Videos

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. As always, let us know if you have an...

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What is yield protection on is it really a thing? In this episode, Dean Z shares her perspective on protecting a school's yield and why it matters. (It may not be the reason you think.) As always, let us know if you have any comments or questions! ...

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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 ab...

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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. You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. ...

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It's possible to get into law school even if you're under both medians. But you'll need the rest of your application to tell your story and show your potential beyond the scores. In today's app reading, Dean Z reads "Keeley's" application and talks a...

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Get to know alumna and professor, Eve Primus, director of MDefenders and the Public Defender Training Institute.

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Dean Z answers questions from the YouTube comments and a couple other places that Dustin found things. Learn about JD-Next, averaging LSAT scores, advice for older students applying, and more! You can leave questions in the comments below or email ...

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Beyond watching these videos, there really isn't a place for a parent in law school admissions. The student should be navigating this process, especially in-person events, alone. Dean Z shares her thoughts in this episode. You can leave questions i...

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​Better know assistant professor of law, Daniel Deacon. Professor Deacon's interests include administrative law, communications law, data privacy, and federal courts.

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Dean Z shares her thoughts on writing about difficult topics in your law school admissions essays in a post-SFFA world. Links to things Dean Z references: "A Big Problem With College Admissions Could Be About to Get Worse" by Aya Waller-Bey: https...

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Interviews for public defender jobs are unlike almost any other job interview out there. But don't worry; MDefenders is there with all of the job support you need to find a job that fits your specific wants/needs and prepares you to get your dream jo...

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Beyond teaching you how to be a public defender, MDefenders offers an incredible community of students, alumni, and faculty who can help you both professionally and personally. Learn more about this incredible community in this video.

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Dean Z looks through 4 (!) applications in this episode, each an applicant with a strong LSAT but a low GPA. What about them stood out and why did Dean Z admit them to Michigan Law? You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z a...

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What does the SCOTUS decision in SFFA v. Harvard and UNC mean for applicants? Dean Z shares her perspective, explains why this cycle will require patience, and also shares some advice for talking about adversity in your essays. You can leave questi...

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Let's talk about the pros and cons of applying Early Decision. You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorit...

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Dean Z has finally recorded a new app reading episode where she shows you how she looks through an entire law school application. For "Nathan" his numbers are good but his resume and essays tell a different story. This episode should make you think a...

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Better know Professor Scott Hershovitz. He is the Thomas G. and Mabel Long Professor of Law and a professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan. He directs Michigan’s Law and Ethics Program and he is a co-editor of the journal Legal Theory....

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Let's talk about legacy admissions. What are they and is it as simple as alumni trying to get their kids admitted to their alma mater? Dean Z talks about how much more complex this issue is than just children of alumni. You can leave questions in th...

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​​​The MDefenders Public Defender Training Institute is an intensive immersion into the world of indigent defense. Taught by University of Michigan faculty who are current and/or former public defenders (aided by MDefenders alumni who currentl...

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MDefenders is a faculty-sponsored organization at the University of Michigan Law School designed to (a) help current law students figure out if public defense is the right career path for them; (b) provide a nurturing and supportive community for asp...

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Dean Z and the Michigan Law Admissions office have banned the use of ChatGPT on admissions essays. Why? Dean Z brings clarity to a topic that we're surprised got so much attention. You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at...

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Dean Z is back with another season of A2Z! In this brief episode she "sets the table" for what's to come and explains the new intro music by Jacob Sigman. Jacob Sigman on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z04ZbjBrsT4 You can leave questions ...

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Better know Matthew L.M. Fletcher, ’97, the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law at Michigan Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitu...

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Get to know legal historian, Professor Emily Prifogle. Professor Prifogle is a legal historian researching how individuals, as well as local, state, and federal governments, used legal tools to shape rural communities in the 20th century. She teach...

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Meet Professor Sadek! She's Co-Director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic and also works with MCity and the Law and Mobility Program. Professor Sadek: https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/tifani-sadek ZEC: https://m...

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Better know Professor Gil Seinfeld, the recipient of the 2023 L. Hart Wright Teaching Award, as decided by Michigan Law students. Professor Seinfeld talks about why he loves teaching, how he finds CivPro intrinsically fun, and what it was like cler...

