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In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group founder Mike Spivey discusses one of the most common mistakes in law school admissions that we see from applicants who have underperformed their numbers — overdoing it in the admissions process — then details the most common types of applicants this happens to: the "over-explainer," the "over-spammer," the "over-[publicly] talker," the "permutator," and the "boundary pusher."
You can find the blog post Mike mentions in the podcast, "Spooky Halloween Blog: Real Stories of Things That Creep Out Admissions Offices" (examples of the most extreme "boundary pushers"), here.
You can also listen to this podcast on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.
And for our free tool for comparing law schools/medians/data, check out My Rank.
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike Spivey is joined by Dave Killoran to discuss the latest data from the 2026–27 law school admissions cycle. They examine early applicant trends, rising LSAT scores, and what the numbers could mean for applicants as the cycle progresses.
Mike and Dave discuss why applicant numbers are currently up around 10% and why that increase may decline as the cycle continues (0:08), how rising numbers of high LSAT scores could affect admissions competitiveness (4:27), and why perfect 180 scores have increased by more than 47% (9:31). They also explore how LSAT scoring scales and potential changes to the exam may be contributing to these trends.
Additional topics include LSAT test-taker numbers for the remainder of the year (13:23), why the 2026–27 cycle could be one of the slowest on record (15:05), and why applicants may wait several months for decisions without that necessarily being a bad sign (16:54).
Do resume gaps hurt your law school admissions chances? Is the so-called "KJD tax" real? And how much do GPA and LSAT medians actually matter?
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike Spivey and Spivey Consulting President Anna Hicks-Jaco answer questions submitted by the Reddit law school admissions community.
They discuss employment gaps, high-turnover jobs, low undergraduate GPAs, and how admissions committees evaluate applicants who have overcome significant adversity. They also explore the value of work experience, whether graduate GPAs can strengthen an application, and how schools set target LSAT medians.
Mike and Anna also share their perspectives on the GRE versus the LSAT, the growing acceptance of JD-Next, and why applicants should be cautious about misleading admissions advice online.
Additional resources and notes:
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @SpiveyConsulting for more law school admissions insights, updates, and resources.
What makes a great law school personal statement opening sentence? In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike Spivey is joined by Sarah Zearfoss (Dean Z), Senior Assistant Dean at the University of Michigan Law School and former Dean of Admissions, to evaluate five famous opening lines from literature and discuss how they would work as personal statement introductions.
They explore the importance of authenticity and avoiding overly dramatic writing (1:41), finding the balance between creativity and trying too hard (2:16), writing about family and making bold claims (3:47), and keeping the focus on your own story (5:22). They also discuss using personal growth and reflection to create compelling openings (6:35) and navigating political or controversial topics in law school applications (7:13).
Through their reactions and occasional disagreements, Mike and Dean Z offer insights into what makes an opening sentence memorable- and what might make an admissions officer think twice.
