Should I Bring My Resume to a Law School Open House Day? Forum

(Where, When and What Did You Think)
Post Reply
MissMusicLaw

New
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 12:20 pm

Should I Bring My Resume to a Law School Open House Day?

Post by MissMusicLaw » Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:25 am

I’m attending a 2 hour open house/info session at a law school I want to apply to. Earlier this year, I attended an online meet up hosted by the school and asked if they permitted undergraduate students, (I’m a junior) who won’t be applying for another year, to come to the school and talk with admissions counselors about how they can make themselves stronger applicants when the time comes. The admissions counselor basically said “sure, you can come and speak with admissions, come on an open house day.” But I’m not sure if they were just being cordial or not.

I planned on printing out my resume, and scholarship CV (my school has us make one) and perhaps heading up to the admissions office after the 2 hour presentation, and seeing if I can sit down with a counselor briefly and have them look over my materials and offer suggestions of how I can improve. (Not on the formatting, but on my internships/extracurriculars, etc.)

Is this a good idea? This is an Ivy League School and I want to make a good impression. So naturally I’m concerned about if my resume will even be up to par.

Any advice?
Thank you!

nixy

Gold
Posts: 4446
Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:58 am

Re: Should I Bring My Resume to a Law School Open House Day?

Post by nixy » Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:05 am

I’d be fairly surprised if an adcomm was willing to give you personal feedback on your materials - if they did that for you they’d have to do it for everyone and it seems to me that that would get overwhelming. Also if they said anything along the lines of “you should also have x, y, z on here,” and you do that and don’t get in, you could sue and it would be a huge pain (I mean, I’m sure *you* wouldn’t sue, but I can see them being concerned that *someone* would under those circumstances).

Also I’m not sure how feedback on your internships/extracurriculars would be helpful. Generally speaking anything you do in one year for the sake of your law school application isn’t going to make a significant difference, given the importance of numbers, and that most extracurriculars/softs that are going to move the needle aren’t the kind of thing that you just pick up in a year.

You may well get the chance to talk to an adcomm who will answer questions but honestly I wouldn’t ask them to review your resume. You are more likely to get an answer to “what kinds of extracurriculars do you like to see on an application” than “what do you think of my extracurriculars.” (And even then the answer would probably be something generic that it varies by the person but they like to see that people have interests/commitments/or whatever. Maybe asking about what kinds of extracurriculars admitted students have. But in any case, questions that are more objectively factual will work better than asking them to evaluate you.)

Npret

Gold
Posts: 1986
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2017 11:42 am

Re: Should I Bring My Resume to a Law School Open House Day?

Post by Npret » Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:53 pm

nixy wrote:I’d be fairly surprised if an adcomm was willing to give you personal feedback on your materials - if they did that for you they’d have to do it for everyone and it seems to me that that would get overwhelming. Also if they said anything along the lines of “you should also have x, y, z on here,” and you do that and don’t get in, you could sue and it would be a huge pain (I mean, I’m sure *you* wouldn’t sue, but I can see them being concerned that *someone* would under those circumstances).

Also I’m not sure how feedback on your internships/extracurriculars would be helpful. Generally speaking anything you do in one year for the sake of your law school application isn’t going to make a significant difference, given the importance of numbers, and that most extracurriculars/softs that are going to move the needle aren’t the kind of thing that you just pick up in a year.

You may well get the chance to talk to an adcomm who will answer questions but honestly I wouldn’t ask them to review your resume. You are more likely to get an answer to “what kinds of extracurriculars do you like to see on an application” than “what do you think of my extracurriculars.” (And even then the answer would probably be something generic that it varies by the person but they like to see that people have interests/commitments/or whatever. Maybe asking about what kinds of extracurriculars admitted students have. But in any case, questions that are more objectively factual will work better than asking them to evaluate you.)
I agree with this. Actually I think the best chance to make an impression is to be knowledgeable about the school and concisely articulate why you want to attend. The ask a couple of questions about the school showing your interest.
They aren’t going to give you feedback on your materials. Your best bet is to show them why you are interested in the school in a personal and hopefully memorable way.

Npret

Gold
Posts: 1986
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2017 11:42 am

Re: Should I Bring My Resume to a Law School Open House Day?

Post by Npret » Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:58 pm

I suggest reading this blog from Harvard and thinking through these questions before you go to meet with anyone regarding admissions.
It’s possibly the best post I’ve seen (in 10 years or so of looking)in not only interviewing but also framing your applications to law schools.
It’s not enough to just say ,” of course I want Harvard, it’s Harvard,” and expect that to carry weight or be memorable.
https://hls.harvard.edu/acing-your-interview/

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “Law School Visits”