It's that time of year again — law schools are beginning to place applicants on the dreaded waitlist. Luckily, we have two helpful resources if you've been waitlisted this cycle.
Read full postWe are about 50% through the cycle, and I wanted to share some observations, data, and then remaining predictions with everyone. Much of the data can be found here [https://www.lsac.org/data-research/data/current-volume-summaries-region-raceethnicity-sex-lsat-score] , and, for the first time ever, is publicly available and updated daily by LSAC. A deep-dive analysis is also done weekly by our intern on his blog weekly blog here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/14qVpQWwtDdplBXBitItcHOP5I2xWHX
Read full postYou can see the full data here [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sFeqvSqCJGyk9o4fYJjpW_sUq0hR7NQU-bOhUHh5eVc/edit#gid=1117512034] . LSAT median changes for the fall 2018 entering class: No Change 1 point increase 2 point increase 3+ point increase Decrease Top 14 Ranked Schools 8 (57%) 6 (42%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) Top 20 Ranked Schools 10 (50%) 10 (50%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) Top 100 Ranked Schools 39 (39%) 50 (50%) 5 (5%) 0 (0%) 6 (6%) Top 150 Ranked Schools 63 (41%) 68 (45%) 6 (4%) 3 (2
Read full postTo be brief, the answer is "unlimited" or technically "limited only by how many tests there will administered in a three year period" and has been since September of 2017. Before then there was a limiting number, and there is still a good deal of bad information out there about that old policy, hence this incredibly brief blog. Again, there is no longer a policy limiting takes, and you can take it and keep taking it. Whether you should is a bit more nuanced [https://blog.spiveyconsulting.com
Read full postAll cycles are different – for those that have been following us for a while you will recall the term "counter-cycle" for example – but last year, the 2017/2018 cycle, was truly an outlier. We have well over 100+ years of law school admissions experience on our team, and we have never seen a year with such little waitlist movement. It caught most schools off guard too, but the simple fact of the matter is that if the schools above you are not admitting people off the waitlist, then you aren't ei
Read full postFirst, a quick disclaimer (get used to writing these, future lawyers): when we say “law schools” we do not mean to speak for every single law school. There likely are a few outliers. But at the macro-level, here is what is going on. Most law school Early Decision (ED) programs don’t provide the substantial boost that applicants believe. An analogy I often use is that a Las Vegas casino wouldn’t have a blackjack table that loses money. In blackjack, if a player follows perfect betting strategy,
Read full postBig news — we just launched our new Spivey Consulting Group YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ]. On the channel, we'll be posting videos with all sorts of law school admissions advice on topics like how to choose a personal statement topic, getting off of waitlists, basics of scholarship negotiation, whether you should write a diversity statement, how to ace a law school admissions interview, and more. These videos will come from many of our consultants, fo
Read full postJoin us on Monday, November 19, 2018 from 8:00 – 9:30 PM EST for a Live Law School Admissions/LSAT Q&A with Mike Spivey, Karen Buttenbaum, and Derek Meeker of Spivey Consulting, and Dave Killoran and Jon Denning of PowerScore. We will be answering your questions about admissions, strategy, and the application cycle so far! Register at powerscore.com/freeseminars [http://www.powerscore.com/freeseminars/]. Also please note: if you would like to work with us for this cycle or next, RSVP now to our
Read full postFor Halloween this year, we'd like to share some peculiar stories from some of the Spivey consultants' days as admissions officers at top schools such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Penn, Michigan, Duke, and many more. If you want to avoid spooking the person making a decision on your file (and making a lasting bad impression), avoid these creepy tactics! Nikki Laubenstein, former Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management at Syracuse University College of Law, had a coworker who was once
Read full postFor some of these you only have 1 or two minutes. There is no need to talk about resume items, this is your chance to be yourself. There's only one you applying to law school!
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