Some Admissions Consultants ain't so good Forum

[Lifesonalex]

Dan Sullivan's Law School Admissions Consulting LSAC.
Yes. LSAC is the company that administers the LSAT test.
Apparently Sullivan uses the LSAC initials to make the public think he's connected to the LSAT test organization.
But now to the meat of the matter.


Sullivan took remedial math and a reduced credit load as a Villanova undergrad. That was fatal dumbness for someone wanting to get into Harvard/Yale Law Schools. This alone should terrify any 19 year old who is considering hiring Sullivan for advice. Nixy might say "Well 40 years have passed so that's no longer relevant". Nonsense. Sullivan did this as an adult, at a time when he was obsessed about getting into a T14 law school. When Sullivan made the above move his law school admissions packet was the single most important thing in his life. He made the blunder anyway. That shows us something very significant. And the blunder was obvious to everyone but Sullivan.



Sullivan kept a notebook titled Easy 'A' Teachers. He would strike up conversations with anyone at Villanova and ask them about easy teachers for a particular class. This is off the scale. Sullivan is the only guy I've ever seen do this. It was an obsession. Maximizing GPA. Sullivan turned it into a science. When Sullivan got to U of Chic Law School this trick didn't work so well.



Sullivan had the brilliant idea "if one Villanova degree is good then 2 are better". What to do? Let's do summer sessions and get 2 degrees. But wait. Doesn't that only prove that Dad has money to finance summer sessions? Sullivan didn't see it that way. Wouldn't it be far better to avoid frivolous electives and take an additional class in both the fall and spring semesters? Not if you're Sullivan. How many parents are willing to finance summer sessions at college so Junior can graduate with 2 degrees? No one in my neighborhood.



Scroll forward. Sullivan is not getting into the law schools that he wants. What to do? Let's enroll at U of Mich for a Philosophy degree. Really? Yes, if 2 degrees at Villanova are great, just think of the distinction of having 3 degrees. Daddy had money and could finance this frivolity. Plus, while getting the frivolous degree at U of Mich, Sullivan will have time to study for the LSAT and take numerous prep classes. Any parents out there willing to finance this?

This is the one thing that Sullivan did that may have worked out for him. Hopefully you have wealthy parents so you can copy his move. He had plenty of time to take LSAT prep classes and so he got a 177 LSAT, or so he says. In Sullivan's defense, he may have actually got that score because he got into U of Chic Law in 1983, ranked #6 at the time.



Wow. Now things are really looking up. He got accepted at #6 U of Chic Law. Let's overlook the fact that all of his other acrobatics may have prevented him from getting accepted into Harvard/Yale Law.



Did he distinguish himself in any way at U of Chic Law? If yes, he would have told us on his consulting website. So I'll go with the "No" answer.

It's OK, he got a job at Simpson Thatcher. Wow! But wait. What is so prestigious about being on the Simpson Flatliner Track a week after arrival? Flatliner Track? Yes, no partner takes an interest in your career, no meaningful training, mind numbing paperwork, then at the end of your usefulness you're politely but firmly told that your services are no longer required. Is it prestigious? You decide.

Sullivan's site says that he got into admissions consulting by advising his "political science professor wife's students". Kill me. Did Dan just type those words? And he was a Simpson Thatcher guy? With a 177 LSAT? I'm speechless, and that does not often happen. Are you now shocked that he didn't make partner at Simpson? I'm not.

Is that an example of how not to write on an admissions essay? Why not make it more ridiculous? I would suggest:

"My blond Ashkenazi Jewish political science professor wife's students..."

If you seek to be ridiculous, may as well go all the way. Right now if I was 19 and looking for an admissions consultant, I'd be running in the opposite direction.


From Dan's site. He worked for a Fortune 500 company. He won't tell us which one. I guess it's confidential.

He was a partner at 2 smaller firms. He won't tell us which firms. I guess it's confidential.

Sullivan was at first rejected by Villanova admissions. His Dad raised hell and donated. Sullivan was then accepted. To me, this is comical. Sullivan told me that years ago. I was there. In the room. Daddy smoothing things over by talking to someone on the golf course when Junior screws up.

Sullivan states on his site that he was Captain of the Villanova debate team. How did they do? No comment. It's ok, it was a long time ago.

Where is the logical connection between Sullivan's English, Accounting and Philosophy degrees? There is none. He's doing a random walk. And the Harvard/Yale Law Admissions Directors saw it. Dan didn't.



I'm nauseated by all of this if I'm a 19 year old who just did a 10 hour shift at McDonald's flipping burgers for minimum wage. I don't really want to send Sullivan the $2500 that I saved up. Do Nixy and Moderator Cavalier feel my pain?

If Dan is being truthful about his LSAT score, he just may have been admitted to Harvard/Yale Law Schools, had Dan avoided all of the frivolity above. It's called "being too clever by half". He was too cute for his own good.

Can we believe his LSAT score of 177? And of course anyone can say they got anything on the LSAT and they can't be proven wrong. Knowing the guy for 40 years, I believe he would lie about his LSAT score to impress people. Which translates into people sending him thousands of dollars in consulting fees.

