What Are Your Chances Off the Waitlist?

Status Check with Spivey

#Podcasting Education #Spivey Consulting Group

34:01

I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there in those forests." - Trevor Ritland This conversation is with Trevor Ritland, who—along with his twin brother Kyle—authored The Golden Toad . The book chronicles their remarkable journey into Costa Rica’s cloud forest, once home to hundreds of brilliant golden toads that would emerge for just a few weeks each year—until, one day, they vanished without a trace. What began as a search for a lost species soon became something much more profound: a confrontation with ecological grief, a meditation on hope, and a powerful call to protect the natural world while we still can. Links: SpeciesUnite.com Kyle and Trevor: https://kyleandtrevor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureterm/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222249677-the-golden-toad Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Toad-Ecological-Mystery-Species/dp/163576996…

about a year ago 10:03

MP3•Episode home

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike discusses the various factors that play into any given applicant's chances of admission coming off the waitlist. He also gives a quick preview of our (very early) predictions for next cycle.

You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠. You can read a full transcript of this episode here.

You can read a full transcript of this episode here.

161 episodes

What Are Your Chances Off the Waitlist?

Status Check with Spivey

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

You can read a full transcript of this episode here.

161 episodes

#Podcasting Education #Spivey Consulting Group

All episodes

Status Check with Spivey

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

3 days 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

4 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

1
Dean Z of Michigan Law on Admissions Advice and AI: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly 38:41

8 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

10 weeks ago14:08

14:08

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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

13 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

19 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 .…

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

21 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

24 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

25 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

27 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

30 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

1
The Future of Legal Education, AI, & Admissions with Dean Megan Carpenter 36:55

31 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 .…

Status Check with Spivey

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

36 weeks ago1:00:11

1:00:11

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

38 weeks ago26:22

26:22

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

39 weeks ago43:45

43:45

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

42 weeks ago51:50

51:50

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

44 weeks ago35:53

35:53

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

46 weeks ago1:05:20

1:05:20

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

48 weeks ago55:52

55:52

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

50 weeks ago31:20

31:20

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike has a conversation with Mitch Leff, author of My Addiction, My Superpower , about his experiences overcoming addiction at a young age, the lessons he learned, and how others can use his insights to improve themselves. As attorneys suffer significantly higher rates of substance abuse and depression relative to the wider public, Mitch's insights are highly relevant to anyone who is a part of (or considering joining) the legal profession. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Law School Application Resume: Deep Dive with Former Admissions Officers 49:45

51 weeks ago49:45

49:45

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco speaks with two Spivey consultants—Karen Buttenbaum, former Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School, and Nathan Neely, former Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Global and Graduate Programs at the University of Houston Law Center—about the law school application resume: what to include and what not to include, differences from professional resumes, common mistakes, best practices, and more. You can read Karen and Nathan's full bios here . 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 . Next up: diversity statements (the new versions—also known as E/P essays ). 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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Law School Personal Statement Deep Dive: Advice from Former Admissions Officers 1:10:00

1 year ago1:10:00

1:10:00

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco has a conversation with three Spivey consultants—Anne Dutia, Paula Gluzman, and Derek Meeker, former law school admissions officers at Michigan, UCLA, Penn, and more—diving deep into the law school personal statement. They discuss the brainstorming and topic selection process, how to structure a personal statement, writing tips, broad-level traits of A+ personal statements, common mistakes, and more. You can watch the video Derek mentions in this episode, in which he walks through how to choose a personal statement topic, here . You can read bios for Anne, Paula, Derek, and Anna 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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Dear 1L with Amanda Haverstick 34:11

1 year ago34:11

34:11

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , SCG Pre-L Consultant and Fordham Law professor Jordana Confino has a conversation with legal writing coach and Dear 1L author Amanda Haverstick about legal writing and tackling your 1L year. You can learn more about Dear 1L here , connect with Amanda via LinkedIn here , or email her directly at amanda@dear1L.com. 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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Tier-Ranking Admissions Strategies with UChicago Law School Admissions Dean Ann Perry 52:18

1 year ago52:18

52:18

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Ann Perry, the University of Chicago Law School's Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, joins Mike Spivey and Anna Hicks-Jaco to tier-rank law school admissions strategies sourced from the folks over on the r/LawSchoolAdmissions subreddit. They talk about a huge range of topics, including personal statements, letters of recommendation, resumes, work experience, retaking the LSAT, attending law school forums, the value of using a consultant, 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—and see the final tier list— here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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Work Experience, Admissions Strategy, & Legal Employment: What You Need to Know 36:02

1 year ago36:02

36:02

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco speaks with Pre-L consultants Rob Cacace and Jordana Confino (bios here ) about the growing importance of work experience in admissions, why the impact of being a "KJD" (going "from Kindergarten through law school" without full-time work experience) has increased over time, and—importantly—how work experience (or a lack thereof) plays out during law school and in the search for legal employment. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

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What Are Your Chances Off the Waitlist? 10:03

1 year ago10:03

10:03

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike discusses the various factors that play into any given applicant's chances of admission coming off the waitlist. He also gives a quick preview of our (very early) predictions for next cycle. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here. You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

1
Transferring Law Schools: Strategy & Process with Two Successful Applicants 1:22:11

1 year ago1:22:11

1:22:11

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Anna Hicks-Jaco has a conversation with Paula Gluzman—a Spivey consultant and former law school admissions officer at UCLA and UW—as well as two of her past clients who successfully transferred law schools: Katie, who transferred from a regional law school in Texas to Columbia, and Melissa, who transferred from a regional school on the west coast to Harvard. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to transfer admissions, including personal statements, letters of recommendation, 1L activities, application timing, the relevance of undergraduate GPA and LSAT in transfer admissions, and more. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ .…

Status Check with Spivey

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The New 2024 Law School Rankings Explained 15:23

1 year ago15:23

15:23

In this brief episode of Status Check with Spivey , Mike discusses the changes U.S. News made to their methodology this year. You can view the full list of new law school rankings (with +/-) here . You can listen to Mike's last podcast, "Why Rankings Matter to People (& Why They Should Not)," here . You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ . Please note: When Mike discusses U.S. News rounding up or down at .5 for different "schools," we mean "metrics" and not schools.…

Status Check with Spivey

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The New LSAT & The Elimination of Logic Games, with PowerScore's Dave Killoran 45:21

1 year ago45:21

45:21

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey , Anna Hicks-Jaco has a conversation with PowerScore Founder & CEO Dave Killoran about the removal of the Logic Games section of the LSAT, the new writing section, and what all this might mean for the future of the law school admissions. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ . You can read a full transcript of this episode here .…

Status Check with Spivey

1
First-Gen Students: What We Wish We'd Known as Applicants, Law Students, & Young Lawyers 48:06

1 year ago48:06