<p>I have a few responses based upon my (and my wife's) experience in law school applications.</p>
<p>Someone wrote:
"Unless you break a 170 on the LSAT and are going to a really, really good college, you shouldn't apply to all the top 3 schools. Some of the other posters might disagree, but it just seems like overkill. They are such very different schools, and your chances of getting in (as are almost anyone's chances) are so very slim that there seems to be little reason for it."</p>
<p>You should definitely apply to at least 1. A 170+ IS NOT necessary for Harvard. My wife was waitlisted with a 159, and had an undergraduate GPA in chemistry/linguistics (double major) almost identical to your 3.83. If you are a minority, you will almost certainly get in if you are in the 160's with that high GPA. For reference my wife went to a big state school barely in the top 50 on US News report.</p>
<p>"Really plug away at the schools ranked between about 35 and 15. Throw in a bunch which are ranked about 14 to 5. Add maybe one ranked 5 or up if you really nail the LSAT. Add two or three solid schools (35ish to 70ish) in the regions in which you want to practice."</p>
<p>I agree with this to a point. I hope you have a lot of money, because each application will set you back 75 dollars or so. I personally could only afford 4-5 schools, so I broke it down as follows:</p>
<p>1 school in the top 10
2 schools in 10-25
1 school in 25-50 (any tier 1 school)</p>
<p>The justification for this is that schools similarly ranked often will have similar acceptance rates, because their admissions offices often copy and even coordinate (unofficially of course) with one another. One or two schools may set an acceptance trend, which similarly situated schools will follow. This is not always true however, as sometimes a higher ranked school will accept you, while a lower ranked will not; geography is sometimes responsible for this, sometimes its the essay reaction, and sometimes its just chance.</p>
<p>Private schools offer better loan repayment programs, and religious schools will offer more open, less politically correct discussions (Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Catholic U, BYU, SMU (?) maybe BC --- but Georgetown and the like are only nominally religious) - of course, this is a matter of personal preference and philosophy.</p>
<p>As to the top schools (1-20), I cannot overstate the importance of a good essay. If you are applying to a religous school, earnestly explain why and make a good story out of it. If you are applying to an ivy league, the same thing applies. Be creative - stories will entertain, but tie them down to answering the question "why should I accept this person"? Note that the offices look for qualities such as motivation, ability, diligence, leadership, studiousness, previous successes, and intelligence. Your writing should exhibit these things, however creatively or indirectly, without coming out and asserting them (that is what a resume is for). Make a fun analogy, or discuss your personal goals, or better yet, philosphy/religion (where appropriate). </p>
<p>If you are interested in Federal Government, make sure your essay exhibits the why of this interest, its extent, and how genuine/long-term it may be. Again, offices are not looking for something dry: "I like DC, I want to be in Congress, I want to write Policy" -- show something deeper...what do you know, what have you learned, what have you experienced, that makes you a) want to do policy, and b) think that you have something unique to offer in policy?</p>
<p>Hope this helps</p>