via
Getty)
If
you
know
someone
who’s
applied
to
law
school
in
the
past
10
years,
it’s
likely
you’ve
heard
of
7Sage.
They’ve
been
the
largest
source
for
LSAT
study
materials
since
developing
the
first
modern,
online-first
LSAT
course.
In
recent
years,
they’ve
added
in-person
classes
and
a
multimillion-dollar
tutoring
program
for
law
school
hopefuls.
As
readers
of
these
pages
know,
the
need
for
7Sage’s
services
is
booming,
commensurate
with
the
surge
in
law
school
applications
that
promises
to
make
the
2026
application
cycle
one
of
the
most
competitive
ever.
Considering
the
importance
of
the
LSAT
to
law
school
admissions,
I
have
no
doubt
that
the
benefit
of
LSAT
prep
is
of
critical
importance
to
many
applicants.
It
is
a
good
thing,
therefore,
that
LSAT
takers
have
many
options,
7Sage’s
offerings
included,
that
can
help
applicants
maximize
their
score.
Likewise,
for
those
with
the
financial
means
to
obtain
professional
help
in
crafting
their
applications,
services
like
7Sage’s
admissions
consulting
can
really
help
demystify
the
process
—
while
allowing
applicants
to
present
themselves
as
optimally
as
possible
to
law
schools.
Over
the
years,
I
have
been
in
a
position
to
offer
advice
to
aspiring
lawyers
considering
law
school.
Some
of
them
are
now
well-ensconced
at
various
firms
practicing
law
at
a
high
level.
At
the
same
time,
I
am
the
first
to
admit
that
I
am
not
an
expert
on
law
school
admissions.
But
that
doesn’t
mean
that
such
expertise
doesn’t
exist.
It
does.
Thankfully,
one
of
those
experts
has
agreed
to
share
their
knowledge
with
this
audience,
by
agreeing
to
sit
for
a
written
interview.
So
let’s
meet
our
interviewee
and
learn
what
we
can
about
the
fascinating
and
competitive
admissions
landscape
for
law
schools
as
we
head
into
2026.
(Before
we
do
so,
I
note
that
my
son
is
a
7Sage
client,
as
he
navigates
his
own
law
school
application
journey
—
a
journey
I
may
write
about
in
further
detail
from
a
lawyer
dad’s
perspective
in
a
future
column.)
Ethan
Madore
is
the
coordinator
of
7Sage’s
law
school
admissions
consulting
program,
where
he’s
helped
advance
their
data-driven
approach
to
understanding
law
schools’
decisions
about
the
make-up
of
their
incoming
class.
7Sage
tracks
and
analyzes
the
results
of
each
application
cycle.
They
have
an
in-house
simulation
of
an
admissions
office
at
a
top
law
school
staffed
with
former
admissions
officers
from
Yale,
Stanford,
and
Columbia.
Students
are
given
transcript
recordings
of
how
their
files
would
actually
be
discussed
behind
closed
doors,
then
work
with
professional
storytellers
and
former
admissions
officers
to
improve
their
outcomes
and
shape
winning
narratives.
In
short,
Ethan
and
his
team
use
every
tool
at
their
disposal
to
help
7Sage’s
clients
maximize
their
chances
of
admission.
But
their
impact
is
broader
than
that,
as
they
share
their
research
and
insights
via
7Sage’s
events
and
blog,
to
an
audience
far
larger
than
just
their
clients.
As
usual,
I
have
added
some
brief
commentary
to
Ethan’s
answer
to
my
first
question
below,
but
have
otherwise
presented
his
answer
as
he
provided
it.
Gaston
Kroub:
How
have
law
school
admissions
changed
in
recent
years?
Ethan
Madore:
If
you’re
a
law
school
dean
trying
to
decide
the
composition
of
next
year’s
class,
you’re
actually
sitting
in
the
middle
of
several
cultural
shifts.
There
are
the
obvious
ones
like
the
conversations
about
DEI,
affirmative
action,
and
battle
between
top
universities
and
the
current
administration.
But
there’s
also
something
significantly
larger.
Increasingly,
people
understand
that
an
undergraduate
degree
isn’t
a
reliable
ticket
into
the
professional
middle
class.
