Advice

11 Sep 2013

Forums & Fairs: Win, lose or draw?

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 on first impressions in a business context shows that we are not forming a single first impression but rather two. One, we a

Read full post
04 Sep 2013

...A word or two (words to enjoy, words that annoy)

As I was cleaning out my office at Harvard Law School, I came across a list that I used to keep during file review season: my list of words. It started as a list of words/phrases that I didn’t like, but then I thought that was too negative, so I added a list of words/phrases that I like. I have always loved the art of language, the sound and meaning of words to convey facts, emotions, subtle hints of attitude, etc. After reading thousands of personal statements, additional statements, resumes an

Read full post
31 Aug 2013

Advice From Recent Law School Graduate

Many thanks to this recent graduate from Fordham Law for sending me this email for a blog article! Want to blow off some steam? Write a blog, send it my way, and I will likely publish it! In fact this is the third time it’s happened and I’d like to keep the streak going. 5 Things I Learned About in Law School 1. Don’t get down on yourself:  If you are attending law school right now, you have every reason to be proud of yourself.  It was not an easy process to get into law school — you

Read full post
14 Aug 2013

How about applying early(er) in the cycle. Did it ever help? Does it help now?

Again, from the website and work of Daniel Planview aka elterrible78 on top-law-schools.com @http://admissionsbythenumbers.blogspot.com/ . All of the same disclaimers apply to my most recent blog, (As in the last blog I have edited down a small amount of his posts)  and I will provide a separate post interpreting this and projecting forward by 8/15/2013. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, a little explanation.  In organizing the data, I bro

Read full post
01 Aug 2013

...and the OCI Madness begins

A deranged student sent the following email to a close friend and CSO officer this morning. Redacted: I woke up this morning and was disappointed to see that I did not have any job offers from any of the firms I applied to last night. Some of them have had my application materials for nearly 12 hours now, so I went ahead and sent them all very angry and profane letters of retraction. So here is his dilemma. How do you get all of the hiring partners to click on the user recalled email in their

Read full post
08 Jul 2013

Majoring in Minor Things

When you are a Dean of Admissions, or an Admissions Consultant for that matter, seemingly innocuous everyday sights have a way of relating back to the admissions process. I saw this shirt and it had me thinking how annoyed admissions officers get when applicants confuse “you’re” from “your” or “there” from “their.” That, then, got me thinking about how annoyances to admissions officers can make all the difference between admit and deny. In other words, you are clicking away, getting to know the

Read full post
02 Jul 2013

5 Pieces of Advice From a Recent 1L

A rising 2L was kind enough to submit this piece of advice for everyone heading to Law School. It is both humorous and credited — and much appreciated. Feel free to submit your advice to us at info@spiveyconsulting.com. If it is good, it’ll be on here (…and then up on the top of your resume too). Five observations from a 1L #5: There is such a thing as too much Chipotle. Crafty universities have used the free lunch for decades to keep students from rioting over tuition. Law School is no diffe

Read full post
11 Jun 2013

How to Survive the LSAT Score Release Wait

(Guest blog from someone who has been there, and scored in the upper 170s!) If you’re reading this, you’re likely sitting at your desk pondering each LSAT question that you can remember, analyzing score charts, and trying to predict the curve. As a test taker who has survived three score release waits, I’ve compiled some suggestions to help you get through this anxious time. 1. Try to relax. You worked hard to prepare for the LSAT and you gave it your best effort, you deserve to unwind no

Read full post
16 May 2013

Want to make a really good first impression to an admissions dean or hiring partner?

This is a simple way to differentiate yourself, yet my experience has been that only about 1% of applicants and 5% of law students do it. But 50% of professionals do. Before I reveal it, a very quick backstory is necessary. Without this understanding, I think it is hard to genuinely “get” what I am about to say. The backstory is simply that professionals are really busy, often stressed, and at times frantic. Moreover, they know all of this. Anything tedious that requires a shred of time increas

Read full post
23 Apr 2013

Mistake #1: You are too nice

See previous – Mistake #2: Shangri-Law [http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/mistake-2-shangri-law/] This was an easy “#1 mistake for 2012/2013″ because while the amount of scholarship money available is on the rise, I have not seen a corresponding increase in the amount of leverage admitted students exercise or sophistication with which they negotiate. Indeed, if anything, I have seen an increase in anxiety this year — perhaps because there is more money on the line. Even the advice of some of the

Read full post