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
11 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 post23 Sep 2021
Podcast: Interview with Penn Law Admissions Dean Renee Post
In this episode, Spivey Consulting's Derek Meeker — a former Penn Law Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid — interviews Renee Post, Penn Law's current and long-standing Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid.
Read full post09 Sep 2021
Law School Application Fee Waivers: Part 3 (Need-Based Fee Waivers)
This is Part 3 of our series on law school application fee waivers. For Part 1 is about unsolicited fee waivers that applicants can receive through LSAC’s Candidate Referral Service (CRS). Part 2 is about asking a law school for an application fee waiver. Part 3 covers need-based fee waivers.
Read full post06 Sep 2021
Podcast: Bad Law School Admissions Advice & More with UMich Law's Dean Z
In this episode, Mike has a conversation with Dean Sarah Zearfoss (also known as "Dean Z") about a number of admissions topics, including the prevalence of bad admissions advice and how to identify and avoid it.
Read full post03 Sep 2021
Interview with Mike Spivey on Admissions Predictions, Imposter Syndrome, and Things Law Schools Could Do Better
Mike Spivey was recently interviewed by Dean Patty Roberts for the EdUp Experience podcast — you can find that episode here.
Read full post03 Sep 2021
Top 8 Most Common Law School Application Mistakes
We were recently asked about the most common mistakes that we see applicants making, and below are our top eight.
Read full post30 Aug 2021
Podcast: The Past & Future of Legal Education, with Reuters Legal Reporter Karen Sloan
In this episode, Mike speaks with long-time legal education reporter Karen Sloan about her experiences and stories and the future of the legal field.
Read full post25 Aug 2021
Podcast: Interview with UChicago Law Admissions Dean Ann Perry
In this podcast episode, Mike interviews the long-time Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at University of Chicago Law School, Ann Perry.
Read full post21 Aug 2021
Podcast: Interview with Author on Resilience & Former Biglaw Hiring Partner Clint Schumacher
In this podcast, Mike interviews Clint Schumacher — author, podcaster, and former biglaw hiring partner — on resilience in the legal profession, imposter syndrome in law school, what hiring partners look for in applicants, and more.
Read full post