High School on Resume for Clerkship Apps? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I went to the same high school as a judge I am applying to and I want to make sure this connection is noticed. I planned to just mention it in the cover letter, but people told me to put it on my resume as well. A few people even suggested that I should just always keep my high school on my resume for all clerkship applications. That struck me as odd advice, but is this a thing for clerkships?

I went to a completely ordinary high school. No one would know about it unless they also were from the same area.

[Lurker08743]

In my chambers, the clerks screen the resumes and make recommendations to the judge. If I saw someone list their high school on their resume, I would think this was unusual (and immature probably) without knowing the context. If I were you, I’d just mention it in the cover letter (with another statement about that connection being important to and/or something about pride in your hometown) and potentially put your address for your resume as your hometown address.

[Anonymous User]

I would automatically reject someone who included a high school on a resume, especially a “famous” one. The appropriate way to do this is to mention the connection (or better your shared hometown) in a cover letter.

[Anonymous User]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

[lavarman84]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

I wouldn't necessarily reject a candidate over any high school on the resume, but it would not be a good look, no matter how prestigious the high school was. And frankly, I have no idea which high schools are prestigious. I'd definitely think less of a person who cares about how prestige one's high school is.

OP, just use the cover letter.

[Anonymous User]

No lie, there is a well-known Fifth Circuit judge who requires undergraduate transcripts AND your LSAT score.

[Anonymous User]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

I wouldn't necessarily reject a candidate over any high school on the resume, but it would not be a good look, no matter how prestigious the high school was. And frankly, I have no idea which high schools are prestigious. I'd definitely think less of a person who cares about how prestige one's high school is.

OP, just use the cover letter.

I'm talking about the fancy private schools like Exeter, Andover, St Paul's, Harvard-Westlake, the Dalton School, etc. I think caring about this is stupid but there are whole social strata out there that do.

[Anonymous User]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

I wouldn't necessarily reject a candidate over any high school on the resume, but it would not be a good look, no matter how prestigious the high school was. And frankly, I have no idea which high schools are prestigious. I'd definitely think less of a person who cares about how prestige one's high school is.

OP, just use the cover letter.

I'm talking about the fancy private schools like Exeter, Andover, St Paul's, Harvard-Westlake, the Dalton School, etc. I think caring about this is stupid but there are whole social strata out there that do.

Feels like a high risk, slight reward phenomenon—no idea why you would do it unless maybe it in your cover letter because the judge went to the same high school. Maybe there are some who would like it, but it probably would not move the needle. Others though could dislike it ranging from a mild dislike to viewing it as a bizarre assertion of privilege that gets you immediately tossed.

Personally, I think the best use of putting your high school on a resume is when it is a local public school in an area you are trying to demonstrate a connection too. If you're applying to, idk, Sidney Thomas, putting a Billings Public School would certainly give the clerk doing a quick resume scan a reason to notice your connection that separates you from a random HYS grad who has never lived inland.

[Anonymous User]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

I wouldn't necessarily reject a candidate over any high school on the resume, but it would not be a good look, no matter how prestigious the high school was. And frankly, I have no idea which high schools are prestigious. I'd definitely think less of a person who cares about how prestige one's high school is.

OP, just use the cover letter.

I'm talking about the fancy private schools like Exeter, Andover, St Paul's, Harvard-Westlake, the Dalton School, etc. I think caring about this is stupid but there are whole social strata out there that do.

Feels like a high risk, slight reward phenomenon—no idea why you would do it unless maybe it in your cover letter because the judge went to the same high school. Maybe there are some who would like it, but it probably would not move the needle. Others though could dislike it ranging from a mild dislike to viewing it as a bizarre assertion of privilege that gets you immediately tossed.

Personally, I think the best use of putting your high school on a resume is when it is a local public school in an area you are trying to demonstrate a connection too. If you're applying to, idk, Sidney Thomas, putting a Billings Public School would certainly give the clerk doing a quick resume scan a reason to notice your connection that separates you from a random HYS grad who has never lived inland.

Yes, to be clear, I think it’s best handled in the cover letter and only in the cover letter to a judge who went to that school. I do think that most people who went to those kind of national private schools would want to know if a candidate had as well. I also think there’s a cadre of people for whom putting it on a resume would be expected, though I agree that it would turn off others.

That said, I see no more reason to put a particular public school on your resume either. If you’re applying to Sidney Thomas, you can just say directly in your cover letter than you grew up/went to high school in Billings. No one outside of Montana will care and it would look weirder to me to put Billings Senior High School on a resume than Phillips Andover (or, for a different kind of name drop, Stuyvesant). Sorry to the Montana people, no disrespect meant.

