ED at Davis; 3.56/158 ; MA degree+ Forum

[mrtimothyirvine]

My question:
How much would a binding Early Decision (ED) help my chances of getting into my goal school, UC Davis?

I will receive a 100% tuition waiver with the CA VA Fee Waiver (see bottom if unclear), I am from the CA Central Valley and NorCal, and I intend to stay and work in the area.
So, I have already considered arguments about cost v. probable future salary, ranking, etc.

I have taken ten practice LSATs and just finished the (AWFUL, and NOT RECOMMENDED) TestMasters 2-month summer course.
My LSAT will be between 156 and 160.

I have very "strong softs," including being LGBTQ, a family member in the military and w. PTSD/disabilities, and extensive activist experience.

I'm interested in public interest relating to immigration/refugee labor.
I'm particularly interested in the way that women's labor rights are defined in different contexts.
Ideally, I would spend significant time doing advocacy work for immigrant and refugee women within NorCal, specifically the major metro areas of SF and Sacramento.

My Stats:
Goal: UC Davis, from area and intend to stay
Second-choice: UC Hastings
LSAT: 156-158
LSDAS GPA (Film and Digital Media UCSC): 3.56
MA (Global and Intl Studies UCSB) GPA: 3.98
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Political organizing
Student government
Labor and immigration policy
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MA, Global and International Studies
(3.98 graduate GPA)
2 yrs NGO work, American Red Cross
1 yr AmeriCorps
LGBTQ
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Father's a disabled veteran = tuition waived at CA public schools
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My profiles:
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http://lawschoolnumbers.com/mrtimothyirvine
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[cavalier1138]

Get an LSAT first. Being LGBT will give you a bump, but without a solid score, there's no way to give any kind of real answer on this.

Everything else you included is pretty standard. Your masters will give you a little boost, but your graduate GPA is meaningless. Your father's veteran status is only important insofar as it gets you free tuition; admissions departments don't care what your parents did.