Law School Student Government?! Forum

[NYCounsel]

Is it worthwhile to do this? Have you done it? Pros, cons?

[cavalier1138]

No, it's not worthwhile.

Pros- None, unless you really get off on having meaningless titles.
Cons- Huge waste of time that literally no employer will ever care about.

[pancakes3]

the only valid reason is to gain access to school funds to subsidize your social budget. every other reason is a shit reason.

[Damage Over Time]

In my limited experience attending the student government "meetings" held at my school, it's just a bunch of people sitting around talking about other times they have sat around or plan to sit around

[Lavitz]

I did this, so I guess I'll weigh in here.

I agree with cav that no employer will care about you being on student government. The only possible exception might be if an alum from your school who did it is interviewing you, but this happened to me only once and is a pretty negligible benefit.

The one and only pro would be that I had fun doing it. But this may depend on your school. At mine, student government was mostly about planning a bunch of parties and other fun events. I enjoyed most of the event-planning, and we got access to some school money for a few social events of our own. I also joined at the end of 1L, so most of the work was during 2L, and I don't think it impacted my 1L gpa at all. So if you're into that sort of thing, that's what your student government does, and you join at the right time, it can be "worthwhile." At the very least, I don't regret doing it.

But again, if you're just asking because you've got a bare resume or something, and you're looking for stuff to fill it to show employers you do more than just study all the time, it's not worthwhile. You'd be better off picking a less time-intensive club, having a decent interests section, etc.

[UVA2B]

I did this, so I guess I'll weigh in here.

I agree with cav that no employer will care about you being on student government. The only possible exception might be if an alum from your school who did it is interviewing you, but this happened to me only once and is a pretty negligible benefit.

The one and only pro would be that I had fun doing it. But this may depend on your school. At mine, student government was mostly about planning a bunch of parties and other fun events. I enjoyed most of the event-planning, and we got access to some school money for a few social events of our own. I also joined at the end of 1L, so most of the work was during 2L, and I don't think it impacted my 1L gpa at all. So if you're into that sort of thing, that's what your student government does, and you join at the right time, it can be "worthwhile." At the very least, I don't regret doing it.

But again, if you're just asking because you've got a bare resume or something, and you're looking for stuff to fill it to show employers you do more than just study all the time, it's not worthwhile. You'd be better off picking a less time-intensive club, having a decent interests section, etc.

Echoing this. I did student government, had fun doing it, but ultimately decided not to continue in it. It's shockingly more about social events more than student life and affairs. If you need resume filler, it's a good option, but there are much better options out there.

[sparkytrainer]

Im on a faculty committee as a student rep and enjoy it. Its a hour once every few weeks, get a great lunch and get to learn something from professors. One professor from the committee hooked a job connection up. But I dont have to go to the actual student government meetings, which seem like they suck.

I completely recognize this position does nothing for my resume, but I enjoy my minimal commitment. Maybe your student government has some faculty committees you can sit on for a hour once in a while which can be fun to be involved, but without a real commitment.

[okaygo]

SBA can be...fun. Not everything in law school has to, or even should be, geared towards getting a job - particularly after 1L. Get involved, get drunk, hang out with people. SBA can be a good way of accomplishing all of the above. Plus, it can gain connections/respect of Deans/Professors. Never know when that could help you out long term. If SG/SBA is the kind of thing you're into to have fun then it's absolutely "worth it."

Now, if your sole interest is just to get X job then, no - it's probably a waste of time. But, don't JUST be that guy. That guy is lame.

[UVA2B]

SBA can be...fun. Not everything in law school has to, or even should be, geared towards getting a job - particularly after 1L. Get involved, get drunk, hang out with people. SBA can be a good way of accomplishing all of the above. Plus, it can gain connections/respect of Deans/Professors. Never know when that could help you out long term. If SG/SBA is the kind of thing you're into to have fun then it's absolutely "worth it."

Now, if your sole interest is just to get X job then, no - it's probably a waste of time. But, don't JUST be that guy. That guy is lame.

To be fair, I'm not sure many join SG/SBA with thoughts of the professional contacts. It's so much about personality from the start, so people geared toward the social part of law school just gravitate toward it.

[okaygo]

SBA can be...fun. Not everything in law school has to, or even should be, geared towards getting a job - particularly after 1L. Get involved, get drunk, hang out with people. SBA can be a good way of accomplishing all of the above. Plus, it can gain connections/respect of Deans/Professors. Never know when that could help you out long term. If SG/SBA is the kind of thing you're into to have fun then it's absolutely "worth it."

Now, if your sole interest is just to get X job then, no - it's probably a waste of time. But, don't JUST be that guy. That guy is lame.

To be fair, I'm not sure many join SG/SBA with thoughts of the professional contacts. It's so much about personality from the start, so people geared toward the social part of law school just gravitate toward it.

Agreed!