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so this is my deal:

WL @ Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and Fordham
In @ Villanova ($25k/yr), UMiami ($20k/yr), Brooklyn ($11.5k/yr), Cardozo, Loyola Marymount

i live in LA but am from Miami, and really just want a degree that would travel well because I don't know where I want to live for the rest of my life yet. notre dame & vanderbilt are my only options for that so far, and both are waitlists. my questions are:

1. if i'm getting waitlisted at notre dame & vanderbilt (without the "Why X" statements and 0 legal experience), would it be worth it to just apply next cycle (if i don't get in off the waitlists)?? maybe ED at one of them, submit my apps ASAP, include relevant/new work experience/extra essays

2. do i have a better chance at getting off the waitlist at notre dame or vanderbilt?? or do you guys think i have roughly the same shot at both? i'm deciding which school to tell i would definitely go if admitted off the waitlist. i love both, have a slight preference for vanderbilt...but really would just be happy to get off either waitlist

thanks everyone!! btw, i have a 3.0/163 & am a non-URM hispanic

U should watch "legally blonde" and draw inspiration from Elle.

Because of your GPA/LSAT combo, and you are non-URM hispanic, the only way to go to Vanderbilt or Notre Dame is to retake and apply ED next year;

or you could donate $1 million to Notre Dame and get a building name after you. I heard that would instantly get you in (base on "The Price of Admission" by Daniel Golden, Chapter 4, "Enduring Legacies" Notre Dame's Other Tradition)

hahaha well hopefully that's not the case

i have a very interesting/unique personal story (i know a lot of people say that, but it's true!), so obviously in my case they were looking beyond the numbers. i visited notre dame law and spoke personally with the assistant director of admissions, who assured me their waitlist is not a "soft reject" and they really do enroll people on their waitlists (which isn't ranked). i haven't visited vanderbilt yet, so i am not as familiar with their waitlist (was hoping to get some more info about that from TLSers).

a retake is definitely an option...i was averaging 162-168 on practice exams, but it would really suck to get a lower score..