Friday Reader Poll: Should You Go Greek on Your Résumé?

A future law student was wondering whether she should list her Greek affiliation and leadership roles on her résumé when applying to law school. We wanted to know what our readers thought about this proposition. Should she go Greek on her résumé?

Most of our readers know this about me already, but in case you didn’t, I was a sorority girl in college (hardy har har, but I wasn’t an Omega Mu). I joined Kappa Alpha Theta during my freshman year at Lehigh, and I had some of the best times of my life as a result. And no, when I was pledging, the sisters didn’t circle my fat with a marker (there weren’t enough markers).

Anyway, being a member of a Greek life organization brought me a lot of fun times and awesome opportunities when I was in college. I learned how to funnel, and I turned into one of the best flip cup players around. I got to be my sorority’s pledgemaster one year, and I was in charge of recruitment the next. I accomplished a lot of great things in my sorority leadership positions, and you better believe I listed them on my résumé.

The reason I bring this up today is because a future law student is wondering whether she should list her Greek affiliation and leadership roles on her résumé when applying to law school….

There is a major debate going on over at Corporette, where a reader asked:

I’m a current undergrad applying to law schools this fall and am finalizing my résumé. I have a fairly senior professor/administrator who insists that students not put their Greek affiliation anywhere on their résumé because he worries that being in a sorority/fraternity (or even the “wrong one”) could hurt a chance of a job/admissions offer.

I held a leadership role in my sorority (one where there was no committee under me, but I did initiate and successfully complete some large projects) and was also a recruitment counselor for Greek life for two years (a highly competitive position at my school). If I omit these positions, my résumé is rather sparse in the leadership category.

Do you have any suggestions? Should I say that I was in Greek life, but leave the name of the sorority off? Or can I hope that I won’t be judged to be a shallow, snooty “sorority girl” before they meet me?

I’ve written previously about the benefits of Greek life for networking and job search purposes over at Lawyerist. But listing your affiliation on a résumé for the purposes of applying to law school is a little bit different.

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As much of a slam piece as you are, do law school admissions people care about the fact that you won Theta Chi Sweetheart during Greek Week? Uhh, no.

Do they care that you caught the biggest and most brotastic bass ever during your frat’s annual fishing trip? Again, no.

But they might care if you actually did something in your fraternity or sorority besides blackout on a daily basis or dress the most provocatively for the annual CEOs and Corporate Hoes party.

Did you do anything meaningful as a member of your Greek life organization? Did you perform any volunteer work through your fraternity or sorority? Were you on the executive board of the Panhellenic Council or Interfraternity Council? Were you nominated for any awards by your school’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs? Things like that are safe to list on your résumé, for sure.

If you can prove that you were more than just a fratty d-bag or a sorostitute on your résumé, then you should go for it. And even if that’s all you were, then maybe you should still consider listing your Greek life affiliation on your résumé, because you never know who could be reading it.

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Readers, what do you think? Should you go Greek on your résumé?

When applying to law school, should you list your Greek life affiliation on your résumé?

  • Of course, bro. (64%, 740 Votes)
  • Hell no. (36%, 416 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,156

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Greek Affiliations and Your Resume [Corporette]