Should I even be considering my WL schools? Forum

[hugdapugz]

I'll try to keep this as simple as possible and avoid telling my life story:

-I am 90% sure that I want to live and practice in southern California

-I've put down my deposit at UCLA

-Cost is not a factor

-I turned down other schools (including T14s) because I didn't think they had as good of job opportunities in SoCal

-I'm on the WL at 3 top 10 schools (not Stanford or Berk) and I was originally thinking that I wouldn't make a decision about the WL until I heard back. Well it's mid June now, still on these WLs and I know that if I hear back, I'm going to have to make a decision pretty quickly. I feel like I should be prepared. If I want to work in SoCal, should I even be considering other schools at this point?

[megaTTTron]

I'll try to keep this as simple as possible and avoid telling my life story:

-I am 90% sure that I want to live and practice in southern California

-I've put down my deposit at UCLA

-Cost is not a factor

-I turned down other schools (including T14s) because I didn't think they had as good of job opportunities in SoCal

-I'm on the WL at 3 top 10 schools (not Stanford or Berk) and I was originally thinking that I wouldn't make a decision about the WL until I heard back. Well it's mid June now, still on these WLs and I know that if I hear back, I'm going to have to make a decision pretty quickly. I feel like I should be prepared. If I want to work in SoCal, should I even be considering other schools at this point?

What schools. That's the most important question.

[joeshmo39]

Have you seen the women in Westwood on a Friday night?

If you are riding the WL at Harvard then I would at least have it in the back of my mind. If you are riding the WL at MVP I think UCLA is better anyhow: good location, so much easier to network when there, really respected in the area, etc. I don't think anyone outside the top 4 schools will give you a better shot in SoCal.
Regardless, waitlists rarely move and I wouldn't be surprised if the higher up you go (in prestige) the less movement there is. Just plan on UCLA seems the reasonable thing to do it's not like you're going to some schmuck school.

(Disclaimer: I know oh so little)

[megaTTTron]

Have you seen the women in Westwood on a Friday night?

If you are riding the WL at Harvard then I would at least have it in the back of my mind. If you are riding the WL at MVP I think UCLA is better anyhow: good location, so much easier to network when there, really respected in the area, etc. I don't think anyone outside the top 4 schools will give you a better shot in SoCal.
Regardless, waitlists rarely move and I wouldn't be surprised if the higher up you go (in prestige) the less movement there is. Just plan on UCLA seems the reasonable thing to do it's not like you're going to some schmuck school.

(Disclaimer: I know oh so little)

I agree with most of this except for the bolded. OP must take grades into account.

Top at UCLA > Bottom at MVP

Anything below top at UCLA < anything at MVP

[hugdapugz]

I'll try to keep this as simple as possible and avoid telling my life story:

-I am 90% sure that I want to live and practice in southern California

-I've put down my deposit at UCLA

-Cost is not a factor

-I turned down other schools (including T14s) because I didn't think they had as good of job opportunities in SoCal

-I'm on the WL at 3 top 10 schools (not Stanford or Berk) and I was originally thinking that I wouldn't make a decision about the WL until I heard back. Well it's mid June now, still on these WLs and I know that if I hear back, I'm going to have to make a decision pretty quickly. I feel like I should be prepared. If I want to work in SoCal, should I even be considering other schools at this point?

What schools. That's the most important question.

Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan

[megaTTTron]

I'll try to keep this as simple as possible and avoid telling my life story:

-I am 90% sure that I want to live and practice in southern California

-I've put down my deposit at UCLA

-Cost is not a factor

-I turned down other schools (including T14s) because I didn't think they had as good of job opportunities in SoCal

-I'm on the WL at 3 top 10 schools (not Stanford or Berk) and I was originally thinking that I wouldn't make a decision about the WL until I heard back. Well it's mid June now, still on these WLs and I know that if I hear back, I'm going to have to make a decision pretty quickly. I feel like I should be prepared. If I want to work in SoCal, should I even be considering other schools at this point?

What schools. That's the most important question.

Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan

I would take Chi or M over UCLA any day.

EDIT: haha that's mean, I'd take P too, I'm just not that into Philly.

[hugdapugz]

I'll try to keep this as simple as possible and avoid telling my life story:

-I am 90% sure that I want to live and practice in southern California

-I've put down my deposit at UCLA

-Cost is not a factor

-I turned down other schools (including T14s) because I didn't think they had as good of job opportunities in SoCal

-I'm on the WL at 3 top 10 schools (not Stanford or Berk) and I was originally thinking that I wouldn't make a decision about the WL until I heard back. Well it's mid June now, still on these WLs and I know that if I hear back, I'm going to have to make a decision pretty quickly. I feel like I should be prepared. If I want to work in SoCal, should I even be considering other schools at this point?

What schools. That's the most important question.

Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan

I would take Chi or M over UCLA any day.

For SoCal, without any connections there?

[doinmybest]

Anything below top at UCLA < anything at MVP

Is that speculation or are you relatively certain of this??

[Xnegd]

I'd wait one or two weeks. My friend just got into Berkrley, after being waitlisted for months and months, so they're still deciding.

I'd send them a new and eager LOCI.

p.s. by "they're" I mean top Law Schools, I know you're not waiting on Berkeley.

[megaTTTron]

Anything below top at UCLA < anything at MVP

Is that speculation or are you relatively certain of this??

I don't have any data for you aside random anecdotes. Maybe someone else can chime in. I'd guess that most people on here would agree though.

[Benevolent Despot]

I'm sort of in the same situation: in at UCLA, WL at Penn and Mich. I want to live and practice in CA. If I go to UCLA, I don't even have to move. I think it would take a lot to get me to willingly subject myself to Ann Arbor or Philly. The real question is how much of an edge a median student (I don't plan to be median, but no one ever does) at P/M has over median at UCLA in the LA market. And I think that depends, in part, on whether said student has SoCal connections.