We get a lot of questions from potential applicants about what we look for in applicants. Among these questions are always concerns about how to become a well-rounded applicant. How many extracurricular activities do you need? What kind of point system do we use to calculate? Should an applicant be involved in work, two volunteer positions, a sport, and a community organization? How many volunteer hours are needed?
While it’s true that all of these things look good on a resume and a law school application, don’t run out and do community involvement just to do community involvement. Don’t count your hours and activities as if we had a point system. We don’t. We do like well-rounded applicants. However, that doesn’t generally come from artificially padding one’s experience just to tick some boxes. Instead, pick up volunteer shifts because you want to make a difference and you feel you are doing so. Play sports because you love movement and the game. Become involved in your community because it’s important to you. Do things that you are passionate about because they bring you joy, empowerment, peace, or a sense of purpose. If you do, that will shine through on your application.