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Obviously this will depend heavily on the judge. But I've seen or heard about boosts from college athletics or backgrounds in classical music.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Military experience, MBB consulting, elite IB/PE/VC experience, Rhodes/Marshall scholarships, Fulbrights with interesting research work, legitimate entrepreneurial experience, i.e., not I made an app no one ever used, college athletics, success in national competitions like the Spelling Bee, etc. I have seen all of these in my chambers.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
This also varies hugely judge to judge. My judge would have yawned at "MBB consulting, elite IB/PE/VC experience" as what half of HYPS grads do (and there's a good chance many judges wouldn't even recognize the name of an elite PE firm), but would have been legitimately excited to meet a Spelling Bee champion.throwawayt14 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 4:15 pmMilitary experience, MBB consulting, elite IB/PE/VC experience, Rhodes/Marshall scholarships, Fulbrights with interesting research work, legitimate entrepreneurial experience, i.e., not I made an app no one ever used, college athletics, success in national competitions like the Spelling Bee, etc. I have seen all of these in my chambers.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Boiled down, it's anything that makes your resume stand out from someone who just got good grades and hasn't done anything else that makes them compelling. Or something that indicates the candidate has already gone through an intense selection process and succeeded.
Include an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Agreed something like spelling bee champion is a good one to stand out. I also think being a Moot Court finalist or winner would be a good one, especially if you did that while keeping your grades up.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:44 amThis also varies hugely judge to judge. My judge would have yawned at "MBB consulting, elite IB/PE/VC experience" as what half of HYPS grads do (and there's a good chance many judges wouldn't even recognize the name of an elite PE firm), but would have been legitimately excited to meet a Spelling Bee champion.throwawayt14 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 4:15 pmMilitary experience, MBB consulting, elite IB/PE/VC experience, Rhodes/Marshall scholarships, Fulbrights with interesting research work, legitimate entrepreneurial experience, i.e., not I made an app no one ever used, college athletics, success in national competitions like the Spelling Bee, etc. I have seen all of these in my chambers.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Boiled down, it's anything that makes your resume stand out from someone who just got good grades and hasn't done anything else that makes them compelling. Or something that indicates the candidate has already gone through an intense selection process and succeeded.
Agree with this. Something that makes you seem like a genuinely interesting person with things that you're passionate about.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
This is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Obviously don't put something you aren't actually very proficient in, though. You can and will be asked about these. I once sat through an excruciating interview of an applicant who got caught by what was meant to have been a softball question about their alleged interest. It became apparent that they put it on their resume more because it sounded interesting than because they were passionate about it.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
But this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Yeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
I would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
Not a red flag, we still interviewed that person actually, it's just that the reaction was "huh, she sounds weird" (and, confirmation bias or not, she did indeed come across as an odd duck).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 amI would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
“fountain pens” is just such a bizzare thing to be passionate about. That’s way weirder than cigars and I would probably trash the fountain pen resume absent great grades and school if I’m just quickly skimming and trying to narrow it down. “Fine cigars” just makes you sound like a tool.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:33 pmNot a red flag, we still interviewed that person actually, it's just that the reaction was "huh, she sounds weird" (and, confirmation bias or not, she did indeed come across as an odd duck).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 amI would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:38 pmI keep reading on posts about many applicants, particularly for Columbia or NYU having very similar applications on paper (East coast, good GPA, nyc biglaw) and needing interesting WE or extracurriculars to stand out? What kinds of things do chambers find interesting?
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
We did not interview "fine cigars" guy.
Fountain pens are awesome. I agree it's niche, but they're still awesome.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:58 pm“fountain pens” is just such a bizzare thing to be passionate about. That’s way weirder than cigars and I would probably trash the fountain pen resume absent great grades and school if I’m just quickly skimming and trying to narrow it down. “Fine cigars” just makes you sound like a tool.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:33 pmNot a red flag, we still interviewed that person actually, it's just that the reaction was "huh, she sounds weird" (and, confirmation bias or not, she did indeed come across as an odd duck).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 amI would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 am
Include an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
We did not interview "fine cigars" guy.
I'm sorry but if you trash an application because of the fountain pens interest, you're no better than the asshat that put fine cigars as his interest.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:58 pm“fountain pens” is just such a bizzare thing to be passionate about. That’s way weirder than cigars and I would probably trash the fountain pen resume absent great grades and school if I’m just quickly skimming and trying to narrow it down. “Fine cigars” just makes you sound like a tool.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:33 pmNot a red flag, we still interviewed that person actually, it's just that the reaction was "huh, she sounds weird" (and, confirmation bias or not, she did indeed come across as an odd duck).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 amI would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pmThis is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.Letmein7 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:00 amInclude an interests section on your resume and put your interests there, except avoid including overly vague and general interests. DON'T put something like "cooking." DO put something like "French pastry baking." These things do work sometimes. I've heard of resumes being pulled and interviews being offered for including interests like "flyfishing," "Russian literature," etc.
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
We did not interview "fine cigars" guy.
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:28 pmI'm sorry but if you trash an application because of the fountain pens interest, you're no better than the asshat that put fine cigars as his interest.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:58 pm“fountain pens” is just such a bizzare thing to be passionate about. That’s way weirder than cigars and I would probably trash the fountain pen resume absent great grades and school if I’m just quickly skimming and trying to narrow it down. “Fine cigars” just makes you sound like a tool.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:33 pmNot a red flag, we still interviewed that person actually, it's just that the reaction was "huh, she sounds weird" (and, confirmation bias or not, she did indeed come across as an odd duck).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 amI would put fountain pens and fine cigars in different categories. Fountain pens I really dont think for most people would be a red flag—I'm suprised it was for your chambers. Fine cigars is a huge red flag for me and makes the person sound like they are insufferable.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:15 amYeah, I agree that you have no way of knowing how any given interest will land (says someone who loves fountain pens! Although I didn’t list it as an interest). So there’s no way to really identify “good” interests or to pick the “right” one for an application. It’s a little like people asking about softs for their law school apps the year before they apply - anything that’s picked up at that point for the purpose of an application isn’t going to move the needle. I agree that you should just be true to yourself and, going off another post above, put something you can talk about enthusiastically and authentically, and call it a day.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:22 amBut this is yet another "it depends." For every interest that actually grabbed our attention, we would get one (like "fountain pens" or "fine cigars") that just made us go "huh, that was strange."Anonymous User wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:32 pm
This is a great answer. I screened applications in an SDNY chambers, and one of the ways that candidates stood out among the innumerable T6 applicants with great grades was to share a niche interest with my judge. Assuming they otherwise had the profile, I sometimes pulled candidates on that basis alone.
Point is, with interests sections, it's a complete roulette barring something truly cool ("NYT bestselling author", etc.). Some judges think they're pointless, some like softball "cooking"-style interests to get a little sense of your personality, and "French pastry baking" runs about equal odds of piquing a common interest and sounding overly pretentious. You have no way to predict what you're going to get, so just follow your gut and make a resume that best fits your personality--90 percent of interview offers will come from grades/school/recs anyway.
We did not interview "fine cigars" guy.