Notre Dame 2014 applicants Forum

[andythefir]

It hit me today that ND will start accepting EA apps in a month and change (can you believe it?). ND has been my dream for a long, long time so I was thinking it might be good to set up a support group for the home stretch for any other ND dreamers out there. I'm an intense reverse splitter so applying is very stressful, here's hoping all the Rudys on the site can help each other out.

[nyyankees]

for what its worth, i had ~3/163/169 and i got in with an 18k/year scholly. theres tons of hope for you. I would suggest putting a lot of thought into your why ND essay. There are tons of things that Notre Dame has to offer that you literally will not be able to find anywhere else in the country. Find something specific that applies to you and work it.

Good Luck - PM me if you want more tangible advice

[andythefir]

Thank you nyyankees for the support, that's what I like the most about the golden domers on this site, everyone seems so supportive. I have lots of questions but I also wanted to provide a resource for anyone else who is anxious about their applications.
Did you apply EA? Prevailing wisdom seems to be that ND loves people who love ND but is it possible to take this too far (telling them you don't plan to apply to any other school for example)? How can you truly articulate that ND is your dream school?
I appreciate this is super early, especially for anyone who doesn't plan on applying early and I also appreciate I may be the only one who immediately looks for Notre Dame whenever I see any statistics about law school because it's really the only school of interest. Still, any help folks can give would be very much appreciated.

[fulkersonr1]

Good luck to you. I applied EA and I think it def. helped me to gain an acceptance, but also hurt any chance I may have had at any scholarship money. I agree that the Why ND essay is really important and try to articulate not just how much you want to go to ND, but also why it is a better fit for you than other law schools and what you would bring to the ND community. If you have any ?s I would also be willing to try and help.

[andythefir]

I'm aware this may sound idealistic but I'd really only like to apply to 1 school. Strategically would it be wise to put that on my application?

[savagecheater]

How are your numbers compared to ND's medians?

[andythefir]

3.94/162 so just below the 25th lsat but way above the 75th gpa. I'm also Native American and very Catholic. I have a what are my chances thread and the concensus seems to be I should have no problem getting in, but the process is still stressful. To those who got in, were you super anxious applying or was the decision more logical for you?

[adameus]

3.94/162 so just below the 25th lsat but way above the 75th gpa. I'm also Native American and very Catholic. I have a what are my chances thread and the concensus seems to be I should have no problem getting in, but the process is still stressful. To those who got in, were you super anxious applying or was the decision more logical for you?

are you also being told to apply to better schools????? cause you should.

I would not say that you are only applying to Notre Dame. I think this could give them a reason not to offer you any scholarship money. They are offering that money as a way to entice you into attending. If they know you will attend forsure, then they won't offer any. I also would not apply EA for the same reason.

[andythefir]

I see your point about giving them no incentive to give me money. And yes, the other thread was very clear that I could probably get into higher ranked schools but I have my heart set on ND. I definitely think that if there was a school to dream about ND is the one, and I guess that's the thread I've been looking for ever since I discovered top law schools. Talking about how hard it is waiting to hear back from ND when it's your dream.

[nyyankees]

if you really do believe that strongly in ND, then I would say go ahead and apply EA, but make sure the rest of your applications are out early. Nothing wrong with wanting ND even if you could get in somewhere higher, as I said, I do believe it presents some very unique opportunities that you could not find anywhere else int he country.

Just a few words of wisdom: when i started applying i decided that i really loved ND and would go there over 10-15 schools ranked above it. Im a huge ND football fan (my sister went for undegrad and so ive been to a handful of games, its amazing), lifelong practicing catholic and i love the way they run their program. However, after I got in and visited, I didnt love it as much as I did some other places. I would have been fine if i decided to go there, but Im very happy I had other options at decision time.

In terms of specifics, I think they understand that at times they come off as somewhat idealistic in their endeavors, but if you can ground it in details that you can appreciate and apply to your life, i think they will appreciate that sort of thing. For me, I focused on two things 1) I went to an undergrad that is known for being overly intellectual and douchey, so I have had tons of convos sort of defending my religious beliefs and why i believe them. So after years of assuming this defensive posture, i thought it would be nice in a place where i wasnt constantly questioned and instead could use my religious background in conjunction with the legal education to really grow and develop my perspective. 2) I felt that their stated goals of "educating a different kind of lawyer" actually means something to me. One of the things I really appreciated about ND is that, unlike most other schools, they seem to be willing to accept that being a lawyer is only one part of a persons life. It is not the only thing. If you read their prospectives bulletin, when they talk about alumni they talk principally about the alum's career and what they have been doing in a legal sense, but they also talk about how one guy has three kids and coaches his daughter's basketball team. I think its really cool that they can accept the gravity of a law degree while not losing sight of the bigger picture and the rest of life. To me this separated ND from the field in a simple yet important way. I would try to find something like that for you as well

Hope that helps, feel free to ask me for more details if you want. And best of luck with ND, andy, you sound like an ideal domer and thats amazing. Even though I decided not to go there, I still have a tremendous amount of respect for the school and I absolutely support anyones decision to go there

[Perilux]

I applied on the very last day and got in with $18k per year with a 3.14/170. Kind of the reverse of your scores, but I think they are one of the schools that do pay attention to both your personal statement and your Why ND essay. Write strong essays and I believe your scores will get you a similar scholarship, regardless of whether you apply ED or not. Although I should mention that having multiple acceptances allowed me to leverage more money from other schools (UC Davis and Emory). I ended up going with ND anyway for all the reasons mentioned above, so it didn't matter.

