Data

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Blog Posts

August 6, 2020
2019-2020 Application Cycle Volume Summary

The 2019-2020 application cycle has concluded, and we have our final applicant volume as reported by LSAC.

June 2, 2020
Early 2020-2021 Cycle Data

As June begins, we're coming up on the close of the 2019-2020 application cycle and the start of 2020-2021.

June 1, 2020
GRE vs. LSAT in the rankings

An analysis of how GRE scores play into the U.S. News rankings.

May 22, 2020
LSAT Numbers This Cycle

We don't have final May LSAT Flex numbers yet, but 2019-2020 is going to be down in both total registrants and first timers compared to last year.

May 18, 2020
The Bimodal Salary of Starting Lawyers

Too few applicants know this — this is actually what starting salaries look like for those right out of law school.

April 27, 2020
What is Most Predictive of First-Time Bar Success?

We posed this question on Twitter.

April 25, 2020
A Brief LSAT Volume Update

June 2020 LSAT registration has officially closed, and we wanted to take a quick look at some registration volume.

April 15, 2020
Cycle Data: COVID-19 Edition

We hope everyone is safe and healthy — it's been a crazy couple of months for the world.

April 14, 2020
Mean Salaries Of First Year Law School Graduates

For the first time ever, the Department of Education has released these figures.

Podcasts

April 14, 2025
Following a Law School Applicant Through the 2024-2025 Cycle (Part 3, Decisions & Wrap-Up)

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, we have our third and final interview with "John" (not his real name; u/Muvanji on Reddit), who we've followed throughout his law school admissions cycle for 2024-2025. John discusses his final decision on where to attend, his process of requesting scholarship reconsideration, his decision not to pursue waitlists, admitted students days, what he's looking forward to in law school, and his thoughts and reflections on the law school admissions process now that it's over.

Prior episodes with John:

You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. You can read a full transcript of this episode below.

May 19, 2025
Dean Z of Michigan Law on Admissions Advice and AI—The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike Spivey and Anna Hicks-Jaco have a conversation with Sarah Zearfoss (also known as "Dean Z"), who has long led the admissions office at the University of Michigan Law School as Senior Assistant Dean and who hosts the admissions podcast A2Z with Dean Z.

The group discusses using generative AI to write your essays vs. to research admissions advice (including asking ChatGPT a few admissions questions and critiquing its answers), the prospect of law schools using AI to evaluate applications, grade inflation (and how admissions officers saw it before open access to generative AI vs. now), application timing (and how early applications correlate to stronger admit rates without necessarily causing them), and more. Plus, Dean Z introduces a new question being added to Michigan Law's application this upcoming 2025-2026 cycle.

You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. You can read a full transcript of this episode below.

May 5, 2025
Waitlist Predictions for the 2024-2025 Law School Admissions Cycle

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike discusses the various factors that are at play for this cycle's waitlist season, his predictions for how it will go, and his advice for waitlisted applicants. For more on waitlist strategy, check out our Waitlist Deep Dive podcast episode!

You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. You can read a full transcript of this episode below.