Fox Fact: Foxes can retract their claws as cats do, have vertical pupils (like cats) which allow them to see better in the dark, and have cat-like sensitive whiskers.
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Blog & Podcasts
08 Jan 2022
Law School Application Review Services: We're Available!
We wanted to provide a quick update on our availability for current-cycle (2021-2022) admissions consulting clients!
Read full post27 Dec 2021
Law Schools Planning to Start the Spring 2022 Semester Remotely
The following law schools are planning to start the spring 2022 semester remotely in order to combat the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Read full post27 Dec 2021
What's the difference between a law school "waitlist" vs. "hold" vs. "hold tight email"?
Most applicants understand the basics of what it means to be waitlisted, but in this blog, we wanted to give a quick look at why and how law schools use their waitlists from an insider perspective, then outline the differences between a waitlist and a "hold" or a "hold tight email."
Read full post22 Dec 2021
Podcast: Diary of a Law School Applicant's Cycle Episode 2 (The Waiting)
In this episode, we continue our interview series with "Barb," a current applicant.
Read full post08 Dec 2021
Podcast: Cycle Volume Update & Conjecture On Where the Cycle Might Be Heading
In this episode, we talk about where this current admissions cycle (2021-2022) stands so far in terms of applicant volume, what that means, what we predict for the rest of the cycle, and some actionable admissions advice based on what we know so far.
Read full post30 Nov 2021
Could the Omicron Variant Cause Colleges and Graduate Schools to Go Fully Remote Again?
As scientists race to unravel how serious of a global health concern the Omicron variant is, a rash of media attention has us now being asked, "Could Omicron lead to colleges and graduate schools going fully remote?"
Read full post24 Nov 2021
Podcast: "Safety Schools" and Making a Law School Backup Plan
In this episode, Mike and our consultant Danielle Early talk about safety schools and backup plans.
Read full post16 Nov 2021
Podcast: What Makes for a Successful Law School Interview?
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike has a conversation with our consultant Karen Buttenbaum (former Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School) about how to prepare for law school admissions interviews, best practices, common pitfalls, and other advice for the interviewing process.
Read full post11 Nov 2021
Podcast: Will Law Schools Be Able to Maintain Their Medians This Cycle?
In this episode, Mike predicts whether law schools will be able to maintain their high medians from last year, and how we expect that to play out across the course of the cycle. He also discusses how this will impact splitters and reverse splitters.
Read full post08 Nov 2021
How to Survive a Kira Interview
Even in the Before Times (back before COVID-19 turned the word “Zoom” from a fun thing puppies did at dog parks to the bane of my existence), there was the Kira: an online asynchronous interview platform utilized by Northwestern, Cornell, and Texas, amidst others.
Read full post02 Nov 2021
2021-2022 Application Cycle as of November 1st
We're not sure where the time has gone, but it's already November 1st, and we're a couple months into our 2021-2022 application cycle.
Read full post02 Nov 2021
Diary of a Law School Applicant's Cycle: Episode 1 (Pre-Submission)
In this episode, Mike interviews a current applicant (who we'll call "Barb") about her application process so far. Barb is a splitter with a 176 LSAT and a 3.1 GPA, and she's also a non-traditional applicant with 10+ years of full-time work experience after college.
Read full post27 Oct 2021
October 2021 LSAT Score Notes
Disclaimer: It's still early. Data is most volatile early and things can change. But I suspect, highly, this cycle won't look like last cycle in respect to number of high scorers 170+, and I also think it is likely applicants (maybe not applications though) will end up down from last year.
Read full post26 Oct 2021
Podcast: Dr. Anna Lembke, Author of Dopamine Nation & Featured on The Social Dilemma
Dr. Anna Lembke is a Stanford University psychiatrist, author of the New York Times best-seller Dopamine Nation, and a featured expert on the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma.
Read full post19 Oct 2021
Podcast: Justin Ishbia — Last WL Admit to Successful Major Donor
In 2001, Justin Ishbia was the last person Vanderbilt Law admitted off of their waitlist. He had been practice testing in the 170s and aiming for a top three law school, but when he ended up with a mid-150s LSAT score instead, he had to adjust his expectations.
Read full post12 Oct 2021
Podcast: Diversity & Adversity in Law School Admissions, with Sydney Montgomery
In this episode, Mike has a conversation with our consultant Derek Meeker (former Dean of Admissions at Penn Law) and Sydney Montgomery (founder of S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting) about the role of diversity and adversity in law school admissions.
Read full post05 Oct 2021
Podcast: Should You Do a Law School Admissions Interview?
In this podcast, Mike discusses the factors to consider when you receive an invitation to interview for a law school you've applied to.
Read full post02 Oct 2021
First Look. 2021-2022 Application Cycle Volume as of October 1st
LSAC has posted our first look at 2021-2022 applicant volume. As of today, there are 12.6% more law school applicants so far this cycle than there were at this time last year. For comparison, at this time last year there were 32.8% more applicants than the cycle before that.
Read full post30 Sep 2021
Podcast: The Challenge of Self-Doubt in Higher Education, with Terry Real
In this episode, world-renowned author, speaker, teacher, and therapist Terry Real discusses the emotional health hazards of grad school and law school and how to stay human during these stressful and highly evaluative periods of life.
Read full post25 Sep 2021
Our First 2021-2022 Cycle Data
We have our first glimpse at 2021-2022 cycle volume. As of 9/23 there were about 6,000 law school applicants so far this year. That's about 15% more than last cycle's ~5,100, and 50% more than the 2019-2020 cycle's ~3,900.
Read full post