Joining student groups solely for cover letter purposes. Forum

[lawhopeful10]

I was just wondering if it makes sense to join student groups solely so when you apply for a job you can say in your cover letter, " participating in group X has given me an interest in Y practice area ect." A student group I'm considering joining seems pretty worthless in terms of its actual events and stuff but I would only join it for the purpose described. Also it only costs $15 lol.

[Bikeflip]

In my experience, interviewers know a lot of groups are bullshit and people only join them for resume padding. As such, expect to be asked about what the group does, what events you went to, if you hold an elected position, etc. If you can't answer those questions, they know you're bullshitting.

[Gorki]

Do not pay to join a group unless you are legit interested. You will be lucky if a firm takes your 1L summer job seriously, let alone a campus org. Only go if its interesting.

[lawhopeful10]

alright thanks for the replies, i'll probably just save my $15 then.

[hephaestus]

I was just wondering if it makes sense to join student groups solely so when you apply for a job you can say in your cover letter, " participating in group X has given me an interest in Y practice area ect." A student group I'm considering joining seems pretty worthless in terms of its actual events and stuff but I would only join it for the purpose described. Also it only costs $15 lol.

Dont pay $15 for a worthless student organization. No one is going to believe that the Law & X Society made you fascinated with some area of law.

[NotMyRealName09]

All groups are bullshit, but some people love the bullshit. It's a net plus I say (won't hurt a thing, might help slightly). I wouldn't give two craps, but associate B who joined 47 different bullshit groups during law school may like a fellow bullshit group joiner, and you two will bond over your love of bullshit. $15 - who cares, just do it.

[mephistopheles]

hot tip: start some bullshit group, but have it tie in at least some way to your career trajectory.

it's pure gold and, and i quote, "shows entrepreneurial spirit" and is generally viewed as impressive.

[Tiago Splitter]

It can be helpful if it relates to the practice area or market you plan to target. For example, if you go to school in New York and are from California but aren't part of your school's fairly robust California Society you may be asked about why it's not on the resume when interviewing with some California offices at OCI.

[thegrayman]

Student groups are bullshit, I just joined some for resume padding. Everyone involved knows they're bullshit too, but you look like a douche if you don't have a single one on your resume so what can you do.

[soj]

surely there are student groups that don't cost money?

[BarbellDreams]

I promise you that no attorney will ever blink at whether you have a student org on your resume or not. Join if you want, but I promise you that no one will care. The only way they actually mention it in an interview is if they can't find anything else to talk about and the silence is awkward.