The advice that I've heard from friends too is, in situations where a consultant could make the greatest impact, the onus is even more on you to tell a personal story. I know that this is very true for Berkeley.
... in the inaugural class at UC Irvine and he had nothing ... stay in SoCal I think UC Irvine is the way to ... 'd pay half sticker at UC Irvine over a full ride ...
I didn't realize UNT Dallas' tuition was so cheap compared to many of the public law schools in CA. All the UC schools are over $40,000 annual for in-state tuition!
Also, somebody mentioned Berkeley with a compelling personal statement ... . You are the perfect Berkeley candidate. Berkeley loves high GPA and doesn ...