164/3.91 Non-URM Minority Female (Asian)

[chasy_price]

Hi everybody. I just got my June score and would like to post here to see what everybody thinks.

I got 164 and probably will retake in October. However until then 164 is what I have. Early preparation for application is necessary herein my post.

About myself:
--- Asian female: only been in the states for the past five years for college education purposes
--- 3.91 GPA: double major - Accounting & Finance (also have a minor but don't think that helps) from a public university that is not well-known nor highly ranked
--- Only social experience in college was a professional accounting fraternity (it is called fraternity even though it probably has more female members). No leadership experience (unless team leader/project manager at class projects count).
--- Part-time on campus job for first 3 years (legally can't work off campus anyway)
--- Full-time job since beginning of 2010: intern at a mid-size CPA firm. (Title is intern because cannot become an associate until CPA eligible and that requires an accounting master. However I am doing the job just as an associate.). Will keep working there until at least end of this year
--- Plan on launching my own firm with some of my friends early next month. Will take on the operational and financial managing role (a.k.a. COO and CFO). The firm for now is only a side track and the main focus will be literature/translation related.


My main interest in law is international tax or possibly corporate law. With my background, business-related law areas seem most natural.

Schools list:

Dream:
Harvard (I know there is pretty much no hope...)
Columbia

Reach (or say HIGH reach...):
Michigan
Duke
Northwestern
Cornell

Target:

Not sure about this category. Hope to get some advice.

(Preference:
- not too cold most of the year
- not completely college town/close to a moderate-size city - I am married and hubby is in financial sector so have to be able to find some sort of job for him
- hopefully can get some money)

Safety:
Florida (since in-state tuition fee is awesome)


I hope above is enough information.

Thanks ahead everyone ~

[bk1]

Take a look at http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com

My opinion: your best shots at the T14 are NU and UMich as they seem to occasionally take non-URMs with LSATs as low as yours. Cornell and Duke really don't. You should definitely interview at NU. Thinking of NU vs Michigan, my hunch is that it would probably be easier for your husband to find a job in Chicago than in Detroit plus there wouldn't be as much a worry about commuting since NU is in Chicago compared to the distance between Ann Arbor and Detroit. I doubt you'll get money at the T14 and thus if you really want one at sticker (and your LSAT doesn't improve to a 168+) I would suggest ED'ing to either Michigan or NU.

The target question is hard to answer without knowing where you want to end up working after graduation. The question comes down to would you rather have to pay very little for your degree but end up having lesser job prospects in one region (this would be Florida, but the same will probably apply to your target schools depending on what they are) or would you rather pay a lot for your degree and open up other areas (this would be if you got NU or UMich, likely at sticker).