A2Z: Complete Law School App Reading - "Twyla"

[@devanshishah8781]

This is probably one of my top 3 episodes of this Vlog. Getting the insider perspective of an admissions officer's thought process is extremely helpful. Thank you for taking time to share your insights Dean Z!

[@pjz11261231]

I’ve just found your channel and you’ve no idea how incredibly valuable this is for anyone considering law school thank you for this.

[@umichlaw]

So glad you found us! And we love to hear that you find the info valuable!

[@jamesticknor1134]

Very helpful. I'm shocked she didn't provide an addendum explaining her grades.

[@refinedisabilities]

OMG Thank you for this channel! I'm prepping for the Jan '25 LSAT and want to start my application files now. I love your perspective and thought processes as you consider each applicant.

[@lilywiener2172]

Me, listening to this vlog after submitting two letters from my attorney supervisors: Whoops. Humor aside, this episode was super informative and I loved it. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!

[@lotsofnella]

Thank you for these videos! I am working on my application and these videos are extremely helpful and hopeful. You are reminding us that real people are reading our applications. 💙💛

[@umichlaw]

Yes, there are very real people over on this side! So happy to hear you find the videos helpful 💙💛

[@alexhowell3620]

Thanks, Dean Z and MichU! You're doing a great service to applicants!

[@robertmaneke9586]

I came into the video a little worried I'd end up kicking myself for not including something in my already submitted application, but thankfully left with a bit more hope. Thank you for this great content Dean Z, looking forward to the next one!

[@vincentaldazabal4488]

Oh. Here I am again listening to A2Z to self soothe before bedtime. Something just very relaxing and engaging at the same time to listen to before bed

[@teagane.9974]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos! I've been on an A2Z binge today.

[@lotsofnella]

Same. She is my fav “KZbinr” now. 💛💙

[@JohnDBarcaFan]

It is a fantastic video! I love how genuine she is! It makes me want to apply to the University of Michigan Law School

[@AllMyRecords]

Amazing video! Thanks, Dean Z! If I can make a suggestion, I would like to hear more about how a foreign applicant (with a foreign undergrad) is evaluated by the admissions office. Also, is every application reviewed or artificial intelligence also plays a role in this process as a filter? Thanks again! Go blue!

[@umichlaw]

Every application is reviewed by at least two people-Dean Z and a first reader; no artificial intelligence is involved, unless you count Dean Z’s caffeine habit. And thanks for the suggestion-we’ll try to cover that soon!

[@EP-nk5wm]

This was so insightful. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this information. I’m looking to apply to law school once I complete my MPH.

[@reginaldcharles1133]

Dean Z you are a treasure...Thank you

[@sydneylaughlin4027]

This is one of my favorite episodes so far! Extremely helpful and insightful, it gave me a much better understanding of the overall process. Thank you for doing this Dean Z!

[@kaisersnewgroove]

Thanks Dean Z! I will definitely be more conscious of what questions an admissions officer might have. Can't wait for another application reading!

[@Kingpittbul]

Absolutely loved this segment, getting an insight on appropriate length sizes for personal statements and letters of recommendation was beneficial. October 3rd can’t come soon enough! Hope to see more like this.

[@libbyeaglin251]

Honestly this was very fair and very insightful! Thank you!

[@rfox2163]

This is my favorite admission person lol (and she gives the most helpful advice)

[@JDMJACOB1]

How you do feel about students who attended a community college and transferred, but had higher grades at community college? For instance 3.9 to 3.65? Thanks Dean Z!

[@yalelaw]

Hi! im confused as to whether I should put my extracurriculars on my resume or in the extracurriculars section of the lsac application? My resume already has my education and employment info, but i have some other less important extracurriculars that I want to be seen, but not take up space of my resume; do admissions pay much attention to that extracurricular/work section on the lsac application? 6:07

[@yalelaw]

can this please be answered in a future video ?

[@kalieseraydarian6520]

Thank you so much for doing these videos! I'm applying for law school soon and can't wait!

[@wildhorse2084]

Love this episode, very helpful.

[@drsliveyesq]

Can you go through more applications? That was amazing.

[@kathrynhorne6748]

Super helpful, thank you for posting this!

[@mistersauga716]

Is it considered a disadvantage if you happen to come from one of those tiny schools that doesn't send many students to law school? My report doesn't contain information about GPAs from my school.

[@minhnguyen9499]

Hi Dean Z, thank you so much for this informative video. After watching this video, it was clear that the applicant's GPA worried you about their seriousness as a student and that you would have preferred to be given an explanation of sorts. Let's pretend that they did have an addendum for their GPA, would the applicant's LSAT score still have worried you about their seriousness as a student and would you have preferred to be provided an addendum for the applicant's 156 LSAT score as well? Thank you so much!

[@umichlaw]

It’s hard for me to work with counterfactuals this way-a lot would depend on the content and nature of the UGPA explanation! But I can say with confidence that a 156 alone would not give me pause.

