A2Z is back! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions in the comments to previous episodes! We're going to begin season 5 by answering a collection of questions from the YouTube comments that we didn't get a chance to answer yet. This is part 1 of a 2-part Q&A.

Dean Z talks about the admissions process, how her office goes through applications, and explains why this year is different from the past.

Professor Leah Litman joins A2Z to talk about clerkships basics with Dean Z. Professor Leah Litman clerked at the US Supreme Court for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and also on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for the Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton. Professor Litman is also one of the co-hosts and co-creators of Strict Scrutiny, a Crooked Media podcast about the US Supreme Court, which received the 2023 Podcast Academy award (Ambie) for Best Politics or Opinion podcast and a 2023 Anthem Award for its coverage of the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade. Listen to Strict Scrutiny: https://crooked.com/podcast-series/strict-scrutiny/ Follow Professor Litman on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leahlitman.bsky.social Professor Litman's faculty profile: https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/leah-litman

Michigan Law Director of Public Interest Emily Bretz joins Dean Z for a conversation about the public interest job market for law students. This episode is a follow up on the previous episode on the Big Law job market video with Dean for Career Planning Ramji Kaul.

The Michigan Law Dean of Career Planning, Ramji Kaul, joins Dean Z to talk about all of the changes in big law hiring and employment in the past couple years.

Dean Z answers questions from viewers sent in to the admissions email address. She covers out-of-state applications, international students, prestige of undergraduate institutions, and more! Here are the timestamps: A2Z QandA 00:47 Let’s get started - How are out-of-state students viewed by Admissions? 03:10 how can I search out practical experience for your application? 04:43 How much does undergrad prestige matter for non-traditional students? 07:31 How do admissions offices view applicants who were falsely accused of using AI? 09:28 What is different about applying as an international student? 14:09 Senior Capstone Projects 14:47 If you are now friends with a former supervisor, can they still write you a letter of rec? 16:10 On letters of rec from elected officials 18:00 What if I don’t have enough room for all my job experience on a one-page resume? 19:18 What’s more important: major GPA or LSAC GPA? 21:06 Does Dean Z read the application of every accepted student? 21:34 How can reverse splitter boost their application? 23:56 Thoughts on online or hybrid programs

Dean Z reads through three K-JD law school applications and explains why 2 got in and one did not.

Applying to law school K-JD is a heavier lift. How can you overcome having less work experience and still get into the law school of your choice?

Will changes in the U.S. News rankings methodology have an affect on admissions? Dean Z breaks down the changes in how U.S. News ranks law schools and discusses whether that changes the way law schools look at candidates, their scores, and their resumes.

"Reddit is awesome but you have to be careful," said an anonymous Michigan Law student in an admissions survey. Dean Z received a lot of similar feedback when she asked current and former Wolverines about the law school admissions process. So what are the upsides and downsides of using Reddit while applying to law school? And if you don't use Reddit, are there other resources that can be helpful to candidates? And then we'll talk about "nota bene."

Dean Z has talked about personal statements in previous episodes but today she covers two specific aspects: writing about controversial topics and writing about common or typical topics. Whichever kind of topic you're writing about, Dean Z has some advice that will help you make the most of your personal statement.

All about the process of transferring law schools. IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: I had every intention of talking about financial aid as one of the factors, but then completely forgot. (It was really Dustin’s fault, but I hate to point fingers.) Financial aid is a *huge* consideration for the transfer process. Many applicants who might be considering applying to transfer are getting considerable merit aid at their initial institution, and most law schools do not award merit aid to transfer students; some law schools will award need-based aid to transfers, however. But giving up a large merit award is a huge sacrifice, and aids to the complexity of the decision. I’m sorry I failed to include this information in the video, and if you have questions, please reach out!

The LSAT is changing and in this episode Dean Z aims to answer all of your questions about the differences between the old test and the new.

Dean Z talks about the waitlist from the perspective of the applicant and the admissions office. What goes on behind the scenes? What can you control? What are some steps you can take to potentially turn your WL to an A?

This mini-episode is an announcement that A2Z will be back for a 4th season and we'd love to hear any questions you have for the upcoming cycle! Please email Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu with any admissions questions you have and we'll try to cover them in future episodes! More episodes coming soon!

If you've been lamenting the omission of the grammar segment this season, we have a special episode for you! Dean Z is cozy by the fire and ready to share some grammar tips, new vocabulary, and other resources.

What is yield protection and how much does it weigh on an admissions office's decision? Dean Z is here to bring some clarity to a topic that may often be misunderstood.

At this point in the cycle, many applicants have submitted their application and are wondering, what's going on? When will I hear back? What's taking so long? In this episode, Dean Z gives you a peek behind the scenes in admissions and teaches you about Michigan Law's process in rolling admissions.

Dean Z talks about the new JD-Next test and why she still thinks the LSAT is the best test for getting into law school.

Keeley is below both medians but she still got into (and has since graduated from) law school. What about her application stood out to Dean Z and told Keeley's story beyond the numbers?