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Get to know one of Michigan Law's newest faculty members, Rachel Rothschild. Rachel Rothschild is an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to joining the Michigan Law faculty, she was a legal fellow at the Insti...

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Better know Ekow N. Yankah, the Thomas M. Cooley Professor of Law.. His work focuses on questions of political and criminal theory and particularly, questions of political obligation and justifications of punishment.

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Dean Z is the type of person to leave the party before she outstays her welcome, so A2Z is going on another hiatus. We'll be back when there are more questions to answer about law school admissions! You can leave questions in the comments below or ...

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Dean Z answers questions from viewers. Thank you to everyone who submitted a question! You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcas...

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Choosing where to go to law school is a huge decision and should not be taken lightly. In today's episode, Dean Z talks about all of the factors you should be thinking about when it's time to make your final decision. The episode of the Hidden Brai...

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Get know to Professor Sam Erman.

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Meet Professor Chris Walker, one of the few law professors who has worked in all three branches of government.

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Originally posted on Michigan Law's social media, this video was published on the Friday before the Michigan vs. Ohio State football game in 2022. Professor Chris Walker joined the Michigan Law faculty earlier in the year after spending 10+ years at ...

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Dean Z delivers the TLDR on the US News Law School Rankings (as of January 10, 2023.) You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast...

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A2Z will be taking a short break over the holidays but Dean Z still wanted to send a brief message to (hopefully) help everyone enjoy the holidays a little bit more. You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissi...

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Salomé Viljoen is an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. She studies the information economy, particularly data about people and the automated systems that are trained on such data. She is interested in how informati...

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There's a lot of jargon that comes with working in law and Dean Z is here to make sure you know the basics. You might know most of these, but there's always more to learn. Let's make sure we're all staring in the same place by defining our terms. Y...

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Having a good GPA and LSAT score isn't enough to get you into law school. And having numbers below the medians isn't enough to keep you out. So what are the other "soft" factors that can make or break your application? You can leave questions in the...

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Dean Z asks new Michigan Law Admissions Assistant Director Valerie about things that surprised her about law school admissions. The topics provide some insight about things that Dean Z has probably overlooked after being in the business for so long.

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Get to know our newest legal practice professor, Christopher Knight.

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Everything you need to know about law school interviews! (Including why Michigan doesn't do them.) You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the ne...

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Jeffrey Minear, ’82, former counselor to Chief Justice John Roberts, in conversation with the Hon. Jeffrey Sutton, Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, about the constitutional roles and responsibilities of the U.S. fede...

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Are there preferred undergraduate majors? Should you take pre-law classes? Is it okay to cancel your LSAT twice? Three times? In this episode Dean Z answers these questions and more, covering a variety of admissions topics that don't require a full e...

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Professor Risa Golubuff from the University of Virginia School of Law delivers the 2019 Simpson Lecture, “Constitutional Change and Constitutional History.”

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Professor Dylan Penningroth from the University of California, Berkeley Law delivers the 2022 Simpson Lecture, “Race in Contract Law.”

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In this week's episode Dean discusses the role of Deans at a law school. Not just the main dean, but all of the other deans like Deans of Admissions, Student Life, Career Planning, etc. You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean...

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It's the beginning of a new cycle and Dean Z is here to help you get out ahead of financial aid. Of course, she can't give you all of the nuanced details of each possible situation, but here are some major topics to know about and to consider when yo...

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If your GPA and LSAT score were the only two factors on whether you'd be admitted to law school, we could replace Dean Z with an algorithm. But, of course, that's not the case and there's a lot more to the full story than those two numbers. In this e...

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Are you heading to (or signing onto a Zoom for) a Law School Admissions fair and wondering how to get the most out of it? In this episode, Dean Z talks about what you should and shouldn't do during these fairs. What to wear, what to ask, and what not...

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If you didn't get the results you were hoping for during this applications cycle -or in other professional capacities- perhaps it is time to look for some feedback on your work. But don't just ask anybody. In this episode, Dean Z shares her advice on...

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Dean Z reads an application from a student who previously applied but did not get in, but this time improved his application enough to earn him an offer from Michigan Law. Watch to find out how he improved his application enough to change Dean Z's mi...

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Everything you need to know about deferrals and what you should be considering when requesting one. Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put "A2Z Vlog" in the subject. Transcr...

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How much should law school rankings weigh on your decision of where to go? Dean Z breaks down how rankings can be helpful and when they should be less of a factor in your decision. Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below o...

