So here's who I am, I'll start with the stats:
GPA: overall 3.5 (was a slacker first two years, last two years I refocused got a 3.79 upper-division GPA)
GRE: 170V/168Q (not sure about the writing section yet)
Soft stuff:
My woman got pregnant basically as I graduated so I've spent the last two years teaching the LSAT part-time and taking care of my son full-time while the wife did her medical residency. I'm interested in international development and conflict studies. I've got some interesting research ideas as well as extensive international experience and I think I'll be able to put together a decent SOP. I worked as a TA and an RA through my last two year of school so my recommendations will be from professors who know me well and will be able to give solid recs. I'm really only interested in the top programs (MIT, Princeton, Columbia etc...).
So my questions:
Does my gap hurt my chances? Should I talk about why I haven't been working full-time in my SOP?
Does the fact that my GPA got much better for the more difficult and relevant classes make a difference? Should I talk about that in my SOP?
Do I have a realistic shot?
Anything else?
Thank you for taking the time to read all that.