Are my scores good enough

[sandprince]

GPA-3.3 (top 30 uni)

GRE V-154, Q-159 AW-4.5

I would like to train to be a elementary school teacher right out of college. I have two summers working with kids. 

I would like to know if I stand a chance to get into

1. STEP@Stanford  

2. GSE-Upenn

3. Harvard GSE

4. Teacher college (Columbia University)

[Richelieu]

I have pretty similar scores to you but honestly, from my own perspective, I didn’t think I’d stand a chance in any of those schools. I checked the results from previous years, I analyzed the GRE/GPA of the accepted people, and unfortunately I did not see scores like mine (and sadly yours) that got admitted. 
 

It might be a different scenario if you’re applying to masters programs but for PhDs, these are the top schools in the nation, hence they require top scores and GPA.

[iheartscience]

I applied to (and attended) an Education MA and credential program several years ago. My undergraduate GPA and GRE scores were in the same ballpark, and I too had experience in educational settings. I was admitted to STEP@Stanford, Teacher's College@Columbia, IU-Bloomington, and Berkeley (where I matriculated).

Scores probably matter somewhat, but your essays articulating your purpose and experiences, your letters of recommendation, and (for STEP) your interview will be the pieces of your application that are most important. I would suggest focusing most of your application efforts on practicing and refining your story of why you are drawn to teaching, your convictions about learning and learners, and how your past experiences have informed and prepared you for this work. I'd also look at the missions of the programs you are applying to (for example, STEP and Berkeley both shared an explicit focus on equity in education) and to articulate places where the program mission intersects with your own. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by iheartscience

[EvolvedGradBlog]

Seconding what @iheartscience said, it's the essays. There will be some folks in each cohort who have academic/testing profiles similar to yours, whether they post on GradeCafe or not. Some of you will get in and some of you won't, and the ones who get in will be those with the most compelling reasons for pursuing a career in education. In the programs you listed, you would spend varied amounts of time in actual classrooms in schools.  As you are crafting your statement, I think it would benefit you to include something to the effect of, " among the top teacher ed programs in the country, this program has a significant student-teaching component, which I think will be a critical part of my success after I finish the program". Often, the folks to lead this programs pride themselves on the things that make them different. You should know what those differences are, and call them out.