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The library is a greater resource than most people realize and we have the librarians to thank for that. Get to know all of the smart, hardworking people that work in our Law Library in this new video.

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Professor Crane teaches Contracts and Federal Antitrust here at Michigan Law. Here him talk about those classes, his work for a NYC law firm, involvement in autonomous vehicles, and more in this episode of #BetterKnowAProf.

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Professor Barb McQuade teaches 1L criminal law and a course in data privacy in the Problem Solving Institute. Learn more about her and her classes in the latest #BetterKnowAProf video.

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In our new series, Better Know A Professor, we feature our faculty in brief interviews covering a variety of topics including questions about the classes they are teaching, their teaching style, and their interests outside of the law. Stay tuned for ...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sY1e8YJJid7rXOHbGgoG9rIcF34iOe95KaUvvXuQuiY/edit?usp=sharing Moira's Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rbf7-8hevOFHcPY4MGuJh-zbe_J-1lM2/view?usp=sharing You can comment below or email at Dean Z...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorite podcast platforms or you can go here: https://a2z-podcast.simplecast.com/ Other helpfu...

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Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LbR7_OlonaGG8hkkBLJyC8Vm5YzXI-gHIqyJJ1rcuqo/edit?usp=sharing Links to places mentioned in this episode: Michigan Stadium and Yost Ice Arena: mgoblue.com Zingerman's: www.zingermans.com Zingerman's Ro...

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Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q780CUSkqhITU_M5ak8JU_IlRrMNLo_Xi7VGnw-t21g/edit?usp=sharing You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast o...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorite podcast platforms or you can go here: https://a2z-podcast.simplecast.com/ Other helpfu...

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On Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Michigan Law, we welcome back Ms. Bentina Chisolm Terry, '96, to speak about, "Where Do We Go From Here: A Lawyer's Work in Moving from Chaos to Community."

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorite podcast platforms or you can go here: https://a2z-podcast.simplecast.com/ Other helpfu...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorite podcast platforms or you can go here: https://a2z-podcast.simplecast.com/ Other helpfu...

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In this episode Dean Z watches: Don't Be A Lawyer - feat. Burl Moseley - "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" The Paper Chase How To Get Away With Murder My Cousin Vinny You can leave questions in the comments below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.e...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. You can find the new A2Z podcast on all of your favorite podcast platforms or you can go here: https://a2z-podcast.simplecast.com/ Other helpfu...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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Please let us know what you think of this episode! If you enjoyed it and find it helpful, perhaps I'll do more in the future. As always, we'd love to hear your feedback. You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and pu...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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Join us to catch up on the latest from Michigan Law's legal clinics, which cover a remarkable array of practice areas, from transactional to litigation and everything in between. Three of Michigan Law’s clinical professors will highlight the import...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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You can comment below or email at Dean Z at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law A...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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In addition to the regular Tuesday morning episodes, we're trying a new style and format of video in which Dean Z dissects an entire law school application. Watch to see why we're doing this and what we hope you can learn from watching. Please leav...

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This is the first episode in this format and we'd love to hear your feedback. Tell us what you liked, what you didn't, what questions you have, and if you'd like to see more application readings like this. You can comment below or email at Dean Z a...

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LSAC grading policy: https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/jd-application-requirements/academic-record#GradeConversionTable Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umic...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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A lot of work goes into creating each episode of A2Z and this week we wanted to share some behind-the-scenes clips from Dean Z speaking to you from her basement. Please enjoy some outtakes from our first 13 episodes. Please leave questions for futur...

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This topic was inspired by an email from Norah S. Thank you for writing in and please keep the questions coming! Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subjec...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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Please leave questions in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put "Vlog" in the subject line. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follo...

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Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law Admissions on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMichLawAdmit Follow Michigan Law on Instagram: https://www.inst...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Mentioned this episode: Patrick Barry's writing videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7g_CQSlG4S8IV8x...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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Please leave questions for future episodes in the comments below or email at law.jd.admissions@umich.edu and put A2Z Vlog in the subject. Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law...

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Helpful links: A2Z Blog: https://experience.law.umich.edu/a2z/ Michigan Law Admissions: https://experience.law.umich.edu/ Follow Michigan Law Admissions on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMichLawAdmit Follow Michigan Law on Instagram: https://www.inst...

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