Should I put this on my resume or not?

[pipskicks]

Well I don't have a whole lot of extracurricular stuff on my resume, but I do have a lot of work experience.

That being said, of my few organizations I belong to, one is the NRA (and a couple more related ones like it).  I was going to put the NRA, and maybe Gun Owners of America as well because I am an avid shooter, no competitions yet but I do it for fun at the range, and I am also a strong 2nd amendment advocate, and I'm very well-read and strongly opinionated about it.

This all being said, I have had a couple of comments advising me that it may be looked at as being negative and that I should not list it on my resume.  I thought it may be something unique and it could be looked at as favorably, and I do think it's a positive thing that I have been very knoweldgeable about the subject politically; however, I don't know if the NRA necessarily causes them to think that.

Would you list it or not?

[Vannabunny]

I have them on mine, but paired with some of my (softer gentler) ECs, they don't seem too out there. I say use it, but that's just me

[Vannabunny]

I rally and raise funds and go to meeting and protests and the whole deal, but I'm not going into too much detial on my apps about it

[Tulane1L]

This is just my opinion, but if you do list it, make sure you just mention that you are a member, and do not point out how well-read and oppinionated you are on the subject.

Personally, I think that topics such as gun controll, abortion, capital punishment, ect. should be left off resumes because they are so controvercial and are liable to strike a nerve with someone on the admissions committee.  Even at traditonally conservative schools, there is always the possibility that someone will be reviewing your application is very much against what you are supporting.   Will they ding you for this?  Probably not.  But just in case, I would stay away from very controvercial topics in an application.  There is so much that you can emphasise about yourself to make yourself look favorable in a one page resume, why waste precious space with something that may or may not work in your advantage?

jsia

[sarmstrong806]

In my opinion an EC is not of much value unless you have considerable commitment/involvement/leadership.

You can sign up for 30 groups and clubs and organizations, but it won't mean much. The chances of a adcomm who is a fraid of guns would also scare me away from it.

[LawBoundLoser]

I think mere membership to the NRA is irrelevant to admissions decisions. Just as are my memberships to "Fascists in Disguise", "KKK Offspring, Allies and Advocates", and finally, "White and Angry". I'm fairly sure that adcomms would agree. Do you detect some joking here? Don't take it personally.

Moreover, adcomms are specifically advised to withhold substantive personal judgments about applicants. So, don't worry about alienating potential readers. They might even admire your commitment to controversial causes. Nevertheless, your political and intellectual efforts are absolutely relevant. State that you're an advocate, that you've attended demonstrations, that you're well-read, etc. All great lawyers have passions, and they know this.

[pipskicks]

They might even admire your commitment to controversial causes. Nevertheless, your political and intellectual efforts are absolutely relevant. State that you're an advocate, that you've attended demonstrations, that you're well-read, etc. All great lawyers have passions, and they know this.

ok well I wanted to show that I was an advocate, but I guess I wasn't sure how to.  Maybe just putting NRA and adding that I'm a 2nd amendment advocate is the way to go, I just wanted some advice on whether I should put it or not, and how to put it.  If I were to put it, maybe I should go with that, but all these comments on not risking it is getting me scared.  I wanted to give them a little personality and show my strong interest, but if the chances of it alienating adcomms is high then maybe I should let it go.

[Slow Blues]

They might even admire your commitment to controversial causes. Nevertheless, your political and intellectual efforts are absolutely relevant. State that you're an advocate, that you've attended demonstrations, that you're well-read, etc. All great lawyers have passions, and they know this.

ok well I wanted to show that I was an advocate, but I guess I wasn't sure how to.  Maybe just putting NRA and adding that I'm a 2nd amendment advocate is the way to go, I just wanted some advice on whether I should put it or not, and how to put it.  If I were to put it, maybe I should go with that, but all these comments on not risking it is getting me scared.  I wanted to give them a little personality and show my strong interest, but if the chances of it alienating adcomms is high then maybe I should let it go.

The safest thing to do would be to leave it off. If you leave it and get a rejection, expounding on your dedication to your 2nd amendment rights probably would not have put you over the top. But if you do put it on and get rejected, you can't really be sure that the person reviewing your app won't reject you simply because they may have lost their husband or someone else to gun violence. Considering you have a good amount of work experience, you don't have to take a chance with this. You can always start a club or organization after you get into school.

[spud1987]

They might even admire your commitment to controversial causes. Nevertheless, your political and intellectual efforts are absolutely relevant. State that you're an advocate, that you've attended demonstrations, that you're well-read, etc. All great lawyers have passions, and they know this.

ok well I wanted to show that I was an advocate, but I guess I wasn't sure how to.  Maybe just putting NRA and adding that I'm a 2nd amendment advocate is the way to go, I just wanted some advice on whether I should put it or not, and how to put it.  If I were to put it, maybe I should go with that, but all these comments on not risking it is getting me scared.  I wanted to give them a little personality and show my strong interest, but if the chances of it alienating adcomms is high then maybe I should let it go.

The safest thing to do would be to leave it off. If you leave it and get a rejection, expounding on your dedication to your 2nd amendment rights probably would not have put you over the top. But if you do put it on and get rejected, you can't really be sure that the person reviewing your app won't reject you simply because they may have lost their husband or someone else to gun violence. Considering you have a good amount of work experience, you don't have to take a chance with this. You can always start a club or organization after you get into school.

I agree with this, it seems to me like the cons outweigh the pros. 

[cassise]

I wouldn't list it for one reason:  being a member of the NRA is not going to help you in the slightest, but it might stick out to a liberal application reader. 

If something overs absolutely no help but a very slight amount of negative impact, it seems it is an overall liability and should thus be left off.