Blog & Podcasts

Should you submit a Diversity Statement for Law School?

Each year, we receive a huge number of questions about when you should include a diversity statement in your application and whether or not your particular identity or experience would warrant submitting such a statement in addition to a personal statement. The answer is not always a simple one.

Podcast: Recapping the 2020-2021 Law School Admissions Cycle & Predicting the Upcoming Cycle

In this podcast, Mike Spivey is joined by PowerScore founder and CEO Dave Killoran and Spivey Consulting Business Intelligence Director Justin Kane to discuss takeaways from this previous 2020-2021 admissions cycle and to make predictions for the upcoming 2021-2022 cycle.

Law School Personal Statement Example: First Draft vs. Final Draft

While brainstorming/topic selection is sometimes the most difficult component of the law school personal statement process, even the strongest and most differentiated of stories (as this one is) often need significant conversations with our clients as we work together putting words on paper.

"One Lawyer Can Change the World" Finalists Announced

The “One Lawyer Can Change the World” Scholarship contest honors ten entering law students who plan to use their law degrees to improve the lives of others.

August 2021 LSAT + Cycle Data

Registration for the August 2021 LSAT closes today. Right now there are about 33,000 registrants, but we should note that we've been seeing an unusual number of dropouts and/or date switches lately, so that number will probably go down, and perhaps a great deal.

Podcast: How to Excel Academically in Law School with Harvard 3L Amanda Bello

In this podcast, Mike and Spivey Consulting COO Anna Hicks have a discussion with a current law student who ended her 1L year at Cornell Law in the top 10% of her class and transferred to Harvard Law.

Pro Bono Consulting Opportunity

Please note: we will stop accepting submissions for this program on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 5:00 PM EST.

Self-Care Summer for Law School, College & Graduate School

Linked below are three podcasts from internationally acclaimed psychiatrists, speakers and authors: Dr. Guy Winch, Dr. Gabor Maté, and Dr. Kristin Neff (and a blog from me for no great reason).

Podcast: Interview with Dr. Kristin Neff on How Self-Compassion Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

In this podcast, Mike Spivey has the opportunity to interview Dr. Kristin Neff, a leading researcher and advocate in the field of self-compassion, creator of the self-compassion scales, and author of two books.

A Look Into The Most Difficult Law School Admissions Cycle We have Ever Seen

This isn't a full post-mortem on the 2020-2021 application cycle, because it's not over yet. But we're at the point when we can start to get a feeling for what happened this year.

Podcast: How Might Over-Enrollment Impact Waitlist Movement?

A very brief podcast on law schools that are over-committed on their seat deposits, and Mike's thoughts on how waitlist movement might go this summer as a result.

A Message from a Recent Law School Graduate Who Beat the Odds

I was flying back to Colorado from a work trip at about 35,000 feet when I saw this post on LinkedIn, and I immediately wanted to share it with others.

Law School Waitlist Update May 19, 2021

This comes from Joe Pollak, a consultant at our firm who took the time to look at schools messaging and share his thoughts. Mike added a bit at the bottom.

Podcast: Interview with Dr. Gabor Maté, Author of "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts"

In this podcast, Mike Spivey speaks with Dr. Gabor Maté, one of the world’s leading experts on physical and mental health and author of four best-selling books including "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" and "When the Body Says No."

Brief Application Volume/LSAT Update and a Glimpse at Next Cycle

Now that the 2020-2021 LSAT (note: not admissions) cycle has finished, it's worth looking at some various metrics.

Podcast: Cycle Recap, No Rejections in the Hardest Admissions Cycle Ever

In this episode of the Status Check podcast, Mike interviews Reddit user lightningmcboops (who for the purposes of this podcast we're calling "Megan") from the law school admissions subreddit.

Pro Bono LSAT Coaching Opportunity

Please note: we will stop accepting submissions for this program on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 12:00 PM EST. Thank you!

Podcast: Advice & Tips for Law School Scholarship Negotiation

In this podcast, Mike Spivey explains how the scholarship negotiation process works from the law school's perspective and gives some advice and tips for how to strategically approach increasing your merit aid offers.

Podcast: Brief Thoughts on the Notre Dame Seat Deposit Situation

Upcoming Podcast: Interview with Dr. Gabor Maté

We are thrilled to announce that we will be interviewing Dr. Gabor Maté — renowned physician, speaker, and author of four best-selling books including the critically-acclaimed In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts — for a podcast episode to be released on May 15.