[Anonymous User]

If this high school were actually some kind of (prestigious?) private school that’s not necessarily connected to a person’s home town, I’ve seen people list these sometimes and while I don’t think it’s necessary and can look cringey, I certainly wouldn’t reject an otherwise qualified candidate over it.

That said, OP said it’s ordinary, so definitely don’t put it on the resume, just bring it up in the cover letter. (The only place I’ve seen where people seem to care what high school someone else went to is St. Louis, people seem really weird about that.)

I wouldn't necessarily reject a candidate over any high school on the resume, but it would not be a good look, no matter how prestigious the high school was. And frankly, I have no idea which high schools are prestigious. I'd definitely think less of a person who cares about how prestige one's high school is.

OP, just use the cover letter.

I'm talking about the fancy private schools like Exeter, Andover, St Paul's, Harvard-Westlake, the Dalton School, etc. I think caring about this is stupid but there are whole social strata out there that do.

Feels like a high risk, slight reward phenomenon—no idea why you would do it unless maybe it in your cover letter because the judge went to the same high school. Maybe there are some who would like it, but it probably would not move the needle. Others though could dislike it ranging from a mild dislike to viewing it as a bizarre assertion of privilege that gets you immediately tossed.

Personally, I think the best use of putting your high school on a resume is when it is a local public school in an area you are trying to demonstrate a connection too. If you're applying to, idk, Sidney Thomas, putting a Billings Public School would certainly give the clerk doing a quick resume scan a reason to notice your connection that separates you from a random HYS grad who has never lived inland.

Yes, to be clear, I think it’s best handled in the cover letter and only in the cover letter to a judge who went to that school. I do think that most people who went to those kind of national private schools would want to know if a candidate had as well. I also think there’s a cadre of people for whom putting it on a resume would be expected, though I agree that it would turn off others.

That said, I see no more reason to put a particular public school on your resume either. If you’re applying to Sidney Thomas, you can just say directly in your cover letter than you grew up/went to high school in Billings. No one outside of Montana will care and it would look weirder to me to put Billings Senior High School on a resume than Phillips Andover (or, for a different kind of name drop, Stuyvesant). Sorry to the Montana people, no disrespect meant.

I mentioned the resume bit because I see a world where people are scanning resumes before they go to cover letter. Many clerks will trash applications and not even look at cover letter especially during the rush of the plan. My view is generally don't put high school on your resume, I was just trying to like construct a version of putting your high school on a resume that at least made some sense to me.

[Anonymous User]

No lie, there is a well-known Fifth Circuit judge who requires undergraduate transcripts AND your LSAT score.

You guys don’t put lsat score on your resume?

[Anonymous User]

No lie, there is a well-known Fifth Circuit judge who requires undergraduate transcripts AND your LSAT score.

You guys don’t put lsat score on your resume?

I have no idea if you are making a joke or not but no, it is not usually recommended to list LSAT scores. I personally think we should -- it's an achievement like GPA or whatever. But it's not the convention so it looks weird.

[Anonymous User]

No lie, there is a well-known Fifth Circuit judge who requires undergraduate transcripts AND your LSAT score.

You guys don’t put lsat score on your resume?

I have no idea if you are making a joke or not but no, it is not usually recommended to list LSAT scores. I personally think we should -- it's an achievement like GPA or whatever. But it's not the convention so it looks weird.

Yes, it looks very weird. Please don't do this (unless applying to one of the small number of judges who ask for it), the law clerks reviewing your application will laugh at you.

High school wouldn't offend me if it's relevant. I am one of the people who never reads cover letters; I look at resume and grades. If it's the high school the judge went to or a public school in a remote area where the judge sits (emphasis on remote like the Sid Thomas example; Chicago judges do not care if you went to Naperville Central or New Trier), list it. Otherwise, leave it off, even if you were the valedictorian at Exeter.

[Anonymous User]

If you went to a prestigious school and/or were valedictorian or something, go ahead and include it. In the NYC area, most people know Stuyvesant, Dalton, etc.

[throwawayt14]

If you went to a prestigious school and/or were valedictorian or something, go ahead and include it. In the NYC area, most people know Stuyvesant, Dalton, etc.

Nobody cares if you were valedictorian of Dalton. We can tell you went to Princeton or Harvard by looking at your resume. We can also tell you are rich by looking at your interests section.

The only reason to mention your high school in a clerkship application is if you are applying to a very parochial area, the judge is inclined to want to hire locals, and you went away for UG and law school but still want to demonstrate that connection.

[Anonymous User]

If you went to a prestigious school and/or were valedictorian or something, go ahead and include it. In the NYC area, most people know Stuyvesant, Dalton, etc.

Nobody cares if you were valedictorian of Dalton. We can tell you went to Princeton or Harvard by looking at your resume. We can also tell you are rich by looking at your interests section.

