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Extra-Curricular Activities
- Unfortunately, these are not as important and most pre-law students would like them to be. For law school, stats always beat out extra-curriculars.
- Some rules for planning and evaluating your extra-curricular activities:
- Choose one or two activities that really interest you – really have meaning for you – and give them your attention.
- Don't fill your undergraduate life with meaningless activities and don't join groups just for the sake of joining them. Your time is too valuable.
- Similarly, don't fill your application or your resume with "activity filler" -- lists of organizations to which you were peripheral. Better to be president of one organization than a member of ten.
- Never sacrifice academics to extra-curricular activities. Schoolwork always comes first and will pay off at admission time. The student with higher stats and no activities will get a seat in the law school quicker than a joiner with lower stats.
- Never join a group just because it'll look good on your application. It won't. Use your energy for things that matter to you.
- Nonetheless, an interesting activity may catch someone's eye, especially if the activity involves work or sacrifice or talent on your part. For example, someone who is a world-class swimmer or an amateur pilot may get a second look. Someone who joined six campus clubs spring of junior year probably won't.
- Two exceptions: debate and mock trial. Both are excellent training for work in the law and law schools recognize that, especially if you are good at either.
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