Mid-Cycle Pep Talk & 2024-2025 Update From Mike Spivey Status Check With Spivey podcast

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco is joined by Karen Buttenbaum, one of Spivey's most experienced consultants and a former Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School, to talk about law school admissions interviews. They discuss a strategy for thinking about and preparing for interviews by categorizing the potential questions you could receive into five groups (plus a bonus sixth category at the end!). You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Following a Law School Applicant Through the 2024-25 Cycle (Part 2: Interviews, Decisions, Waiting) 43:38

hace 23 días43:38

43:38

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , we catch up with "John" (not his real name; u/Muvanji on Reddit), the applicant who we're following throughout his law school admissions cycle for 2024-2025. We talk about rejection, decisions he has (or hasn't) received, interviews he's done, typos in applications, and more. Stick around until the end for one last update on his cycle! You can listen to our first episode with John here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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The Law School Waitlist: Deep Dive with Former Admissions Officers 1:10:43

hace 6 weeks1:10:43

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco has a discussion with two Spivey consultants—Joe Pollak, former Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Michigan Law School, and Nathan Neely, former Director and Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Law and The University of Houston Law Center—all about the waitlist process. They talk about which applicants law schools waitlist and why, how law schools use their waitlists, how many people they typically put on the waitlist, the timeline of the waitlist process, what factors law schools consider when they evaluate their waitlists, strategy for getting admitted from the waitlist, common mistakes, best practice, factors that go into your chances of admission, tips for visiting a law school while you're on their waitlist, ways that the law school waitlist process has changed over the last few years, and much more. We mentioned a few blog posts in this episode, including " How to Write a Law School Letter of Continued Interest " (outline included), " What's the difference between a law school 'waitlist' vs. 'hold' vs. 'hold tight email'? " and " Justin Ishbia — Last WL Admit to Successful Major Donor " (podcast). You can find the previous episodes in our deep dive series here: Personal Statement Deep Dive Experience/Perspective Essay Deep Dive Resume Deep Dive Addendum Deep Dive "Why X" Essay Deep Dive Nathan and Joe's full bios are here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode below. You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Mid-Cycle Pep Talk & 2024-2025 Update from Mike Spivey 8:38

hace 7 weeks8:38

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike gives a brief update and pep talk for current law school applicants during the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Mike mentions our podcast with world-renowned psychologist Dr. Guy Winch in this episode—you can listen to the full interview here: Dr. Guy Winch on Handling Rejection (& Waiting) in the Admissions and Job Search Process You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . A full transcript of this episode is here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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A Look at the New 509 Law School Data with Kyle McEntee 47:58

hace 9 weeks47:58

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike has a conversation with Kyle McEntee, LSAC's Senior Director of Prelaw Engagement and the founder of Law School Transparency, centering around the newly released 2024 ABA 509 disclosures and how applicants should consider the data therein. They discuss interpreting class size changes, the ongoing rise of GPAs and grade inflation, LSAT inflation and how the highest LSAT percentiles have changed over time, the new option for law schools to obtain variances from the ABA to go test-optional (plus an explanation of what variances are and how the variance process works), the removal of the non-residents category from 509 reports and what that means for international applicants, diversity data (and how that's impacted by the non-resident recategorization), ordinal rankings (including a discussion of U.S. News and MyRank by Spivey), rising law school tuition and how law schools function financially within universities, and more—plus, what all this means for current and future applicants. You can read our recent blog post with a breakdown of some of the new 509 data here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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"Why X" Essay Deep Dive: Advice from Former Law School Admissions Officers 58:16

hace 12 weeks58:16

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco has a conversation with two Spivey consultants and former law school admissions deans—Derek Meeker, former Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid for the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Shannon Davis, former Assistant Dean for Admissions and Communications at Lewis & Clark Law School—on "Why X" essays (advice, best practices, common mistakes, misconceptions, and more). Why do law schools actually ask for these essays, and how much can they help you if done well? What are the most ideal reasons to include in a Why X essay, and what are some less-than-ideal reasons? How can you research and obtain information for a strong, differentiated Why X essay even if you don't know anyone who's attended that law school? This episode covers these topics and more. You can find the previous episodes in our deep dive series here: Law School Personal Statement Deep Dive Law School Experience/Perspective Essay Deep Dive Law School Application Resume Deep Dive Law School Application Addendum Deep Dive Derek and Shannon's full bios are here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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The Future of Legal Education, AI, & Admissions with Dean Megan Carpenter 36:55

