Advice

05 Feb 2022

Podcast: Strong Applicant. No Admits. What’s Going On?

In this episode, Mike speaks with an applicant from Reddit who we'll call "Ryan Reynolds" (you know, just for fun). Ryan has a 178 and a 3.8, and while he blanketed the top 20 law schools, he has received only waitlists and denials so far this cycle despite having applied early on.

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10 Jan 2022

When Is It Appropriate to Start Scholarship Negotiations?

Since you are all going to be lawyers soon, let me start by saying something you’ll be saying for the rest of your lives: it depends. But, that isn’t very helpful...

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08 Jan 2022

How to Cold Email: A Template

We wanted to provide a template for how to cold email someone, especially when there is an "ask" involved. You don't see many of these online, so here is one exchange below.

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27 Dec 2021

What's the difference between a law school "waitlist" vs. "hold" vs. "hold tight email"?

Most applicants understand the basics of what it means to be waitlisted, but in this blog, we wanted to give a quick look at why and how law schools use their waitlists from an insider perspective, then outline the differences between a waitlist and a "hold" or a "hold tight email."

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24 Nov 2021

Podcast: "Safety Schools" and Making a Law School Backup Plan

In this episode, Mike and our consultant Danielle Early talk about safety schools and backup plans.

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16 Nov 2021

Podcast: What Makes for a Successful Law School Interview?

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike has a conversation with our consultant Karen Buttenbaum (former Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School) about how to prepare for law school admissions interviews, best practices, common pitfalls, and other advice for the interviewing process.

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08 Nov 2021

How to Survive a Kira Interview

Even in the Before Times (back before COVID-19 turned the word “Zoom” from a fun thing puppies did at dog parks to the bane of my existence), there was the Kira: an online asynchronous interview platform utilized by Northwestern, Cornell, and Texas, amidst others.

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02 Nov 2021

Diary of a Law School Applicant's Cycle: Episode 1 (Pre-Submission)

In this episode, Mike interviews a current applicant (who we'll call "Barb") about her application process so far. Barb is a splitter with a 176 LSAT and a 3.1 GPA, and she's also a non-traditional applicant with 10+ years of full-time work experience after college.

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12 Oct 2021

Podcast: Diversity & Adversity in Law School Admissions, with Sydney Montgomery

In this episode, Mike has a conversation with our consultant Derek Meeker (former Dean of Admissions at Penn Law) and Sydney Montgomery (founder of S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting) about the role of diversity and adversity in law school admissions.

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05 Oct 2021

Podcast: Should You Do a Law School Admissions Interview?

In this podcast, Mike discusses the factors to consider when you receive an invitation to interview for a law school you've applied to.

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