St. Albans School - how big a deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At law school, we were all advised to include our high schools for resumes for jobs in the City or town where the high school is located. This was Harvard Law school, so it wasn't as though we were grasping to find some school to gain us a privileged edge that was lacking. The reason for including the high school was to indicate in the resume, without the firm needing to read through a cover letter, that we were from the town where the job was located, which would make it seem we would be more likely to stay. Especially in transient cities like Washington, employers may be more interested in hiring people they believe will remain long-term, rather than get DC experience then move back to their home towns. It made sense to me, so I included my area high school on my resume for DC law firms, but not on resumes going to firms in other cities. All turned out fine.

If that is what Harvard is advising you, then you appear to be the only one listening.

I've been a lawyer in a top DC law firm for decades and over the years have probably interviewed a thousand law students for jobs, including many, many, many Harvard students. I can probably count on one hand the number of applicants who listed their high schools, and each time it turned me off. Any Harvard Law student who lists his or her high school runs a very high risk of being written off by the interviewer as a schmuck. Why take the chance when there is simply no need for it? If you really want to let the interviewer know where you are from, put your "permanent" address side by side with your school address on the resume. I see that on lots of resumes.

Exactly! That's how you do it, not by putting your HS down.

And to those that want to continue arguing this point: What happens to those that attended better known boarding schools? STA happens to be a 'biggish' fish in the little DC pond, but it's nothing compared to what some of the Harvard Alum attended (Exeter, Andover, etc etc)

STA alums are listing it as a bragging right, not to identified themselves as local kids. The same reason those graduated from Exeter/Andover would list that info on their resumes!

[Anonymous]

I have one doctor who has TJHSST on his website. I have always found that off-putting and a bit weird.

[Anonymous]

Look, as this thread has confirmed, for every interviewer who is impressed by your high school there is another who isn't. Reason enough to not do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At law school, we were all advised to include our high schools for resumes for jobs in the City or town where the high school is located. This was Harvard Law school, so it wasn't as though we were grasping to find some school to gain us a privileged edge that was lacking. The reason for including the high school was to indicate in the resume, without the firm needing to read through a cover letter, that we were from the town where the job was located, which would make it seem we would be more likely to stay. Especially in transient cities like Washington, employers may be more interested in hiring people they believe will remain long-term, rather than get DC experience then move back to their home towns. It made sense to me, so I included my area high school on my resume for DC law firms, but not on resumes going to firms in other cities. All turned out fine.

If that is what Harvard is advising you, then you appear to be the only one listening.

I've been a lawyer in a top DC law firm for decades and over the years have probably interviewed a thousand law students for jobs, including many, many, many Harvard students. I can probably count on one hand the number of applicants who listed their high schools, and each time it turned me off. Any Harvard Law student who lists his or her high school runs a very high risk of being written off by the interviewer as a schmuck. Why take the chance when there is simply no need for it? If you really want to let the interviewer know where you are from, put your "permanent" address side by side with your school address on the resume. I see that on lots of resumes.

Exactly! That's how you do it, not by putting your HS down.

And to those that want to continue arguing this point: What happens to those that attended better known boarding schools? STA happens to be a 'biggish' fish in the little DC pond, but it's nothing compared to what some of the Harvard Alum attended (Exeter, Andover, etc etc)

STA alums are listing it as a bragging right, not to identified themselves as local kids. The same reason those graduated from Exeter/Andover would list that info on their resumes!

Not how you do it if your parents gave moved out if area, or if for any other reason you fontvwsntvyour parents' address to show up as a contact address hit you. Good God, what's whronc with you very insecure people? Always looking to put people down and assume the worst, especially if you assume someone is privileged. Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At law school, we were all advised to include our high schools for resumes for jobs in the City or town where the high school is located. This was Harvard Law school, so it wasn't as though we were grasping to find some school to gain us a privileged edge that was lacking. The reason for including the high school was to indicate in the resume, without the firm needing to read through a cover letter, that we were from the town where the job was located, which would make it seem we would be more likely to stay. Especially in transient cities like Washington, employers may be more interested in hiring people they believe will remain long-term, rather than get DC experience then move back to their home towns. It made sense to me, so I included my area high school on my resume for DC law firms, but not on resumes going to firms in other cities. All turned out fine.

Was told the same thing at another law school on the other side of the country. At least for law firm hiring it was seen as a big deal to have city ties -- certainly that might not be the case in other industries, but for law it was a thing. And when I was on the hiring committee at a firm in DC, it did help when people (I mainly remember Sidwell showing up) listed their DC independent school. My guess is that it can help and it wouldn't hurt -- OP's snarky post aside, a great resume won't get thrown in the trash bc an applicant listed their local HS.