The only reason to mention your high school in a clerkship application is if you are applying to a very parochial area, the judge is inclined to want to hire locals, and you went away for UG and law school but still want to demonstrate that connection.

Yeah I was going to say. I feel like putting on your resume that you went to Harvard Westlake, Andover, etc... is less an accomplishment and more like I'm probably very rich.

[Anonymous User]

If you went to a prestigious school and/or were valedictorian or something, go ahead and include it. In the NYC area, most people know Stuyvesant, Dalton, etc.

Nobody cares if you were valedictorian of Dalton. We can tell you went to Princeton or Harvard by looking at your resume. We can also tell you are rich by looking at your interests section.

The only reason to mention your high school in a clerkship application is if you are applying to a very parochial area, the judge is inclined to want to hire locals, and you went away for UG and law school but still want to demonstrate that connection.

Yeah I was going to say. I feel like putting on your resume that you went to Harvard Westlake, Andover, etc... is less an accomplishment and more like I'm probably very rich.

There absolutely are people who care about this, usually who went to the same school or a similar school (or sent their kids to one, and who think this kind of thing has meaning beyond "my family is rich." I'm not saying they *should* think that, but they do.

It's a small enough crowd that it's probably not worth taking a risk if you don't know that your audience is part of it, but it's not non-existent. (And tbf there are definitely kids who go to such schools on scholarships.)

[throwawayt14]

There absolutely are people who care about this, usually who went to the same school or a similar school (or sent their kids to one, and who think this kind of thing has meaning beyond "my family is rich." I'm not saying they *should* think that, but they do.

It's a small enough crowd that it's probably not worth taking a risk if you don't know that your audience is part of it, but it's not non-existent. (And tbf there are definitely kids who go to such schools on scholarships.)

Let's just assume this is largely true (it isn't, but let's just assume it). In such a case, you'd know the judge and their hiring preferences beforehand, and then you don't need advice from TLS. As a clerk tip, if a judge is so prestige-obsessed they care about your academic performance in high school, don't clerk for them. It's a sign of nothing good.

I am aware that everyone in law school likes to claim they were on scholarship at Andover. They weren't, and no one believes them.

[Anonymous User]

I have hired for federal clerkships for two feederish judges. I’ve only seen a couple of resumes with high schools. There’s a reason nobody lists them. There are no exceptions imo. Cover letters are a different story.

[Anonymous User]

There absolutely are people who care about this, usually who went to the same school or a similar school (or sent their kids to one, and who think this kind of thing has meaning beyond "my family is rich." I'm not saying they *should* think that, but they do.

It's a small enough crowd that it's probably not worth taking a risk if you don't know that your audience is part of it, but it's not non-existent. (And tbf there are definitely kids who go to such schools on scholarships.)

Let's just assume this is largely true (it isn't, but let's just assume it). In such a case, you'd know the judge and their hiring preferences beforehand, and then you don't need advice from TLS. As a clerk tip, if a judge is so prestige-obsessed they care about your academic performance in high school, don't clerk for them. It's a sign of nothing good.

I am aware that everyone in law school likes to claim they were on scholarship at Andover. They weren't, and no one believes them.

Why would we "assume this was largely true" when I already said that it's a small group of people? I am literally saying only that there are people out there who care about fancy high schools - I grew up surrounded by them. The fact that you are mortally offended by this fact doesn't make it untrue. I'm also not saying that therefore the OP should put their high school on their resume, just that it's naive to think this kind of thing never matters. And as a legal profession tip, not everyone has a choice about who they clerk for.

I also don't want to erase the experience of non-rich kids from elite private schools (see Anthony Jack, The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, which talks about this group of students).

[Wild Card]

It's a New York or New England thing, very old school.

I wouldn't look down at someone who wanted it known that he or she went to a good high school. It can be something to be proud of, depending on where you went.

On the other hand, there is always a stain or a badge of mediocrity that comes from having attended a mediocre or unknown college, and that is much harder to hide.

[lavarman84]

It's a New York or New England thing, very old school.

I wouldn't look down at someone who wanted it known that he or she went to a good high school. It can be something to be proud of, depending on where you went.

On the other hand, there is always a stain or a badge of mediocrity that comes from having attended a mediocre or unknown college, and that is much harder to hide.

Yeah, I'm the polar opposite of this poster. So . . .

[laanngo]

It allows you to signal having played a sport in high school. I'd say go for it

[nixy]

It allows you to signal having played a sport in high school. I'd say go for it

Oh my goodness no.

[butonawednesday]

It allows you to signal having played a sport in high school. I'd say go for it

Maybe the Judge has fond memories of playing highschool football