Notre Dame was not really on my radar as I am not Catholic (or I would have applied sooner). But a free application email enticed me to give it a closer look. Glad I did. I visited South Bend the other month and was blown away. My first time walking to campus I asked for directions from a couple random people who couldn't have been nicer - then I realized I was walking through a Seminary.

Hope to see you next year!!

[Perilux]

One more thing - they just built a huge new wing of the Law School and remodeled the old portion. Both of which look truly amazing.

The new wing wasn't finished until mid-year last year and the remodeled portion should open this month. I'm interested to see how this will affect the next ratings.

[angiej]

Notre Dame is my dream, I'm going to EA there, but I know its a reach. Plus I'm from the area, so that's probably working against me.

OP - thanks for starting the thread.

[andythefir]

Thanks again for the help of those who have been through the app process. I understand that the overwhelming advice is to be sure to write a good "why ND" but what constitutes a good one? Showing you're in tune with the different kind of lawyer motif from their website? Were there any threads on this site or elsewhere that were particularly helpful? LSN for ND looks pretty crazy, folks above both 75ths get rejected/waitlisted left and right. Is it really a black box like it seems?

[Burgstaller04]

Just wanted to throw my hat in as someone who will be applying to ND after my October retake. Apply like a Champion today.

edit: I'm not Catholic but I am an active participant in a Protestant church. Would the fact that i'm still christian but not catholic help my bid for diversity? Otherwise i'm just a regular old white guy. haha.

edit #2: Has anyone else taken a tour. I took an unofficial one last weekend. The new building is badass

[andythefir]

http://www.nd.edu/~ndlaw/admissions/fil ... ctions.pdf

HOLY COW. So many changes I can't believe it. Here I was getting ready to apply at midnight on September 15th, then they move the opening back to October. I was getting braced for the EA not really helping that much now it's a binding ED. I'm so excited, for those of us who have our hearts set on ND the switch from binding to non-binding should be huge.

[Burgstaller04]

http://www.nd.edu/~ndlaw/admissions/fil ... ctions.pdf

HOLY COW. So many changes I can't believe it. Here I was getting ready to apply at midnight on September 15th, then they move the opening back to October. I was getting braced for the EA not really helping that much now it's a binding ED. I'm so excited, for those of us who have our hearts set on ND the switch from binding to non-binding should be huge.

This may be a dumb question, but you have to indicate ED right? They won't automatically throw you in that category just because you turn in your app early right?

[andythefir]

Considering it's now legally binding I'm sure it will be very clear what it means to be applying ED and it's my understanding you have a choice whether to make it binding or just have your application in really, really early. Given the lack of past data points for ND specifically I wonder if their ED will be like others around it or different because ND has such an emotional appeal to people. From TLS it seems there are a lot of folks who are qualified for ND but want to go to a higher ranked school and a whole lot who aren't at all qualified but ND is their dream school. Seems to me making it binding is to stop the folks who in the past would rather attend somewhere more prestigious but figure they might as well apply to ND early.

[Burgstaller04]

Well, I just got done with the mind-numbing emotion that is involved in reading through all of this past cycle's ND thread. 60-something pages. It was ridic, but better than working all day. . How's it going andy?

Any ideas on how WE effects applications?

[nsideirish]

ND is my dream law school and has been for a very long time. I love the "educating a different kind of lawyer" mission. I really buy into it and believe what they have to say. Unfortunately, my June LSAT was a bit disappointing so I am hoping for a solid score on my Oct retake. My GPA is right near their 50% range. Good luck to all.

And "Litigate like a Champion Today."

[Burgstaller04]

ND is my dream law school and has been for a very long time. I love the "educating a different kind of lawyer" mission. I really buy into it and believe what they have to say. Unfortunately, my June LSAT was a bit disappointing so I am hoping for a solid score on my Oct retake. My GPA is right near their 50% range. Good luck to all. And "Litigate like a Champion Today."

I'm in the same boat with my lsat. I guess we'll just have to see what's up in October. Good luck!

[andythefir]

Sorry to hear about the disappointing LSAT scores, are you guys going to ED? They say they'll hold off reading your file if you have a pending LSAT, will the ED be worth it to you guys since you will have to wait? I am so glad they moved opening acceptances back, who knew the LSAC would take 2-3 weeks to put your transcript into the database after it takes 2-3 weeks for the school to actually send it? I don't know about you guys but I'm hoping to only apply to 1 school so the LSAC bureaucracy is super frustrating.

[Burgstaller04]

I can't afford to EA. If Notre Dame gives me a binding acceptance and doesn't give me money, I'm screwed. I can't afford sticker at all. If I do well enough to warrant some cash, I would love to be there in the Fall

[andythefir]

I can appreciate not wanting to go into $50k/year of debt, using cold logic nobody would apply ED anywhere I guess. Is anyone other than me EDing to ND? I understand TLS is a small sample size but I assumed there would be quite a few, especially with football season starting up.

[JakeL]

I considered applying ED, and was definitely going to do so before it became binding. I am in the same boat as not being able to afford it at full sticker, so applied GWU ED (even though I'm probably 100x less likely i get in there). I still intend to apply very early, with a Why ND type essay. I really would love to go to school there.