
Blog & Podcasts
Podcast: On Dream Schools
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike talks to Spivey Consulting's COO Anna Hicks-Jaco about a question from Reddit—one that we hear many times every year. "How do I stop being so attached to my dream school?"
Read full postSome Commentary on the U.S. News Op-Ed
U.S. News & World Report is not sitting idle while its rankings come under fire. The CEO published an article in the Wall Street Journal offering his views on the rankings boycott. We have some thoughts.
Read full postPodcast: Why Is This Cycle So Slow—& What You Can Do About It
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike discusses the factors that have led to this historically slow-moving cycle—and how you can strategically leverage that knowledge to your advantage.
Read full postKnow Your Law School Deposit Deadlines
Updated with 2023 seat deposit deadlines for all ABA-accredited law schools.
Read full postPodcast: When Should You Reach Out to an Admissions Office, and How Should You Do It?
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike discusses a question that tends to come up frequently this time of year—“Should I contact x law school's admissions office to ask for an update since I haven't heard back yet?”
Read full postPodcast: The Rules of Reddit
Are adcoms on Reddit? Will they Google you? What sorts of online conduct can turn an admit into a waitlist or deny? Mike gives his thoughts on these questions and more from 15+ years following law school message boards.
Read full postPodcast: How to Crush the Second Half of the Law School Admissions Cycle
In this episode, Mike gives an update on 2022-2023 applicant data and discusses admissions strategies for the second half of the application cycle: waitlists and letters of continued interest, tips for asking for scholarship reconsideration, and handling the waiting/anxiety.
Read full postPodcast: What Triggers Admit Waves?
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike talks about the different factors that precipitate waves of law school admissions decisions being released, especially late in the cycle/during waitlist season.
Read full postPodcast: Reducing Stress & Increasing Happiness as a Student & Applicant
In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike interviews Jordana Confino, Assistant Dean of Professionalism at Fordham Law School, about ways that law school applicants and students can healthily cope with and reduce stress and increase overall happiness and well-being.
Read full postUnderstanding Law School Admissions Office Titles & Hierarchies
Admissions office staff titles can be confusing. If you're trying to decipher who in an admissions office is the seniormost decision-maker, this blog likely has your answer.
Read full postPodcast: Will Medians Stay As High This Law School Admissions Cycle?
In this episode, Mike gives his thoughts on whether law schools will be able to maintain their historically high LSAT/GPA medians after the 2022-2023 admissions cycle.
Read full postOfficial U.S. News Statement on Law School Rankings Methodology Changes, Following Rankings Exodus
U.S. News & World Report has sent the following letter to law schools regarding methodology changes for the upcoming 2023-2024 rankings. This comes in the wake of 20+ law schools announcing they will no longer submit their data for rankings purposes.
Read full postPodcast: Happy Holidays—Plenty of Admits Are Coming in 2023
In this short episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike offers some optimistic news for law school applicants who may not have yet received any admits.
Read full postNew Law School Data as of December 2022 ABA 509 Disclosures
The ABA just released law schools' required 509 disclosure documents for 2022, which means that we now have the complete, final, official admissions data from the 2021-2022 admissions cycle.
Read full post3 Tips for 1L Success (+ Opening Pre-L Course Registration)
We get asked a lot for advice on how to get ready for law school, so we’ve asked the Pre-L coaches on our team to share a few habits and mindsets to adopt to succeed as a 1L.
Read full postPodcast: Law Schools Leaving the U.S. News Rankings—Implications for This Year & The Future
If you haven't already heard, a number of law schools have recently announced that they will no longer be participating in the rankings. But what does that actually mean? Why are they doing it, and why now? What impacts might it have on applicants, law students, and legal education as a whole?
Read full postList of Law Schools Withdrawing from U.S. News & World Report Rankings Participation
On November 16, 2022, as we recently blogged about, two law schools announced that they would no longer be participating in the U.S. News & World Report Law School Rankings (first Yale, then Harvard). In the days since, other schools have begun to announce their plans to do the same.
Read full postAnswering U.S. News Law School Rankings Withdrawal Questions from 11/16/2022
November 16, 2022 may not have been the single most pivotal day in law school decision-making, but it was likely up there.
Read full postImplications of Yale Law Withdrawing from the U.S. News Rankings
As many people have no doubt seen, Yale Law School will no longer participate in the U.S. News Law School Rankings.
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