Now let's take a step back and look at the big picture. Had Sullivan been admitted to Harvard Law or the #40 law school, it would not have mattered. Either way, he's still on the Simpson Thatcher Flatliner Track a week after arrival.

Sullivan's Admissions Consulting does not add value. It scoops up attractive people but it's not responsible for their attractiveness, like a modeling agency.

If TLS feels the above adds value, that it's well thought out and useful, may I post it on the admissions consultants forum so that more TLS readers will see it? I already know Cavalier's answer but hopefully there is someone more reasonable who can decide the issue. You see, sadly, Cav has a vendetta against me, at least that's what appearances indicate.

[Geddylee]

What does Sullivan charge for admissions consulting.
Just curious.
Not that I want to hire him after what you posted

[Lifesonalex]

I have the screenshot of Sullivan's divorce court docs

Ordering counseling for alcohol and drug use

Shame.....

Who wants to hire him as an admissions consultant?

I can email you the screenshot
lenny2 at consultant dot com

consider this a favor from me to you

Teenagers.
No point in flipping burgers for 2 months over the summer and sending the money to Sullivan for consulting services

[Lifesonalex]

I have the internet doc, Sullivan divorce case, ordering Sullivan to take counseling for alcohol and drugs.......
Want him as an admissions consultant? lenny2 at consultant dot com
It all depends on if you want to send Sullivan a check for $2500 for admissions consulting

[nealric]

I'm not sure I understand this vendetta. If you had a bad experience with the service this consultant provided, it would be better to post a review of that service. If you have no particular connection, why post a lengthy screed?

I personally wouldn't hire an admissions consultant primarily because law school is mostly a numbers game. Have a 3.8+ UGPA and 170+ LSAT and one of the top schools should let you in. Maybe if you are gunning for Yale or Stanford it's worth consulting with someone who has specific expertise in those places (cozying up to someone who actually knows the right people there is probably better though).

But what this guy did in the 1980s and his (evidently) nasty divorce seems pretty irrelevant to whether he gives good advice to people applying to law school in the 2020s. Perhaps OP is the ex wife?

[Lifesonalex]

Does not matter who the original poster is

Does the post make sense

Is it useful?

Is it presented in a logical way

[KissMyAxe]

Does not matter who the original poster is

Does the post make sense

Is it useful?

Is it presented in a logical way

No, to every one of your questions. It is not useful. It is not logical. And it doesn't make any sense because it's poorly written and seems to be stream of consciousness.

You seem to randomly hate this random guy (I've never heard of him). Basically nothing here has anything to do with whether the guy is a good consultant. You're trying to attack his credibility with completely irrelevant things that has nothing to do with his job. Who the hell cares how good of a first year associate he was? Who the hell cares about his divorce? Whether he's a good guy or bad guy has no bearing on his job. If you want to make a post that is actually helpful, then you should describe his work as a consultant.

I tend to agree with nealric. My guess is you're his ex-wife or connected to her and you want to slander the guy. You clearly are not a lawyer since the writing is poor. And you don't know what you're talking about. I went to YLS and don't see any value in using any consultant, but see even less reason to hire a consultant who has specific experience with a school. Where you went to law school is completely irrelevant when your job is to just review essays/resumes and advise folks on how best to position themselves for admissions.

Shouldn't have engaged. You seem to be a bit deranged and have been posting about this guy with the same info for years. viewtopic.php?f=10&t=315655&p=10561689#p10561689

[Lifesonalex]

Below, from KissMyAxe, my comments in bold


No, to every one of your questions. It is not useful. It is not logical. And it doesn't make any sense because it's poorly written and seems to be stream of consciousness.

You'll get stream of consciousness since I'm doing this for free and don't have 5 hours to spend on it.

You seem to randomly hate this random guy (I've never heard of him).

I knew him decades ago. Hatred is not an issue. I'm trying to save a 19-year-old the $2500 he made at his summer job at McDonald's. Don't send it to Sullivan for admissions consulting. And I gave numerous reasons in support of that.

Let's begin with an anecdote. If you search the posts of Dan Sullivan, on this forum, you'll see an exchange between Sullivan and Moderator Cav. Years ago.

Here is Sullivan's claim:
If you have 2 guys from a decent college, such as Villanova, and both guys (John and Joe) are applying to Yale Law, here is Sullivan's theory.
Say Joe gets into Harvard so he does not care about his Yale application. John is waiting for the results of his Yale application.
Sullivan thinks that in such a scenario, Yale will never admit 2 guys from the same decent university (Villanova), so Sullivan feels that John should approach Joe down the hall at Villanova and ask Joe to withdraw his Yale application, thereby increasing the odds that John will be admitted to Yale.

In fact, John should offer compensation to Joe for doing so.

Cav found Sullivan's theory ridiculous and unsupported. See posts on this forum by searching Sullivan's posts on this very issue.

And I have to side with Cav.


