LSAT on resume

[Miss P]

So you're suggesting that it's better to leave the LSAT off the resume because it might signal to overachieving interviewers that I did poorly in college?

I think that's also a risk I'm willing to take - I do have a scholarship, although it's not an endowed one, and I go to school near where much of my family lives.

Just list your scholarship.  People who care will know that it means you have an above-average LSAT for your school.

This is not the only reason I'm suggesting you leave the LSAT off your resume.  I agree with the other posters here: it will really turn some people off and it is unlikely to draw anyone in.  It also poses the risk of raising a red flag about your work ethic.  All of these are good reasons.  But you seem resolved to do things your way, and I guess you'll see how that goes. 

Thanks for the advice, by the way, and of course I'm doing my best to do well at law school. Law exams, unfortunately, are not standardized.

Good luck.

[jmcarothers]

I just want to reiterate that if it turns anyone off, that's not going to have a lasting impact on your career.
If some interviewers are concerned that you weren't a hard worker in college and won't give you an interview *because* of your high LSAT, well that sucks. There's just as good a chance that someone will think you're bright and give you an interview because of your high LSAT score. Or perhaps the chance of this latter possibility is significantly lower. It still exists, and it makes sense to roll the dice. Because the fact is that hundreds of virtually identical 1Ls are sending in applications for very few positions, and a high LSAT score sets you apart. If you don't include it, you're unlikely to get any interviews; if you do, you may have a slightly better chance of getting one.

[Miss P]

I just want to reiterate that if it turns anyone off, that's not going to have a lasting impact on your career.
If some interviewers are concerned that you weren't a hard worker in college and won't give you an interview *because* of your high LSAT, well that sucks. There's just as good a chance that someone will think you're bright and give you an interview because of your high LSAT score. Or perhaps the chance of this latter possibility is significantly lower. It still exists, and it makes sense to roll the dice. Because the fact is that hundreds of virtually identical 1Ls are sending in applications for very few positions, and a high LSAT score sets you apart. If you don't include it, you're unlikely to get any interviews; if you do, you may have a slightly better chance of getting one.

I don't know where you get the bolded.  99% of law students do not include their LSAT scores on their resumes.  They get interviews.  js.

[jmcarothers]

99% of 1Ls get interviews for summer associate positions? I thought it was more like 2%.

ETA: I'll also be sending packages to courts, government agencies, and public interest orgs. The percentage 1Ls who get interviews at any of these places is still low.

[Miss P]

99% of 1Ls get interviews for summer associate positions? I thought it was more like 2%.

Oh, I didn't realize you were confining your search to SA positions.  (And I thought everyone applied for those the first week of December.  I don't really know about these things as I am a public interest type.)  I also didn't mean to imply that 99% of 1Ls get interviews (certainly not for SA positions).  Since we all know about your superior reading comprehension, we can chalk that one up to my sloppy wording.

[jmcarothers]

Was that this year? Also, please let me know where I've gone wrong instead of saying I have, if possible.

ETA: Also, the LSAT is absolutely my only relevant credential, and that's certainly why I want to include it. I don't think that makes me evil.

[Miss P]

Also, please let me know where I've gone wrong instead of saying I have, if possible.

Look, I don't think any of us are trying to be jerks.  If you're getting kind of a bad vibe here, perhaps it should give you some indication of how feminine hygiene product-y people think it is to list your LSAT score on your resume.

[jmcarothers]

(1) Smart can never hurt.
(2) This is an awful market - firms are laying of first years and rescinding 2L offers.
(3) Putting your LSAT score on your resume doesn't mean that you're automatically considered to be unpleasant to be around
(4) I don't have latin honors for UG, but maybe one or two people will think I'm more likely to get them because my LSAT score's 10 points above my school's 75th percentile (whether this is a valid thought is immaterial; I'm just interested in getting my foot in the door)
(5) This whole "social stigma" ding notion is highly suspect. You noted yourself that Yale's career services doesn't ban the practice. They say some employers find the information somewhat useful. And by including it in their info sheet, they even implicitly encourage people with 180s to put that on their resume (perhaps).

LSAT doesn't fit into that rubric, and your inclusion of it draws attention to your low undergrad GPA (signaling you won't put in the hours) and gives you questionable "flight to China" value for office dynamics.

But that's not the only possible interpretation of the high LSAT score at lower ranked school. That's especially true in my case, where (1) I have a decent scholarship and (2) I have ties to the area the school's in.

[jmcarothers]

I suppose I've hit a nerve.

[Miss P]

I suppose I've hit a nerve.

You haven't hit a nerve; we just think you're being a bit arrogant.