Help with School List/Chances Forum

[lawhopeful341]

Hey everyone! I just took the July LSAT and got a 173. My undergraduate GPA is a 3.68 in social sciences/humanities major and a top 30 private university. There is a strong upward trend - last three years was a 3.8. I'm taking two years off from college to work on Wall Street. I know I'm kind of a splitter at the T-14 schools, so I need some advice about which schools are targets/safeties!

My goal is to work in Biglaw for a few years, but I would also like to try for federal clerkships. My first choice of city is Washington, D.C., and my second choice is New York City.

Is University of Virginia a target or a reach for me?
Do I have a chance at Harvard if I have strong softs?
What are some good options for safeties?

Thank you!

[cavalier1138]

Eliminate the word "safety school" from your vocabulary. This isn't undergraduate admissions. There are schools that will give you a reasonable chance at your goals for a reasonable price, and there are schools that will be better or worse in at least one of those categories.

You're barely a splitter at the T13, so you should be applying broadly across that group (maybe leave out Y/S). You're also going to be in the running for scholarships at most of these schools, so that should strongly influence your decision.

[The Lsat Airbender]

For DC/NYC biglaw, with your stats, apply to each school in the T14. This is about as straightforward a case of "blanket the T14" as it gets.

Agree that Y/S are skip-able if the app fees would be a serious burden, but IMO it's well worthwhile not to have to wonder "what could have been".