Blog & Podcasts

Podcast: The Waiting is Long and Full of Terrors

In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group Founder and Partner Mike Spivey discusses the hardest part of the law school admissions process—the waiting—and how it can cause some applicants to hurt their own chances of admission.

Illustrative Interview Story

My partner, Karen Buttenbaum, used to be the Director of Admissions at Harvard. In fact, years ago it was called "KB1" for an interview and "KB2" for an admit.

The ETA Report

This link is to chapter 1 of a book Mike Spivey is writing on decision-making; relevant of course to law school applicants and students, but also covering a lot more than that.

Podcast: Mike Spivey on the Darker Side of Self-Doxing in Law School Admissions

In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group Founder and Partner Mike Spivey discusses what happens when a law school applicant posts something that deeply offends or insults law school admissions officers who may know who they are in real life.

Early Indicators that the 2020/2021 Admissions Cycle Could Be Way Up

We didn't plan to parse the data yet; to be as precise as possible, the data started begging us to dig in.

Spivey's Top 20 Most Powerful and Inspirational Quotes

We thought we'd give you something different as we work on a blog of major consequence to higher education.

Cycle Volume as of Halloween

We now have two full months worth of applicant and application volume, so it's a good opportunity to do some recap and see where things stand.

2019-2020 LSAC Forum Registration Data

Reserve Your Spot for Next Cycle (2020-2021)

We have been at full capacity and on a wait list for much of the fall of this cycle, so we would like to invite anyone who would like to work with us next cycle to secure your spot for 2020-2021 now.

Early Cycle Law School Numbers Applicant and Application Volume

LSAC briefly publicized the 2019-2020 cycle volume this Friday. It has since been removed, and we are hopeful it will return soon.

Podcast: Calming Your LSAT Anxiety

Something we encounter all too often is applicants who put so much pressure on themselves when they are taking the LSAT that it ends up being counterproductive, barring them from performing near the highest level of which they are capable.

The Over-Estimated Impact of Median LSAT Change on USNWR Rankings

It's that time of year again—when schools report their incoming class profiles.

Podcast: Traits of Law School Applicants Who Outperform Their Numbers

In this podcast, Spivey Consulting Group Founder and Partner Mike Spivey discusses commonalities between applicants who punch above their numbers.

July, September, and October LSAT Data

We have some really interesting and jolting data updates for you. I know, I know—jolting LSAT updates? But this one really surprised us.

Digital LSAT Prep and Law School Admissions Q&A

Register here; it's free!

The simple psychology behind rapid career advancement

In a sense, this is a blog post 25 years in the making.

LSAT Applicants from 2011-2019

While we don't yet have information on the 2019-2020 application cycle (and we should soon), we've gotten some questions about why we care what those numbers look like.

2020 US News Undergraduate Rankings

U.S. News & World Report has released their 2020 Undergraduate Rankings. Below we've charted the change in each of the 2020 top fifty universities ranking from last year!

Podcast: Do you have to explain WHY you are going to law school in your law school application?

In this episode, Mike Spivey discusses whether you have to explain why you are going to law school in your law school application.

Explaining Why You’re Applying to Their Law School (The "Why X" Essay)

In this blog post, we will be discussing one type of optional essay, the “Why X” statement, or an essay in which you describe to the law school why you are interested in attending that school in particular.