Top Law Schools

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!

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.

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".