How important are softs ? Forum

[jwalsh16]

I am curious how important softs are such as legal job experience and internships? I am currently a sophomore wit 3.95 gpa and starting to look at law schools and this idea of having to have legal experience/internships came up.

My Current Softs
Teacher in Math to GED students 12 hrs week( have a class of 25 and been doing this for a year and a half)
Captain of Ice Hockey Team
President of Two clubs (one is national honors fraternity)
Current Manager at my job

So I have experience just not legal so I am concerned especially since I have good grades and want to not be hindered by my softs.

Thanks !

[Columbia Law]

I'm 6 1/2 inches soft.

[kittenmittons]

Won't overcome a deficiency in your numbers. Could make you stand out against someone with similar numbers and weaker softs.

[jwalsh16]

I'm 6 1/2 inches soft.

Thats good enough for Yale I think

[acdisagod]

You won't be hindered by lack of legal experience, they don't really care. Your softs are pretty good for a sophomore.

[ConMan345]

They become more important the worse your numbers are for a particular school.

[Burgette]

Honestly, I think the 3.95 stands out more.

At the very least, softs won't hurt you. (cause they're soft, get it? Comedy gold!)

[englawyer]

I am curious how important softs are such as legal job experience and internships? I am currently a sophomore wit 3.95 gpa and starting to look at law schools and this idea of having to have legal experience/internships came up.

My Current Softs
Teacher in Math to GED students 12 hrs week( have a class of 25 and been doing this for a year and a half)
Captain of Ice Hockey Team
President of Two clubs (one is national honors fraternity)
Current Manager at my job

So I have experience just not legal so I am concerned especially since I have good grades and want to not be hindered by my softs.

Thanks !

if the ice hockey team is varsity, you have great softs already. focus on LSAT at this point.

[270910]

Softs basically don't matter. In some individual cases they will, but as compared to high school -> college applications where they were make or break, they are functionally meaningless to law school.

[kalvano]

If they were really important, they'd be hards.

[jwalsh16]

actually a junior who has taken LSATs haha

[PDaddy]

If your softs are simply "decent", they are as important as you treat them in the process. If they are strong, they are important no matter what. They always matter a lot for non-trads, URM's and people with low scores/grades. Thus, if you are part of one of the aformentioned groups and your softs are weak, that weakness can kill your application. Otherwise, they don't really matter.

I will caution rich kids: You had better have some community service. Having it won't guarantee you anything, but not having it will kill your apps.

[mikeyp]

Softs mean more than the insignificant weight given to them by TLS members. That being said, softs also will not compensate for a deficiency in your numbers.

The good thing about an interesting soft factor is that it can make for a very unique personal statement. This will make you standout, and if you have decent numbers to go along, it will be golden. Also, certain schools stress certain types of softs more than others. I know that Villanova loves to see community service, for example. Furthermore, you never know what soft factor you have will create a personal connection with an adcom. This will only help your case.

What I'm saying is don't short yourself on every opportunity to use your softs to promote yourself to schools, but also realize that its probably not going to be a game-changer.

[JuTMSY4]

Softs mean more than the insignificant weight given to them by TLS members. That being said, softs also will not compensate for a deficiency in your numbers.

The good thing about an interesting soft factor is that it can make for a very unique personal statement. This will make you standout, and if you have decent numbers to go along, it will be golden. Also, certain schools stress certain types of softs more than others. I know that Villanova loves to see community service, for example. Furthermore, you never know what soft factor you have will create a personal connection with an adcom. This will only help your case.

What I'm saying is don't short yourself on every opportunity to use your softs to promote yourself to schools, but also realize that its probably not going to be a game-changer.

Well stated. Softs are just polish on your body of work. But as the typical cliched statement goes, its could be the difference between Reject and WL, WL and Accept, etcs. and scholly or non-scholly (or amt). It can never hurt and you have good ones thus far

[JTX]

If they were really important, they'd be hards.

+1

my hards keep me out of the game for a lot of top schools and in it for the rest. your softs might be hair splitters, but numbers get you in the game.

keep your GPA high and study for LSAT. great softs will only take you an inch farther than the miles your hards already covered.