[Anonymous]

lots of people who are from the area put their high schools on their resumes (public and private) through part of their 20s -- I see it all the time & can be a general point of interest or conversation starter. As in, "oh, our son goes to Richard Montgomery - they played your old school (WJ) just last week in soccer."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lots of people who are from the area put their high schools on their resumes (public and private) through part of their 20s -- I see it all the time & can be a general point of interest or conversation starter. As in, "oh, our son goes to Richard Montgomery - they played your old school (WJ) just last week in soccer."

Agreed. Just don't think it's that big a deal for young people applying for jobs in this area to list any HS, and I too have seen people list both public and private schools in this way.

[Anonymous]

Putting a prep school on a resume is a cry for help. I went to a well known New England boarding school and to be honest the first time I'd heard of anyone putting a prep school on a resume or a LinkedIn page was when I arrived in DC as a forty year old. I have colleagues from work who told me that in Baltimore where you prepped is more prominent in your career than where you went to college. That is crazy. St Albans is a good school, but getting into mentioning it as a professional in a professional environment is a little creepy, and is a lot insecure. A gentleman doesn't need to let everyone know where he went to prep school if not asked.

[Anonymous]

Agree with both 15:19 and 15:26.

For young person still in college or just got out of college, it's one more piece of info on that resume.

But once you finished your first internship or job out of college, listing HS comes across as immature and desperate.

I am a lead recruiter for a Fortune 500 company: trust me when I tell you this, DON'T list your HS on the resume! Resume, by nature, is already a piece of document with lots of fluff as it is. Adding HS when you are in your mid 20's or older just make you come across as a joke.

Unless of course, HS is your highest degree earned then by all mean, please do list it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with both 15:19 and 15:26.

For young person still in college or just got out of college, it's one more piece of info on that resume.

But once you finished your first internship or job out of college, listing HS comes across as immature and desperate.

I am a lead recruiter for a Fortune 500 company: trust me when I tell you this, DON'T list your HS on the resume! Resume, by nature, is already a piece of document with lots of fluff as it is. Adding HS when you are in your mid 20's or older just make you come across as a joke.

Unless of course, HS is your highest degree earned then by all mean, please do list it!

Or your SAT score. I know you went to college, so I assume you did OK on the SAT.

[Anonymous]

The best boys go to sta. they are smart and kind and have an excellent education.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure it's a nice elite group to be a part of, but I despise private school entitlement and judge negatively anyone who would be pretentious enough to include this on a CV once graduating college. I've had too many negative personal and professional experiences with people from very rich households.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best boys go to sta. they are smart and kind and have an excellent education.

Hear! Hear!

Never met a group of more jealous and petty harpies in all my born days.
Women (especially those in middle management positions) just can't bring themselves to cut people some slack. They're so small minded which is why I've always hated having female bosses. Men could not care less about being so narrow minded and vindictive. Seriously pathetic.

Signed, a woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At law school, we were all advised to include our high schools for resumes for jobs in the City or town where the high school is located. This was Harvard Law school, so it wasn't as though we were grasping to find some school to gain us a privileged edge that was lacking. The reason for including the high school was to indicate in the resume, without the firm needing to read through a cover letter, that we were from the town where the job was located, which would make it seem we would be more likely to stay. Especially in transient cities like Washington, employers may be more interested in hiring people they believe will remain long-term, rather than get DC experience then move back to their home towns. It made sense to me, so I included my area high school on my resume for DC law firms, but not on resumes going to firms in other cities. All turned out fine.

Was told the same thing at another law school on the other side of the country. At least for law firm hiring it was seen as a big deal to have city ties -- certainly that might not be the case in other industries, but for law it was a thing. And when I was on the hiring committee at a firm in DC, it did help when people (I mainly remember Sidwell showing up) listed their DC independent school. My guess is that it can help and it wouldn't hurt -- OP's snarky post aside, a great resume won't get thrown in the trash bc an applicant listed their local HS.

Decisions like these should require more than guesswork. As I said before, the different reactions that you're seeing here confirm that the practice is, at the very least, controversial. And as a partner in a major DC firm I have to tell you -- there is a real concern among hiring partners about hiring new lawyers who aren't afraid or unwilling to get their hands dirty. I'm not saying that STA or Sidwell grads are lazy or self-important, but I am saying that there are some lawyers involved in the hiring process who feel strongly that they'll get more bang for the buck from a scrappy kid who came from nothing and is hungry. So, again, why risk it? The upside is small, and the downside is potentially large.

If you want to make an exception for local high school graduates of fancy schools whose parents moved from the area after you graduated, fine. But you're being nit-picky.

I'm pretty sure that no one commenting on this thread has as much experience in this area (big law firm hiring in DC) as I do.

[Anonymous]

Calm down, 17:48.

Although the title and op of this thread started off listing STA as the example, but overall tone from rest of the responses are that lincluding HS, ANY HS, in one's resume, is not a good practice.

Don't be so defensive....unless you are one of those with STA stickers plastered all over your car! Then I take what I said back, offend away!