Basically nothing here has anything to do with whether the guy is a good consultant. You're trying to attack his credibility with completely irrelevant things that has nothing to do with his job. Who the hell cares how good of a first year associate he was? Who the hell cares about his divorce? Whether he's a good guy or bad guy has no bearing on his job. If you want to make a post that is actually helpful, then you should describe his work as a consultant.

What I did was list numerous claims by Sullivan, from his website, and since I knew him decades ago, I was well aware of the moves he made back then to get into a great law school.

I expressed why some of those moves by Sullivan were ridiculous.
And if you see Sullivans LSAC admissions consulting site, you'll see Sullivan listing his accomplishments that have zero to do with his ability to help a teenager with law school admissions. I responded to many of Sullivan's claims.

Sullivan's divorce. Just for the heck of it I opened his divorce file on the internet and saw one thing that caught my eye. An order by the Judge to attend alcohol/drug counselling. Frankly if I'm 19 and considering mailing Sullivan a check for $2500, that kind of info would make me pause. Especially if the $2500 came to me by working as a teenager in a 100-degree kitchen at min wage.


I tend to agree with nealric. My guess is you're his ex-wife or connected to her and you want to slander the guy.

Incorrect. Not an ex-wife of Sullivan. And to correct you, it would not be slander since it was not spoken words, but words typed on my laptop. But since you went to Yale, you obviously know the distinction between libel and slander, but maybe you just forgot. You may have been absent that day.

You clearly are not a lawyer since the writing is poor.

Best not to state if someone is a lawyer or not. How much time and effort I want to put into this post is up to me. I'm doing it for free.

And you don't know what you're talking about. I went to YLS and don't see any value in using any consultant,

Nor do I.

but see even less reason to hire a consultant who has specific experience with a school. Where you went to law school is completely irrelevant when your job is to just review essays/resumes and advise folks on how best to position themselves for admissions.

Exactly. We agree. But not 100%.
If I'm 19 and want to get into T14, I'm much more likely to hire an admissions consultant who went to T14. I don't want to send $2500 to a guy from the #200 law school in USA, I hope you understand

If you go on Sullivan's website, you'll see a long essay on how great his qualifications are and his LSAT score and his degrees from Villanova and his masters in Phil from U of Mich. He even told us that he was Captain of Villanova Debate Team as a teenager, as if anyone cares.

Shouldn't have engaged. You seem to be a bit deranged and have been posting about this guy with the same info for years

A layperson diagnosing mental illness after reading words on a laptop for 5 minutes gets us nowhere.
And I post about Sullivan's Admissions Consulting once a year, since Neal, Cav and Nixy are hell bent on getting it all taken down. Why? Sullivan sends advertising dollars to TLS.

Now let's look at Sullivan's moves, showing why you shouldn't hire him as an admissions consultant.

Sullivan named his business Dan Sullivan's LSAC, meaning Law School Admissions Consulting.
Isn't there prior usage of the LSAC initials? Law School Admissions Council, the company that administers the LSAT.
Does Sullivan want us to think that his business is affiliated with the company that administers the LSAT?
Nothing to be seen here, move along?

As a Villanova undergrad, Sullivan took remedial math and a reduced credit load.
Is that smart if you want T14?
No. Not smart.
Bad move. Now I should hire him for $2500 and get his hot advice about getting into T14?

Sullivan graduated from Villanova with a degree in accounting and a degree in English.
How did he do that? Did he take an extra class in all semesters and avoid frivolous electives?
No.
He took summer sessions at Villanova.
Daddy had the money....
So all that Sullivan proved was that Daddy had money to finance summer sessions.

Sullivan was not getting into his preferred law schools. What to do?
Let's enroll at U of Mich for a Phil degree. If 2 degrees at Villanova are great then 3 would be fantastic, and it would also allow time to take numerous LSAT prep classes.

Once again, Daddy had the money.

How all of this applies to the teenagers who log onto TLS is an entirely different issue. I don't see many parents who are willing to finance this type of frivolity.

Sullivan's site says that he got into admissions consulting by advising his "political science professor wife's students". Kill me. Did Dan just type those words? And he was a Simpson Thatcher guy? With a 177 LSAT? I'm speechless, and that does not often happen. Are you now shocked that he didn't make partner at Simpson? I'm not.

A lot of the above was aired out on TLS in 2019.
Back then, I emailed Sullivan and told him to log onto TLS and give his input.
He was silent.
Here's the odd thing. Back then I clicked on Sullivan's name, on TLS, and I could see Sullivan logging onto TLS daily, so he was well aware of the back and forth on TLS about his admissions consulting business. Strange, isn't it. He had nothing to say in his defense. But it was ok since Cav and Nixy cared more about defending Sullivan than Sullivan did. Also, Sullivan was sending advertising checks to TLS so any derogatory comments by me, about his consulting business, were removed by Cav.


Sullivan's Admissions Consulting does not add value. It scoops up attractive people but it's not responsible for their attractiveness, like a modeling agency.

[nealric]

This thread has just become a forum for personal attacks and will be locked.