In this video, Spivey Consulting Group founder Mike Spivey answers questions from r/lawschooladmissions on strategies for splitters, international students, non-traditional applicants, reapplicants, and more.
Read full postThis is a very encompassing podcast that features the A to Z of the law school admissions process.
Read full postWith more than 100 years of law school admissions experience between us, we have read over a hundred thousand law school essays and applications. That is an incredibly rewarding experience, but there can be times when you start to see the same words used, or used out of context, again and again. The following list of words includes some of the most overused and/or at times aggravating usage of words we see in applications. Keep in mind that not all of these words annoy every admissions officer —
Read full postBelow are several sample law school personal statements. Each of them helped their writers achieve results superior to those their numbers might predict, but they are very different statements. Some are the sort that end up being among the most memorable essays admissions officers read throughout the cycle or even their career — truly unique experiences — while others are examples of clear, effective statements about the writers' life paths and goals in the absence of unusual or extraordinary li
Read full postThis is another example about how writing about something differentiated and sincere about you — not targeted to an anonymous file reader — works. This client punched above her numbers at multiple schools and received several handwritten notes about how exceptional her Personal Statement was. Always remember, the target audience of the Personal Statement is you, not an admissions committee. With this advice alone you will do well. Enjoy! -Mike -------------------------------------------------
Read full postAnother example [http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/homerun-law-school-personal-statement/] of an applicant who was admitted to their dream school and stood out with a wonderfully sincere and powerful Personal Statement. We will keep sharing exceptional examples of how to do the process -- these matter so much. -- Mike I sat, pondering both the murky nature of the grey slush on the floor and my own murky future as my university applications sat on an admission officer’s desk somewhere. Then I t
Read full post“But I don’t have a WOW factor.” It is that time of year when applicants realize the LSAT may not be the hardest part of the law school admissions process after all. For many, it will be writing the personal statement. This difficulty often stems from one of two sentiments: the perceived lack of a “wow factor” altogether or the perceived lack of a “wow factor” that is unique. Two of the most common questions we hear from law school applicants are: “But there’s nothing unique about me; I grew up
Read full postAdded July 24th Not many applicants have such an incredibly gripping experience to convey, but everyone has their own emotionally important event. Put the reader IN your story, just like this client of ours did. -Mike The door slammed shut and now, it was just me, three other guys, and one dead man in the room. None of us -- that is, the four of us who were alive -- had ever washed a dead body before, but the phone call I received the day before would soon change that. A congregant from my mos
Read full postWe get a good deal of unsolicited testimonials, and every so rarely we throw one up on our website to share :) Here's one below, especially noting the Personal Statement part. Nine out of every ten personal statements follows a typical pattern that is based on bad advice that has persisted online -- and does nothing for the application. Believe it or not, the target audience of your PS is YOU, not an unnamed admissions committee that doesn't even exist (applications are not reviewed by committe
Read full postHere is a personal statement from last year’s transfer cycle we think worked very well. The results were equally strong, 1 (top 6) school applied to, 1 (top 6) admit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dissolution of Dewey & LeBoeuf in 2012 led to my realization that the law is like classical music. Dewey’s implosion occurred the spring before I had planned to begin law school; it was the same year that I first applied to Princeton Law. As I
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