[@MinhNguyen-hy7ju]

Thank you for your response!

[@khodamoradmoradpour3681]

Very informative, thank you very much!

[@mkim0101]

Hello Dean Z, I just started watching your Vlog. Thank you (& staff) for spending the time and energy to put together the videos! I had a question on whether or not graduate school grades are considered at all during the review process. If so, to what extent is it considered?

[@umichlaw]

The brief answer is-it’s complicated. For a longer answer, check out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJbXhXqGqraYeMU

[@mkim0101]

@Michigan Law, Thank you!!

[@candyb2205]

So useful, thank you ❤️

[@larrybee7713]

Could you have subsequently required her to submit an additional addendum while putting her file on hold? Or she might have been a great candidate for a "Conditional Admissions Program" if Michigan Law had or developed one.

[@manya-xoxo]

Hey Dean Z! can you do a reading of a International Applicant (non reportable GPA) please?

[@mralexthe2]

Is the degree school box open to the public? P.s. thank you very much for this video!

[@evan-r-k]

Awesome video~!!!! a video suggestion I have would be going about finding an inclusive environment. What are the best ways to gauge if a school's social climate is a good fit, especially considering being in an affirming community is so important. Should applicants reach out to admissions to see if they can talk to real students? I feel like a real student may give a more honest view than an admissions officer who has a stake in the game.

[@themccarthyproject8654]

Dean Z, how do LSAT and GPA college means influence your assessment, if at all? Are applicants who come from institutions where the LSAT means are relatively low (Such as my UG which is high 140s) given more consideration or does it mean nothing at all?

[@umichlaw]

I use the data about a given undergraduate school’s mean LSAT as a way of getting some information about the strength of that institution, as well as for gauging the strength of an applicant within the context of that school. For example, if you have a very strong UGPA at a school with an LSAT mean that is on the lower end, and you also have an LSAT score that is meaningfully higher than the mean at your school, that would help me conclude that you are a truly strong student who, for any number of possible reasons, started their higher-ed journey at a relatively weak institution. To be very clear: There is no particular formula or weight that I or another admissions officer would give to this information-it’s just part of the swirl of considerations that helps paint a portrait of a candidate.

[@pipersecretp3]

Thank you for a deeper view into the application review. I have two suggested questions for a future A2Z vlog. First, I notice that my LSAC Academic Summary Report is missing some of the comparative data you showed on screen, despite the fact that my transcripts are on file. For example, my degree GPA is missing and the Percentage Distribution of GPA(s) row is blank. (On the other hand, the "Percentage Distribution of LSAT," right above it, is reported. How odd!) Also, in another place, LSAC has marked some of the cells "INSF." I suspect your explanation that my degree-granting program was too small is correct. In such an instance, is it justified that the student explain the academic institution at which s/he attended to fill in the gaps that LSAC does not? Would such an explanation be merited in addenda if not asked about directly by the institution to which the student is applying?

[@pipersecretp3]

Second, I'm interested to know your take on the pronoun one should use to describe a person whose gender identity you do not know. In my state, judges have routinely been bracketing [he or she]/[his or her] into quotes from statutes or cases that are too old to have been written in gender neutral terms. However, "she/he" and "his/her" are sometimes being replaced by "they" and "their" in writing about a single person, primarily by those who wish to escape gender dichotomies. Therefore, my question is: suppose you were writing or reviewing an admissions document, like a personal or diversity statement, addendum, etc. Is it grammatically sound for you/the writer to use "they" and "their," or should the wordier "she or he" and "his or her" conventions be used? For example, suppose the following sentences were in an addenda: "I appealed the grade I received in my MISC 200 course by following the steps in my college's undergraduate handbook. My final paper was assigned to a random, anonymous professor in the same department for re-grading. [BLANK] read it, and marked the paper 20 points higher than my course professor. As a result, the Department Chair overturned my course grade, and my academic suspension terminated." In place of the [BLANK], would the applicant write "They" or "He or she" to refer to the anonymous professor to whom the task of re-grading fell? Many Thanks!

[@umichlaw]

Thanks for this! I will try to find an app to review from a small school, but meanwhile-you should definitely, definitely not feel like you have to address this at all. We admissions folks are used to it. It is not a problem for the applicant in the slightest.

[@umichlaw]

That's a good question about pronouns! So good, in fact, that I'm going to save my answer for an upcoming episode.

[@pipersecretp3]

@@umichlaw I'm excited to see it!

[@ericlemon2465]

Does it weigh more if you have experience working at a law firm?

[@umichlaw]

I assume you mean, “is working at a law firm the kind of experience that is more likely to get you into law school than working somewhere else?,” and the answer is “no.” It’s a great thing for an applicant to do for themselves, to begin to understand the world of legal employment-but there are many, many, many valuable pre-law school working experiences. As a rough estimate, only about 20% of our incoming classes typically have worked in law firms.

[@jaredmowry8544]

Sarah, I wish that this applicant would’ve been admitted.