school activity Forum

[03152016]

i'm applying to some non-profits that advocate for children and i'm looking for ways to indicate interest

in high school i did substantial volunteer work for multiple children's charities
i'd like to mention this, but i've heard high school activities should be left out

should i include this work in my resume/cover letter to the children's orgs?
if so, should i also include this work in other resumes/cover letters to pi orgs that don't work with children, in order to demonstrate a long-standing interest in public service?

[Cal Trask]

i'm applying to some non-profits that advocate for children and i'm looking for ways to indicate interest

in high school i did substantial volunteer work for multiple children's charities
i'd like to mention this, but i've heard high school activities should be left out

should i include this work in my resume/cover letter to the children's orgs?
if so, should i also include this work in other resumes/cover letters to pi orgs that don't work with children, in order to demonstrate a long-standing interest in public service?

I don't think it could hurt you here. At worst they might write it off as irrelevant but on the other hand it seems like it might work in your favor to show dedication to PI work in that area. Nothing to lose by including it, but what do I know.

[utahraptor]

i'm applying to some non-profits that advocate for children and i'm looking for ways to indicate interest

in high school i did substantial volunteer work for multiple children's charities
i'd like to mention this, but i've heard high school activities should be left out

should i include this work in my resume/cover letter to the children's orgs?
if so, should i also include this work in other resumes/cover letters to pi orgs that don't work with children, in order to demonstrate a long-standing interest in public service?

have you done anything since?

I'm not your target audience, but I'd laugh that off. Assuredly you can find a better hook than HS activities. (and if you can't, I wouldn't believe that you're actually interested in that area)

[smallfirmassociate]

I think it's ok. There's no hard and fast rule about leaving off HS stuff. It's more a general word of warning against including run-of-the mill, irrelevant shit like varsity sports, debate club, etc. By the time you're at a good law school, pretty much everyone has accolades like that.

I put an award I received in HS on my resume because it was awarded by an outside entity and only one was given out per year. A few interviewers asked some questions about it and seemed to find it interesting, gave some positive feedback, "Oh that's really cool," etc.

So I say go ahead and include a thing from HS, with caution, if it is something particularly interesting or relevant. But if you're showing a long-term interest, there should also be other things that happened afterward to include either in lieu of or in addition to the HS activity.

[03152016]

.

[victortsoi]

everybody says to not put highschool and activities on the resume. I did however (to be fair, I went to one of the more prestigious highschools in the US, with a big and respected alumni network), and was asked about it (or congratulated on it) on almost every interview I went on. I also included some irrelevant but interesting science work i did while in high school, which I like to think makes people give me some points (it definitely has helped a few times, as a conversation starter when my foot was already in the door).

Put high school on, it cant hurt.

[fats provolone]

are you familiar with exceptions and how they sometimes prove rules?

[phillywc]

"i went to the most prestigious high school in the country and it didn't hurt me to put it on my resume, everyone else should do it too"

[smallfirmassociate]

I don't want to live in a country where anyone hiring for a position that requires an advanced degree actually knows what the most prestigious high school in the country is. I definitely don't want to live in a country where that person gives two shits.

On the other hand, at least I don't know any of the "prestigious high schools" in the country. Then again, I haven't reviewed USNWR's 2015 Daycare Rankings yet, either. I know last year, my daycare took issue with the rating they received for "Promptness of PooPoo Diaper Changes." I'm behind the times, what can I say.

TL;DR: My advice is for everyone to put the most prestigious HS in the country on their resume.

[Elston Gunn]

"i went to the most prestigious high school in the countryAndover/Exeter, which is a superb 1% WASP signalling device and it didn't hurt me to put it on my resume, everyone else should do it too"

FTFY

[phillywc]

i assumed he meant exeter or whatever its called

i had no idea there was such a thing as prestigious high schools until I got to law school and career services mentioned it

[03152016]

thoughts on the cover letter?

[victortsoi]

prestigious PUBLIC high school . But yeah, I see your point, it definitely allowed me to milk whatever privilege I was born with in my particular region. My point was, I was also told to just leave (that prestigious) high school off, when it has been really helping me so far. If OP has some sort of really interesting experience, and it seems that he does, there is no reason not to put it on the resume, at least for places where it is especially relevant. I would even talk about it in the cover letter : "I have been interested in this cause even as a teenager/high school student etc etc fulfilling lifelong dreams etc"

[fats provolone]

thoughts on the cover letter?

seems legit. also ok on resume i think, not as a high school resume line but as part of interests or experience or some other relevant section

[03152016]

alright tyvm

[encore1101]

i went to a one and a half star high school, where just as many people dropped out due to being pregnant/getting someone pregnant, as graduated

big fish in little pond!