I am 23 years old going on my second year out of undergrad. I took the LSAT for the third time this October and received a 163. While I was proud of my hard-work, improving from an initial score in the low 150's, I know that a 163 still keeps me from breaking into the T20.
Having been a long time lurker, after scores released, I scoured the forums researching all the advice given to individuals within my GPA/LSAT range. Unfortunately, all the retake/jump-ship responses have left me quite depressed.
I thought I did everything right; I took the time off after undergrad to prepare for the LSAT, I tried talking myself out of law school, and I even tried jumping right into the work-force. Though, even given all the abysmal employment prospects, I can't keep myself away from the field. I have some decent connections in the north-east region (NY/NJ) and am going on my 4th year working/interning for a small firm.
With my current LSAT score, I am having a hard time selling myself on a school in my region. I have a unique situation that could land me instate tuition in either NY/NJ, but the area is so over-saturated! While I would have been initially content on attending an instate school like Rutgers/SUNY, the general response on TLS has been to stay away unless you can attend for nearly free.
I am not completely tied to NY/NJ, I actually despise city-life, and would be completely content living/working a little farther south. Even if I give myself some more flexibility it is still quite difficult to escape the blanket that the T14 has on the north-east.
I'm not getting any younger, I can't do anything with my bachelors degree, and my life is feeling more pathetic by the minute. I devoted so much time/effort to this field through work/internships and LSAT prep, only to let myself down with a measly 163. I truly enjoy the field of law, but I'm also a person of reason who is quite skeptical of walking straight into life-crippling debt.
I guess what this whole post boils down to is what TLS would do in my situation; 163 (3rd retake) with a 3.66 gpa and a strong desire to work in the field.
Are their any solid regional schools I should be looking at that would leave me with little debt and even a sparse chance at employment? Lastly, If I am going to attend a low ranked school I want to leave with as little debt as possible because I know that when I do find a job it will be because of my hard-work/determination and not the schools career advisers or reputation.
Sorry for the rambling, but you guys are my only hope of regaining my sanity - though I can already foresee a lot of negative responses

Thanks!