Example of a Personal Statement that Covered Diversity/Adversity Themes
We wanted to post the below example of a case when a separate diversity statement was not necessary because the personal statement already covered those elements.
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Personal Statements
23 Oct 2020
11 Sep 2020
Podcast: On the Prevalence of Bad Law School Admissions Advice
In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group's Anna Hicks and Mike Spivey discuss bad advice in law school admissions — who gives it, how to identify it, and how to determine which advice is worthwhile.
Read full post01 Aug 2020
Admissions Q&A with Mike Spivey
In this video, Spivey Consulting Group founder Mike Spivey answers questions from r/lawschooladmissions on strategies for splitters, international students, non-traditional applicants, reapplicants, and more.
Read full post23 Feb 2020
Podcast: How Mike Spivey Would Apply to Law School
This is a very encompassing podcast that features the A to Z of the law school admissions process.
Read full post26 Jul 2018
The top 10 most overly, wrongly, and (at times) annoyingly used words in law school applications
With more than 100 years of law school admissions experience between us, we have read over a hundred thousand law school essays and applications. That is an incredibly rewarding experience, but there can be times when you start to see the same words used, or used out of context, again and again. The following list of words includes some of the most overused and/or at times aggravating usage of words we see in applications. Keep in mind that not all of these words annoy every admissions officer —
Read full post02 Jun 2017
Spivey Consulting Sample Personal Statements
**Important Note (2024)** Law school admissions and the strategy behind optimizing applications change over time, and one significant part of our business is tracking and understanding these trends and developments. Since the time we published this blog in 2017, what law schools are looking for has changed. For example, one of these changes is a trend toward law schools wanting more of a strong, clear "why law" in personal statements. So please note that, while the below personal statements wer
Read full post01 Jun 2017
Another Personal Statement That Worked
This is another example about how writing about something differentiated and sincere about you — not targeted to an anonymous file reader — works. This client punched above her numbers at multiple schools and received several handwritten notes about how exceptional her Personal Statement was. Always remember, the target audience of the Personal Statement is you, not an admissions committee. With this advice alone you will do well. Enjoy! -Mike -------------------------------------------------
Read full post04 Jan 2017
An Exceptional Personal Statement
Another example [http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/homerun-law-school-personal-statement/] of an applicant who was admitted to their dream school and stood out with a wonderfully sincere and powerful Personal Statement. We will keep sharing exceptional examples of how to do the process -- these matter so much. -- Mike I sat, pondering both the murky nature of the grey slush on the floor and my own murky future as my university applications sat on an admission officer’s desk somewhere. Then I t
Read full post24 Sep 2016
Choosing a Personal Statement Topic
“But I don’t have a WOW factor.” It is that time of year when applicants realize the LSAT may not be the hardest part of the law school admissions process after all. For many, it will be writing the personal statement. This difficulty often stems from one of two sentiments: the perceived lack of a “wow factor” altogether or the perceived lack of a “wow factor” that is unique. Two of the most common questions we hear from law school applicants are: “But there’s nothing unique about me; I grew up
Read full post19 Jul 2016
Super Awesome Homerun A+ Law School Personal Statements
Added July 24th Not many applicants have such an incredibly gripping experience to convey, but everyone has their own emotionally important event. Put the reader IN your story, just like this client of ours did. -Mike The door slammed shut and now, it was just me, three other guys, and one dead man in the room. None of us -- that is, the four of us who were alive -- had ever washed a dead body before, but the phone call I received the day before would soon change that. A congregant from my mos
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