Chances with GRE and 3.81 GPA Forum

[Lolosam]

Double Major graduate from UC Berkeley (GPA 3.81)

Working on a Master's in Political Science and Communication at Tel Aviv University

GRE score: verbal reasoning in the 76th percentile ; quantitative in the 50th percentile ; and analytical/writing in the 98th percentile ...

Applying to: (in order of US News ranking from highest to lowest)
Harvard
Columbia
NYU
UPenn
Northwestern
Cornell
Georgetown
UCLA
Washington Uni
USC
Boston
George Mason
Arizona
Yeshiva
American Uni of Washington
Texas A&M

I don't need to know my chances at each individual school, but at least to know what my chances are if this list were divided into three groups (top, middle, and bottom tiers)...? HELP!

[cavalier1138]

What were your hard scores?

Right now, the GRE is a bit of a wild card, because they still aren't reporting those scores to USNWR for rankings purposes. But I have to believe that a sub-95th percentile score on any portion is going to keep you out of a T13 school.

More importantly, why are your regional schools all over the place? Do you have any specific plans for your degree? If you want to go to law school, why not take the LSAT?

[Lolosam]

GRE hard scores:
Verbal 157
Quant 153
Analytical 5.5

I was a member with JusticeCorps which offered us training sessions for applying to law school. They said that applying out of the home state is a good idea, and that we should apply to a minimum of 15 schools because negotiating financial aid can be a major factor for a student like myself who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford law school.

I took the GRE because I initially wasn't sure about attending law school.

[QContinuum]

More importantly, why are your regional schools all over the place? Do you have any specific plans for your degree? If you want to go to law school, why not take the LSAT?

I assume OP's regional schools are all over the place because these are the schools that accept the GRE.

OP would be much better served taking the LSAT and targeting schools in a specific region (assuming they don't do well enough to target the T13/T20, which are certainly in reach given their 3.81 GPA).

[cavalier1138]

They said that applying out of the home state is a good idea

I don't know where they got that idea. Outside of the T13, law schools are regional. So if you want to work in Iowa, there's no benefit to going to UCLA over the University of Iowa. The financial aid portion makes sense, but you need your school list to be way more focused to have negotiating power. Schools only negotiate scholarships based on offers from peer institutions. This isn't undergrad; you can't apply to "safety" schools; you need to apply to schools based on your career goals.

I took the GRE because I initially wasn't sure about attending law school.

That makes sense, but if you're sure now, take the LSAT. It'll open up more options for you.