Status Check with Spivey

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Spivey J.D. admissions consultants Danielle Early (former Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School and military/veteran admissions specialist) and Mike Burns (former Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at Northwestern Law and Navy veteran) interview Brian Henson, a former consulting client of Danielle's, Navy Intelligence Officer, Service to School [https://www.service2school.org/] mentor, Harvard Law Armed Forces Association president, and recent HLS graduate. They discuss Brian's story of applying to law school from the middle of the ocean on an aircraft carrier and his experiences as a veteran at HLS, plus insights into admissions and legal education specifically targeted at military veterans and those on active duty. What considerations should military applicants keep in mind that differ from non-military applicants? What is the adjustment like moving from the military to law school? What sorts of admissions resources are available for military members and veterans? What are common pieces of misinformation that military applicants may encounter, and what's the true story? They cover these topics and more, including admissions for enlisted soldiers vs. officers (29:36), getting letters of recommendation from supervisors/commanders (36:44), application timing (5:28 and 21:51), resumes (43:36), personal statements (46:08), determining your chances and making a school list (31:51), job search advice (1:03:42), and more. You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/status-check-with-spivey/id1477090223?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1axZqBvq28wpvhKEq2l7sV?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ/?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io]. You can read a full transcript of this episode here [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/podcast-military-members-and-veterans].

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Anna Hicks-Jaco interviews Sam Parker, Spivey’s newest admissions consultant, on her top 25 (or so) strategic law school admissions insights from her years as Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School. They discuss advice for prospective law students getting ready to apply for the 2025-2026 cycle, advice for recent college graduates, and advice for current undergraduate students planning to apply to law school in the future. They cover topics including application timing, over-sharing in essays, when and how applicants’ online activity can be a red flag in admissions, faculty admissions committees, the importance of work experience, and much more. You can read Sam’s full bio here [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/about-us/]! You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/status-check-with-spivey/id1477090223?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1axZqBvq28wpvhKEq2l7sV?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ/?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io]. You can read a full transcript of this episode here [You can read a full transcript of this episode here: https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/sam-parkers-top-admissions-advice].

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 [https://open.spotify.com/show/5r7gs1boxeDQR0q4plOGeZ]. 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 Podcasts⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/status-check-with-spivey/id1477090223?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1axZqBvq28wpvhKEq2l7sV?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ/?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io]. You can read a full transcript of this episode here [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/dean-z-podcast-2025].

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 [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/law-school-waitlist-deep-dive-podcast] podcast episode! You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/status-check-with-spivey/id1477090223?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1axZqBvq28wpvhKEq2l7sV?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ/?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io]. You can read a full transcript of this episode here [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/waitlist-predictions-24-25].

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: * Part 1, Preparing Applications and the LSAT [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/following-an-applicant-2024-2025-part-1/] * Part 2, Interviews & Waiting for Decisions [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/following-an-applicant-2024-2025-part-2] You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/status-check-with-spivey/id1477090223?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1axZqBvq28wpvhKEq2l7sV?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io], and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA_Rbmm6gSV09dUwrnlBjyQ/?ref=spiveyconsulting.ghost.io]. You can read a full transcript of this episode here [https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/following-an-applicant-2024-2025-part-3].