hace 13 weeks36:55

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike has a conversation with Megan Carpenter, Dean of the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, on the highlights and challenges of being a dean, the future of law school and innovation in legal education, generative artificial intelligence as it relates to both admissions and the practice of law, and her best law school admissions advice (plus, what res ipsa loquitur means). Dean Carpenter has a distinguished reputation and was recently named one of the 20 Most Influential People in Legal Education by National Jurist . She is a prominent expert and scholar in intellectual property and technology and is the author of the book, Evolving Economies: The Role of Law in Entrepreneurship and Innovation . She has been in legal academia for nearly 20 years, including 7 and a half years as a law school dean, and she is the founder and former director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property at Texas A&M School of Law. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Addendum Deep Dive: Advice from Former Law School Admissions Officers on LSAT, GPA, C&F, and Other Addenda 1:00:11

hace 18 weeks1:00:11

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco has a discussion with two Spivey consultants—Derek Meeker, former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid for the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Danielle Early, former Harvard Law School Associate Director of Admissions—diving deep into the law school application addendum . This episode covers guidelines, best practices, common mistakes, and specific examples of tricky situations (including a discussion about mental health in addenda) related to addenda generally, LSAT addenda, GPA addenda, and a bit about C&F addenda (see our longer, more in-depth video on C&F linked below for more on that topic). You can find the previous episodes in our deep dive series here: Law School Personal Statement Deep Dive Law School Experience/Perspective Essay Deep Dive Law School Application Resume Deep Dive Additionally, you can find our 35-minute video all about Character & Fitness (evaluating the seriousness of your C&F issue(s), how to decide what to disclose and what not to disclose, and advice for writing a strong addendum) here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Predicting the 2024-25 Law Admissions Cycle with Northwestern Law Admissions Dean Don Rebstock 26:22

hace 20 weeks26:22

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike Spivey has a conversation with Associate Dean Don Rebstock—who, among multiple other departments, heads both Admissions and Career Services at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law—about the first 2024-2025 law school applicant data that was released last week, what it means for applicants, and why it's not as scary as it looks. Some of the questions they discuss include, will the numbers go down? How much will they go down? Why are LSAT scores so high? How will this impact competitiveness? How will it impact the pace of the cycle? Will law schools enroll more students next fall? Plus thoughts on grade inflation, rankings, employability, and their best advice for applicants in light of the new data. You can find our recent blog on predicting this cycle here . Mike's interview with Justin Ishbia, also mentioned in this episode, is here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Following a Law School Applicant Through the 2024-2025 Cycle (Part 1, Preparing Applications and the LSAT) 43:45

hace 21 weeks43:45

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco introduces "John" (not his real name; u/Muvanji on Reddit), the applicant who we'll be following throughout his law school admissions cycle for 2024-2025 (a series back by popular demand!). We talk more about John, his background, his application materials, and his goals in the episode, but here are some basics about his profile: John got his undergraduate degree outside of the U.S. and so does not have an LSAC-calculated cumulative uGPA (his performance was evaluated as "Above Average" on his CAS report). He took the LSAT once and got a 174 (we talked about his LSAT study process and test day experience in the episode). He earned a law degree in the U.K., where law school is at the undergraduate level, and is a recent graduate. He is currently looking for work and so does not yet have any full-time post-graduate work experience. He worked part-time during undergrad, did an internship with a biglaw firm, and participated in a number of law-related extracurriculars in leadership positions. His goal after earning his J.D. is to go into corporate law, and he has a special interest in antitrust law. He is originally Canadian and has experienced parts of his education there, in England, and in Kenya, which he plans to discuss in his experience/perspective essays (or "E/P essays," the category of law school admissions essay that has largely supplanted the "diversity statement"). He is African-American and has felt some pressure to discuss his race/ethnicity in his application, but he isn't sure whether or how he would like to do so. He has one relatively minor but somewhat complicated Character & Fitness ("C&F") issue that he will need to disclose on some applications. In this first episode of the series, we discuss John's LSAT process, his personal statement, his E/P essays, his resume (and how he thought it was done before listening to our resume deep-dive podcast episode!), his school list, letters of recommendation, Reddit, and more. We'll be checking in with him throughout the cycle for updates! Relevant Links/Resources: Resume Deep Dive Podcast Personal Statement Deep Dive Podcast Experience/Perspective Essay ("E/P Essay") Deep Dive Podcast Podcast series following an applicant through the 2022-2023 law school admissions cycle featuring "Lucy": Part 1 (preparing applications and the LSAT) ; Part 2 (interviews and initial decisions) ; Part 3 (final decisions and choosing a law school) Podcast series following an applicant through the 2021-2022 law school admissions cycle featuring "Barb": Part 1 (preparing applications) ; Part 2 (the waiting, timelines) ; Part 3 (final decisions, waitlists, scholarship reconsideration, and seat deposits) You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Making Your Law School List: Advice & Resources for Deciding Where to Apply 51:50

