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Hey guys,

No LSAT score yet so obviously I shouldn't be posting here and all, but this is technically not a "What are my chances?" thread, this is more about getting info on how bad softs affect applications in general.

Now, I know conventionally good softs do not help all that much, but as we know logically that does not necessarily mean anything about bad softs not being all that bad.

So, if I were to say I graduated UG 3 years ago, and have basically done NOTHING during that time. Is that going to look unusually bad and actually affect an application in some meaningful way?? Or is it it more, ho hum, no big deal?

'Cause, I mean, if I was an admissions person I'd be like "WTF, what has this guy been doing? Clearly he lacks ambition.." *uncaps ominous red pen*

Have you at least been working? Or have you literally been doing nothing but sitting on your mom's couch playing CoD for three years since graduation? If the latter, yeah, that's probably going to look pretty bad. If you've been working, then that's a soft.

It's probably too late to add a volunteer gig at this point, unless it's something that would take a significant short-term committment, and not just a few nights at a soup kitchen between now and September. And obviously you're probably not going to suddenly start winning prestigious awards.

Well, I have been working, but that work has been after school tutoring, a brief stint as a library page, some minimal writing for a local newspaper (like, one article a month).
I had an internship with a magazine but it was brief and really not that interesting/helpful. I guess, schools don't have to know that though and I can really play it up??

No full-time work, which is what worries me a bit.

You'll be fine if you play those up.

Micdiddy wrote:Well, I have been working, but that work has been after school tutoring, a brief stint as a library page, some minimal writing for a local newspaper (like, one article a month).
I had an internship with a magazine but it was brief and really not that interesting/helpful. I guess, schools don't have to know that though and I can really play it up??

No full-time work, which is what worries me a bit.

I don't think you understand the definition of "nothing." These are not nothings. These are pretty good somethings. My biggest worry is that you don't see how these are relevant to your application.
After school tutoring- community service
Library Page- research
Writing for the paper- journalist, published author and regular newspaper contributor

Have you just been trudging along aimlessly for 3 years. Why were you doing all of these things? Do you really want to go to law school or have you run out of actual ideas? You haven't taken the LSAT yet--okay. Do you have a plan to take it? Are you studying for it?

2012JayDee wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:Well, I have been working, but that work has been after school tutoring, a brief stint as a library page, some minimal writing for a local newspaper (like, one article a month).
I had an internship with a magazine but it was brief and really not that interesting/helpful. I guess, schools don't have to know that though and I can really play it up??

No full-time work, which is what worries me a bit.

I don't think you understand the definition of "nothing." These are not nothings. These are pretty good somethings. My biggest worry is that you don't see how these are relevant to your application.
After school tutoring- community service
Library Page- research
Writing for the paper- journalist, published author and regular newspaper contributor

Have you just been trudging along aimlessly for 3 years. Why were you doing all of these things? Do you really want to go to law school or have you run out of actual ideas? You haven't taken the LSAT yet--okay. Do you have a plan to take it? Are you studying for it?

Actually, you're right. I didn't think about the ways I could play these up mostly because I don't see them as much i figured schools wouldn't either. Thanks for the advice, which I will separate from all the condescending questions that came after, for the sake of civility.

soj wrote:You'll be fine if you play those up.

Yeah seriously EVERYONE plays up their resume to something that it really isn't. You've got A- LOT to work with. You made it seem like you literally haven't been doing ANYTHING, which is not the case. Have some more confidence in yourself and talk to someone who is good at creating resumes, and get your shit looking right. Also, none of this matters unless you do well on the LSAT and had a decent GPA. Best of luck!

yngblkgifted wrote:

soj wrote:You'll be fine if you play those up.

Yeah seriously EVERYONE plays up their resume to something that it really isn't. You've got A- LOT to work with. You made it seem like you literally haven't been doing ANYTHING, which is not the case. Have some more confidence in yourself and talk to someone who is good at creating resumes, and get your shit looking right. Also, none of this matters unless you do well on the LSAT and had a decent GPA. Best of luck!

Actually, I play down my work experience because otherwise its sound too over the top.

OP - those aren't bad softs.
Bad softs are things like after-school assignments for misbehaving, library page in prison or writing essays for other students.

dingbat wrote:

yngblkgifted wrote:

soj wrote:You'll be fine if you play those up.

Yeah seriously EVERYONE plays up their resume to something that it really isn't. You've got A- LOT to work with. You made it seem like you literally haven't been doing ANYTHING, which is not the case. Have some more confidence in yourself and talk to someone who is good at creating resumes, and get your shit looking right. Also, none of this matters unless you do well on the LSAT and had a decent GPA. Best of luck!

Actually, I play down my work experience because otherwise its sound too over the top.

OP - those aren't bad softs.
Bad softs are things like after-school assignments for misbehaving, library page in prison or writing essays for other students.

Ha, yeah now THOSE are bad softs.

Ok, ok, point of the thread is play up what I have and i'll be fine, and I worried you all for no reason. My apologies, I'll go back to LSAT prep board and bother you guys again when I have splitter questions.

Thanks again all!!

PSA: This guy is going to get a 180 on Monday.

rinkrat19 wrote: Or have you literally been doing nothing but sitting on your mom's couch playing CoD for three years since graduation?

Don't hate

I hope nobody minds if I jump into this thread, simply because my softs are so similar to OPs, and I was considering making an identical subject. Some questions:

Was the tutoring stint volunteer-based, or paid? Mine is paid... does that eliminate any chance of me playing that up as giving back to the community? I definitely put in slightly extra hours (meeting outside, editing papers on my own time for people who don't get seen before the center closes, etc).

I'd really love some tips on how to play up library experience as something more than a campus job for entertainment money

^ Just to echo real quickly what everybody else has already said: outside of a few top-notch exceptions, it really isn't so much your softs that matter as much as it is how you present them into a coherent, compelling story.

The previous post rephrasing "tutoring" to "community service, "library page" to "research," etc. was a perfect demonstration.

beautyistruth wrote:I hope nobody minds if I jump into this thread, simply because my softs are so similar to OPs, and I was considering making an identical subject. Some questions:

Was the tutoring stint volunteer-based, or paid? Mine is paid... does that eliminate any chance of me playing that up as giving back to the community? I definitely put in slightly extra hours (meeting outside, editing papers on my own time for people who don't get seen before the center closes, etc).

I'd really love some tips on how to play up library experience as something more than a campus job for entertainment money

If you're paid, it's not community service/volunteering, it's work. Both are positive.

Bad softs should be ok, hards on the other hand...