A
more
and
more
massive
number
of
people
are
applying
to
law
schools
who
have
never
considered
becoming
a
lawyer
before
last
year.
As
opportunities
in
government,
academia,
and
even
tech
dry
up,
law
school
looks
like
one
of
the
last
trains
leaving
the
station.
Essentially,
law
school
is
emerging
as
the
graduate-school
version
of
a
liberal
arts
degree
—
a
default
for
someone
with
a
faculty
for
language
who
wants
more
education
that
will
lead
to
a
good
job.
But
of
course,
this
isn’t
really
how
a
serious
law
school
dean
wants
their
institution
to
be
viewed.
There’s
an
obvious
mismatch
of
form
and
purpose.
And
there
are
more
and
more
law
students
who
probably,
in
their
heart
of
hearts,
don’t
want
to
be
lawyers.
That
means
much
more
scrutiny.
The
thing
to
emphasize
is
how
competitive
law
schools
have
become.
People
are
scrambling
to
get
a
hand
on
the
career
ladder.
As
of
today,
applications
are
up
32%
compared
to
where
they
were
last
year,
which
was
already
an
unprecedented
high-water
mark.
If
you
haven’t
in
a
while,
look
up
the
median
LSAT
and
GPA
at
your
alma
mater.
The
University
of
Alabama
Law
was
ranked
35th
this
year.
Their
median
GPA
was
a
3.95.
When
I
graduated
college,
our
valedictorian
only
had
a
3.89.
GK:
Ethan’s
point
about
how
competitive
law
school
admissions
have
become
will
certainly
ring
true
to
anyone
trying
to
navigate
the
current
cycle,
whether
on
the
law
school
or
applicant
side.
For
me,
his
point
about
how
law
school
attendance
may
be
an
option
of
last
resort
for
otherwise
capable
people
unable
to
find
productive
employment
in
other
fields
out
of
college
is
troubling.
We
all
know
that
law
schools
are
at
best
just
one
part
of
the
equation
of
turning
someone
into
a
functional
legal
professional
—
just
think
of
how
many
excellent
law
students
find
themselves
in
real
trouble,
real
quick,
once
they
start
practicing.
Add
in
the
fact
that
we
may
be
on
the
precipice
of
an
AI-driven
revolution
in
how
legal
services
are
delivered
to
clients
and
the
idea
that
a
measurable
number
of
future
lawyers
would
rather
be
doing
something
else
is
frightening.
But
all
hope
is
not
lost.
We
can
hope
that
as
more
talented
folks
consider
a
career
in
law
—
and
law
schools
get
more
selective
in
who
they
bring
in
—
that
perhaps
will
usher
in
a
reinvigorated
era
of
legal
education
in
the
coming
years.
One
that
results
in
schools
graduating
students
more
prepared
than
ever
for
the
ethical,
intellectual,
and
professional
rigors
of
law
practice,
irrespective
of
the
area
of
law
that
the
young
lawyer
finds
themselves
pursuing.
We
will
continue
with
Ethan’s
answers
to
questions
2
and
3
next
time,
which
will
center
on
both
his
work
crafting
winning
application
strategies
for
7Sage’s
clients,
as
well
as
his
thoughts
on
how
short-term
thinking
at
law
schools
impacts
applicants.
In
the
meantime,
feel
free
to
recommend
that
any
prospective
LSAT
takers
or
law
school
applicants
take
a
look
at
7Sage’s
offerings
to
see
if
they
might
be
a
fit.
Please
feel
free
to
send
comments
or
questions
to
me
at
[email protected]
or
via
Twitter:
@gkroub.
Any
topic
suggestions
or
thoughts
are
most
welcome.
Gaston
Kroub
lives
in
Brooklyn
and
is
a
founding
partner
of Kroub,
Silbersher
&
Kolmykov
PLLC,
an
intellectual
property
litigation
boutique,
and Markman
Advisors
LLC,
a
leading
consultancy
on
patent
issues
for
the
investment
community.
Gaston’s
practice
focuses
on
intellectual
property
litigation
and
related
counseling,
with
a
strong
focus
on
patent
matters.
You
can
reach
him
at [email protected] or
follow
him
on
Twitter: @gkroub.