I’m about to start my second semester of freshman year, and the only thing I’m really involved in at the moment is a political internship type thing, but I am in charge of all the interns on campus so it has kept me super busy and I wanted to adjust to the workload before getting involved in more things in fear of jeopardizing my GPA. The internship will continue over the summer and end in August, and I have an internship at a law firm set up for next summer as long as my GPA doesn’t plummet, but I am trying to make a plan of what to get involved in sophomore year. I am planning on joining a volunteer group (which I will also get involved in second semester of this year) and I will participate in a program where I basically mentor a refugee child, but I am not sure if this is enough or I guess “special” enough since t14 law schools look for people who really stand out. If someone could tell me what got them/ someone they know into a top law school or just has advice on involvement in general, that would be great. Thank you.
The only law school that truly cares about ECs is Yale. They are so small and top of the top-dogs, that they can pick and choose from all the high-stat applicants. (Olympic athlete. Professional rock musician. …)
Two other small schools, Stanford and Chicago, also look at ECs. But NOTHING trumps GPA+LSAT.
So, to answer your question, just get involved in something of interest that won’t hurt your GPA. If it’s of interest, it may become a passion, and be relevant for a good essay topic. Otherwise, join fun clubs.
Any extracurriculars should be connected to your life’s goals and thus to your intended use of your JD. You can mention them on your application to the extent that they show why you want to go to law school and be a lawyer. That’s what I did, and I went to a top-3 law school.
Bluebayou is correct as usual.