hace 24 weeks51:50

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Spivey Consulting President Anna Hicks-Jaco has a conversation with three Spivey Consultants and former law school admissions officers—Sam Kwak (Stanford Law, Northwestern Law, Indiana University Law), Paula Gluzman (UCLA Law, UW Law), and Joe Pollak (Michigan Law)—a group that has collectively spent over 20 years advising law school applicants one-on-one as consultants. In that time, they have assisted hundreds of law school applicants in creating strategic school lists, the topic of today's episode. How do you estimate your chances of admission to determine reach, target, and "safety" schools? How many schools should you apply to? How many schools do most applicants apply to (and how is the oft-cited average number of applications per applicant somewhat misleading here)? Where can you find the best and most up-to-date information about law schools when doing your research? We cover all of the above and more. This episode is a companion to our recent blog post on this topic, How to Create Your Law School List . Here are a few other resources we mentioned in this episode: Law School Application Fee Waivers blog post series from Joe Pollak: Part 1 (Unsolicited Fee Waivers), Part 2 (Soliciting Fee Waivers), and Part 3 (Need-Based Fee Waivers) Podcast: "Safety Schools" and Making a Law School Backup Plan (with Danielle Early, former Harvard Law admissions officer) 2024 Medians Spreadsheet (Spivey Consulting) Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs (LSAC) ABA-Required Disclosures (including admissions and employment data for all ABA-accredited law schools) How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin (also check out our Status Check episode with Jonah here and Jonah's episode interviewing Mike Spivey here ) My Rank by Spivey (custom law school rankings according to your priorities and preferences) You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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The Differences Between College & Law School, with "How I Lawyer" Host Jonah Perlin 35:53

hace 26 weeks35:53

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike interviews How I Lawyer podcast host Jonah Perlin on some of the many differences between college and law school, from cold calls to being graded on a curve to the nature of attending a professional school and more. Links to other resources: How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin How I Lawyer #134: Mike Spivey - On Law School Rankings, Admissions, and Mental Health (Mike's episode on Jonah's podcast) Dear 1L: The Book by Amanda Haverstick (book mentioned in the episode) Dear 1L with Amanda Haverstick ( Status Check episode with the author of the book mentioned in the episode) The Law of Law School: The Essential Guide for First-Year Law Students by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson and Jonathan Yusef Newton (book mentioned by Jonah in the interview) You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Experience/Perspective Essay (Diversity Statement) Deep Dive with Former Law School Admissions Officers 1:05:20

hace 28 weeks1:05:20

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco speaks with three Spivey consultants—Tom Robinson, former Harvard Law Director of Admissions; Sir Williams, former Wisconsin Law Director of Admissions; and Anne Dutia, former Michigan Law Assistant Director of Admissions—about the relatively new category of law school admissions essays that we're calling " experience/perspective essays " or "E/P essays," many of which are variations on the essays previously known as "diversity statements." They walk through the specifics of what these essays can look like (going through several example prompts), how to approach those different prompts, common mistakes applicants make with these statements, traits of outstanding E/P essays, and more. This episode is part of an ongoing deep dive series on the main components of the law school application. You can listen to our episode on personal statements here and our episode on resumes here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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How PARENTS Can Best Support Law School Applicants (Former Admissions Officers Weigh In) 55:52

hace 30 weeks55:52

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In this special episode of Status Check with Spivey directed toward parents of law school applicants, Anna Hicks-Jaco and two Spivey consultants—Danielle Early, former Harvard Law Associate Director of Admissions, and Shannon Davis, former Assistant Dean for Admissions and Communications at Lewis & Clark Law—discuss how parents can best support their children through the application process. They walk through differences between the law school and the college admissions processes, how much parental involvement law school admissions offices expect, common mistakes parents can make that may end up hindering rather than helping, and some of the ways that parents can be most helpful and supportive to their applicants. You can read Shannon and Danielle's full bios here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Addiction & Recovery in College with Author Mitch Leff 31:20

hace 32 weeks31:20