Transcript/Resume Question(s)

[graham0220]

Hello! Two questions here:

1. In High school I took a course where I could get college credit if I received a certain score on an exam. This was not an AP course. I think it was called a PBS course? Who knows, it was kind of random! We didn't automatically get the credit, we had to "apply for it" ourselves. I "applied" for it during my freshman year of college and it was quite a complicated process, so it didn't get approved until the summer after my freshman year. Because of this, I have a transcript from this second college saying I took the course during the summer of 2016. On my apps I have put 6/2016-8/2016 for this college (per the suggestion of PS staff on this forum). While furiously editing my resume this week, I was watching a video that said "all education should be on your law school resume". I have never before listed this college on my resume as I did not actually attend it and only got 3 credits (1 class) from them. Do I need to list this college in the education section of my resume? I would prefer not to as I didn't attend and don't have a lot of space on my resume, but I also don't want to deceive or confused admissions.

2. I swear when I was initially completing apps on LSAC I read one school's instructions about a specific minimum font size for the resume. I am applying to quite a few schools and I have gone back through several of their instructions trying to find this and I have had no luck. My resume is almost 2 pages and is at 10.5 font size. Is there a general recommendation for minimum font size? I feel like in the past I learned that smaller than 12 IS ok, but would it be best for me to try and make my resume 11 pt?

3. While I know the general rule of thumb is that an employer will only review your resume for ~7-11 seconds, is this true of admissions as well? I know they won't sit there for hours leisurely reading it, but just curious! I sure hope they read it for longer than a few seconds.

Any thoughts on these would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[Adam Tyson]

Although it sounds like your resume is already pretty packed, you should find a way to include a mention of that college credit from the high school class, just in the interest of full disclosure. "3 credits earned in high school awarded by XYZ College" should do it. You should also be sure that it shows up in your submitted college transcripts.

A law school resume is not like a resume that you would submit as part of a job application - it needs to be lean. There are a number of good sources out there for what should and should not be included, but unless you've been out of college and working for a decade or more you should be able to fit everything you need on a single page. This is not the place to sing your praises in any detail, but just a simple list of your education, experience, and accomplishments. Also, the minimum font size should probably be 11 for most standard fonts (and you should for sure use a standard font). If there is much more information that you want to convey, find a way to do that in your personal statement or, if it's truly necessary information, in an addendum to your application.

And your resume is probably going to get a rapid scan, not an in-depth read. Keep it easily readable, just a few bullet points per heading. No long paragraphs. No details beyond the bare minimum. Other aspects of your application will do the real talking for you - this is just an index, a snapshot to show experience relevant to your future success in law school, and not a brag sheet.

Have you considered working with an admissions consultant? We have that service here at Powerscore! Give us a call to talk about that, and perhaps we can help you trim down that resume.

Good luck in your applications!

[graham0220]

Thank you for the thorough and thoughtful response, Adam!

If the transcript from the second school lists the information as if I attended their school during my college years, rather than high school years, (and because of this and the previous PowerScore response I put the college year time frame on my applications), should I still list this on my resume as if I took this class in high school? I of course don't want to be deceptive, but I also don't want to be confusing/unclear as well. Or to make admissions think I messed something up. The credits are on my college transcript (the college I actually attended) and just say "transfer credits received", the # of credits, and the college they came from, no time frame.

I will work on editing down my resume a bit as well as increasing the font to a min. of 11. I am still a bit torn on the 1-page resume as I have heard a lot of individuals (on PS as well) and other resources say that 2-page resumes are totally ok to submit for law schools. Mine is close to a full 2 page so I feel like I would be cutting out important information by editing out that much? I will continue to review and edit it to see if that is possible. I am not fully sure admissions consultants are in my budget, but I will look into that as well as that would be great.

Thank you again!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Graham!

You can list your 3-credit course on your resume specifying that you attended during high school but received the credits in 2016, as Adam suggested. Receiving college credit for a course taken in high school is a fairly common scenario and shouldn't confuse the admissions counselors.

It's hard to say for sure without seeing your resume and the experiences you're including on it. Generally, if you are coming straight from undergrad or just a couple of years after undergrad, you should be able to keep it to one page (this is also the usual expectation from employers). If you think it absolutely has to be two pages, make sure that everything you are including is necessary and important so that it doesn't seem like you are just trying to pad it.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your applications!

Best,
Kelsey