Student Body President in College

[Anonymous]

Student body president is objectively great networking. The college president and board of trustees will know the kid by name and interact with them regularly.

Also, it is a memorable activity on a bio that can likely stay on well into adulthood.

Some anonymous poster asserting it is not impressive is funny. Oh okay, since DCUM says it doesn’t matter…

Let the student body president put it on their resume or app and see what doors are opened. When I interviewed candidates at the White House, we definitely called back a student body president because of that role. Also, agree with earlier poster about Truman scholarships.

[Anonymous]

Lol. People on here are so snide sometimes. It's impressive. Yes, even to a law firm. It shows you can get votes and network. A big part of law is sales, and it's harder to find a rainmaker personality than it is to find someone who was on law review at a T-10. The student body president of my U became mayor of a major city. Also, law schools have student body presidents, too, to run functions that the law school admin doesn't want to have to do.

[Anonymous]

A law firm would love a student body president type but probably wouldn't expect them to stay long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an EC.

It's not impressive, but it's a valuable experience for learning politics and sales

What??? It IS impressive AF!

Among sales and politics types, sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an EC.

It's not impressive, but it's a valuable experience for learning politics and sales

What??? It IS impressive AF!

Among sales and politics types, sure.

I applied to law school with a science PhD and having been student body president in undergrad. I think that combo canceled any negative stereotypes or assumptions that I was an anti-social scientist or lacked the ability to network.

[Anonymous]

I knew a guy who wore a Student Body Inspector t-shirt during college. Not sure how he turned out, but he was a hit at frat parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an EC.

It's not impressive, but it's a valuable experience for learning politics and sales

What??? It IS impressive AF!

Among sales and politics types, sure.

I applied to law school with a science PhD and having been student body president in undergrad. I think that combo canceled any negative stereotypes or assumptions that I was an anti-social scientist or lacked the ability to network.

Irrelevant today when law schools care only about high LSAt and high GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an EC.

It's not impressive, but it's a valuable experience for learning politics and sales

What??? It IS impressive AF!

Among sales and politics types, sure.

I applied to law school with a science PhD and having been student body president in undergrad. I think that combo canceled any negative stereotypes or assumptions that I was an anti-social scientist or lacked the ability to network.

Irrelevant today when law schools care only about high LSAt and high GPA.

Please stop parroting this information which is from last century. With grade inflation and the LSAT getting easier, there are too many candidates with this combination, top schools want more than that. You must be living under a rock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an EC.
It's not impressi
ve, but it's a valuable experience for learning politics and sales

It's pretty impressive; college student governments tend to have control over very large student activities budgets.

It's impressive but law school apps are all about GPA and LSAT because that's what the law schools report to the ABA and USNWR.

This. It’s irrelevant for law schools admissions for T14 which care only for last and gpa

BS. Lsat and gpa are tablestakes . Especially for T5 law they want leadership in ECs and impact in the community in addition to something unique to bring to the table. President is impressive and helps , but not enough.

[Anonymous]

Some university student body presidents can easily become politically connected. Involved in politics. That could be valuable a law career long term. Though it’s hard to translate into a better legal job at 26 or 27.

[Anonymous]

From personal experience (I was a student body vice president), it is really school-specific.

At some schools, student government is a fringe domain, with most students not caring who leads the student government. Folks that rise up in those situations usually don't make a big impact later in life.

At other schools, student government is a big thing, and the leaders are indeed impressive both in school and later in life.

So YMMV, in other words. It looks nice to have this on the resume, but after a couple of years out, it doesn't have much of an impact.

Now what really looks impressive would be leadership of the inter-fraternity and sorority council, because there is real $ and impact at stake (such as recognition/derecognition of chapters (e.g., "double secret probation") and the DC has to deal with different interest groups. Also impressive is membership on committees administering discipline or funding/recognition of student organizations, again because the DC has to deal with real stakes.

NB, the student body president I served under later became a high school lacrosse coach. Others in the student government became senator, cabinet secretary and governor.

Meanwhile, I'm just another BigLaw refugee in the DC burbs (but happy with my career and cash pile).

[Anonymous]

I don't know about law school, but I know someone who was president of a 40k undergrad school. That's so impressive! It's almost like a mayor of a medium sized town. She has used it to network and now has a very impressive career in public policy. It put her communication skills light years ahead of her peers (of course, they were already great or she wouldn't have managed to be in that role).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I knew a guy who wore a Student Body Inspector t-shirt during college. Not sure how he turned out, but he was a hit at frat parties.

thank you - this forum needs your levity!