Dean Z On The Future Of Law School Admissions + Other Admissions Questions (Part 2) Status Check With Spivey podcast

44:08

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco interviews Natalie Blazer, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer at the University of Virginia School of Law, on the upcoming 2025-2026 admissions cycle, how applicants should be thinking about and taking into account relevant current events, and advice for prospective law students preparing to submit their applications. They discuss predictions for the 2025-26 cycle (1:56), rising LSAT and GPA medians (20:22, 27:45), changes they've made to their application this year (12:30), the new student loan cap (30:26), how admissions offices are considering applicants writing about politics and protest in the current political climate (4:18), how they evaluate applicants who have been unable to get a job after graduating from college (7:36), whether writing about AI is overdone (36:34), advice for the "Why UVA" essay (13:05), and much more. As a brief disclaimer, Dean Blazer speaks for herself and often for UVA Law in this episode; her opinions do not reflect those of all admissions officers. In addition to her work at UVA Law, Natalie has served as Director of J.D. Admissions at Georgetown University Law Center and was Associate Director of Admissions at Columbia Law School. She hosts the UVA Law podcast Admissible , which "offers insights into the world of law school admissions and a behind-the-scenes look at life as a law student through interviews with students, faculty, alumni and staff." We've interviewed Natalie twice for Status Check before, and though we weren't able to get to all of the questions that Redditors requested we ask, we answered many of them in these past episodes: An Insider Look at Admissions with UVA Law Dean Natalie Blazer (Reddit Q&A + Artificial Intelligence in Admissions) UVA Law Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer Dives Deep into Law School Admissions Please note: At the time that we recorded this episode, we noted that August 2025 LSAT registrants were up 27% relative to August 2024 registrants but that that number would come down over the days of the test administration. Ultimately, August LSAT registrants landed at a 23.7% increase vs. last year. 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 (with timestamps) here .…

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Bill Treanor on 30+ Years as a Law School Dean & Standing Up to Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin 51:02

17 days ago51:02

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike interviews William ("Bill") Treanor on his long and recently-concluded tenure as Dean of Georgetown University Law Center as well as his experiences and perspectives from a 40-year career. Bill talks about the the biggest changes he's seen during his time in legal education (16:06), the coming changes he foresees in the short-term future both good (19:22) and bad (20:56), his proudest accomplishments as a law school dean (41:57), the biggest challenges law students face today (24:27), and how he reacted and famously responded to the letter from Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin threatening not to hire Georgetown Law graduates if the school was found to be teaching a curriculum involving diversity, equity, and inclusion (1:33). You can read Dean Treanor's full response to then-Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin here . Other topics they discuss include the value (and lack of value) of the Socratic method (16:30), experiential learning in law school (16:06) and the potential effects of a current proposal before the ABA (20:56), the growing field of law and technology (19:22), the prospect of government taking accrediting authority from independent organizations (21:57), the current and coming impacts of AI on legal education and practice (23:43, 46:58), how law firms have learned from past recessions and overreactions (29:33), Bill's take on the current surge in law school applicants (30:36), his advice for prospective law students today (33:48), and his thoughts on the law school rankings (35:18). Bill Treanor served as Dean of Georgetown University Law Center for 15 years, prior to which he served as Dean of Fordham University School of Law for almost 20 years. His accomplishments at Georgetown were innumerable—you can read more about him and his impressive career 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 (with timestamps) here .…

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Military Applicants: Law School Admissions Strategy & More with Harvard Law Grad Brian Henson 1:13:04

5 weeks ago1:13:04

1:13:04

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Spivey J.D. admissions consultants Danielle Early (former Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School and military/veteran admissions specialist) and Mike Burns (former Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at Northwestern Law and Navy veteran) interview Brian Henson, a former consulting client of Danielle's, Navy Intelligence Officer, Service to School mentor, Harvard Law Armed Forces Association president, and recent HLS graduate. They discuss Brian's story of applying to law school from the middle of the ocean on an aircraft carrier and his experiences as a veteran at HLS, plus insights into admissions and legal education specifically targeted at military veterans and those on active duty. What considerations should military applicants keep in mind that differ from non-military applicants? What is the adjustment like moving from the military to law school? What sorts of admissions resources are available for military members and veterans? What are common pieces of misinformation that military applicants may encounter, and what's the true story? They cover these topics and more, including admissions for enlisted soldiers vs. officers (29:36), getting letters of recommendation from supervisors/commanders (36:44), application timing (5:28 and 21:51), resumes (43:36), personal statements (46:08), determining your chances and making a school list (31:51), job search advice (1:03:42), and more. 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 .…

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Top 25 Admissions Tips from Former Harvard Law Admissions Officer & New Spivey Consultant Sam Parker 1:27:14

9 weeks ago1:27:14

1:27:14

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco interviews Sam Parker, Spivey’s newest admissions consultant, on her top 25 (or so) strategic law school admissions insights from her years as Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School. They discuss advice for prospective law students getting ready to apply for the 2025-2026 cycle, advice for recent college graduates, and advice for current undergraduate students planning to apply to law school in the future. They cover topics including application timing, over-sharing in essays, when and how applicants’ online activity can be a red flag in admissions, faculty admissions committees, the importance of work experience, and much more. You can read Sam’s full bio 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 .…

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Dean Z of Michigan Law on Admissions Advice and AI: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly 38:41

13 weeks ago38:41

38:41

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike Spivey and Anna Hicks-Jaco have a conversation with Sarah Zearfoss (also known as "Dean Z"), who has long led the admissions office at the University of Michigan Law School as Senior Assistant Dean and who hosts the admissions podcast A2Z with Dean Z . The group discusses using generative AI to write your essays vs. to research admissions advice (including asking ChatGPT a few admissions questions and critiquing its answers), the prospect of law schools using AI to evaluate applications, grade inflation (and how admissions officers saw it before open access to generative AI vs. now), application timing (and how early applications correlate to stronger admit rates without necessarily causing them), and more. Plus, Dean Z introduces a new question being added to Michigan Law's application this upcoming 2025-2026 cycle. 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 .…

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Waitlist Predictions for the 2024-2025 Law School Admissions Cycle 14:08

15 weeks ago14:08

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In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike discusses the various factors that are at play for this cycle's waitlist season, his predictions for how it will go, and his advice for waitlisted applicants. For more on waitlist strategy, check out our Waitlist Deep Dive podcast episode! 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 .…

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Following a Law School Applicant Through the 2024-2025 Cycle (Part 3, Decisions & Wrap-Up) 40:43

18 weeks ago40:43

40:43

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , we have our third and final interview with "John" (not his real name; u/Muvanji on Reddit), who we've followed throughout his law school admissions cycle for 2024-2025. John discusses his final decision on where to attend, his process of requesting scholarship reconsideration, his decision not to pursue waitlists, admitted students days, what he's looking forward to in law school, and his thoughts and reflections on the law school admissions process now that it's over. Prior episodes with John: Part 1, Preparing Applications and the LSAT Part 2, Interviews & Waiting for Decisions 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 .…

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Five Categories of Law School Admissions Interview Questions & How to Answer Them 34:36

24 weeks ago34:36

34:36

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 .…

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

26 weeks ago43:38

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 .…

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

29 weeks ago1:10:43

1:10:43

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 .…

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

30 weeks ago8:38

8:38

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 .…

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

32 weeks ago47:58

47:58

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 .…

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

35 weeks ago58:16

58:16

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 .…

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

36 weeks ago36:55

36:55

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 .…

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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

41 weeks ago1:00:11