Advice

The Curious Reality of Letters of Recommendation

I'm going to share in this blog an admissions truth that you've probably never heard before and that might sound counterintuitive to you: Letters of Recommendation don't particularly help. Sounds odd, right? Why would all law schools ask for them if they don’t? And why wouldn’t they help – after all they are about the only part of the application that isn’t either coming directly from you (e.g. application, essays, interview, etc.) or a direct result of your performance and track record (e.g.

Applicant Considerations in an "Up" Cycle

This cycle will be more competitive than the last for many law school applicants. Indeed, we thought this might be the case way back in March [http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/predicting-the-20152016-law-school-admissions-cycle/] and the June (up 10% for first-time test takers) and October (up 7.1 %) data coupled with conversations we have had with numerous law schools (almost all up) would seem to put an exclamation point on it. More applicants ostensibly equates to more competition (a bit on

To ED or Not to ED?

Early Decision programs are not new, but they have been gaining popularity among both law schools and applicants in recent cycles. We will address the value of such programs momentarily, but first let us define what “Early Decision” really means. An Early Decision program is essentially a contract between an applicant and a school – the only hardline often being that “if admitted, you will immediately withdraw all applications to other law schools to which you have submitted an application” with

Navigating the Law School Admissions Process Freshman Year to Admission

33 Things That Annoy Admissions Officers and Hiring Partners

(Updated 5/26/2017) We've reached out (three times now!) to a number of friends at law schools and at firms and companies to see what things applicants did that made them grouchy (pro tip — it isn’t in your best interest to make them grouchy!). This is what we got; not surprisingly, a good deal of the items mentioned are related to emails. Law School Admissions/Employment Pet Peeves 1. When they launch into a sales presentation about themselves the moment we meet. -CEO of Company

Q&A with Michigan Law Admissions Dean Sarah Zearfoss (ongoing series updated June 24)

June 26th update and joint answer There seems to be a perception that law school admissions are the most numbers-oriented of the professional graduate schools (i.e., law, business, and medical). Is there merit to that view? If so, why do you think that is? Mike Spivey Response: I was recently asked this from a B-School admissions consultant, sans the medical school allusion, so I am going to jump in with my response to her which I hope will address this question, albeit without reference to m

2015 Forum/Fair Recruitment Schedule and Advice

First, LSAC’s schedule of events [http://www.lsac.org/jd/choosing-a-law-school/forums-and-other-events]. Now, our advice: Admissions Forums and Admissions Fairs matter. I would argue that as attendance at these events has waned steadily in the past 12 years, they now matter more than ever for the simple reason you can make a last impression. Still, there are enough people at each law school’s table where you will have to do it the right  way. Here is how: 1. First impressions matter Research

"Help, I failed the LSAT" June edition

The dust has cleared from June’s quiz and yet again and again (I’ve posted this article twice now) I have fielded phone calls from people who tell me they failed the LSAT. I’ve also heard thousands of times, “I way underperformed, I am doomed.” Indeed, we will hear from about 50-75 people in the next 2 days who think just that. There are hundreds more out there who think the same right now. For so many reasons, you can’t fail the LSAT. And because I have seen the following scenario unfold so m

Test day advice from a 99th percentile scorer

Here are some pointers for the test day, and what you can expect when you get to the test center: 1. Don’t expect to get started right away. Orchestrating such a large scale test involves a lot of logistics, sign-ins, seat assigning, and distribution of paper-work. While it varies between test centers, you can expect to bubble your first answer no sooner than an hour after arriving, often closer to two. If you’re prone to anxiety, plan accordingly, no need to panic in the p

LSAT State of Mind

(Last updated 9/5/18) If you are reading this, there is strong likelihood that soon you will be making the LSAC sponsored, law school endorsed pilgrimage to one of the many hundreds of testing centers to take the LSAT. If that alone doesn’t sound intimidating, LSAC and USNWR certainly makes it so. Bring this, not that. Wear this, not that (did you know that a guy once tried to take the test in a Spider Man suit?). LSAC themselves would pretty much not be able to sneak anything into a test site,