3.05 GPA and 164 LSAT: What do I do?

[NotLookingTooGood]

Hello! I am a senior at UNC and I will be applying in about 2 weeks. I have a crazy long list of schools but I really do not know what my targets/reaches/safes should be. I am a white female and am the first of my family to go to college. My grades drastically improved beginning junior year. Not many extra curriculars, but I did work 30 hours a week while in school. Also, I had some serious family issues going on freshman/sophomore year that I plan on writing a supplemental paper on. Here is what I was thinking:

Safes: Campbell, Charleston, and Florida Coastal
Target: Miami
Reach: U of Florida, Florida State, and U of South Carolina
Waste of App Money: Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

What do you guys think? Any suggestions would be really really helpful!! Thanks!

[nycparalegal]

We have similar numbers.

I have a 3.08 and a 164.  Now, I've been out of school for 5 years and have decent work experience but I think the question you need to ask yourself is where do you want to go work?

This may help you:

I went to go speak to the recruiting department at my law firm.  I work at a top NYC law firm and this is what they told me.  If you want to go work BIGLAW outside of the top 14 and UCLA, TEXAS ,you really need to look regionally.  Besides George Washington,  Where you will end up working is where you went to school and in this economy you really need to be in the top 5 to 10 percent to even get an interview.  Now, if you have no plans of working biglaw and are okay making 40,000 coming out of school with 100,000 + debt then sure pick the best school in the region you want to work.

[Contract2008]

Hello! I am a senior at UNC and I will be applying in about 2 weeks. I have a crazy long list of schools but I really do not know what my targets/reaches/safes should be. I am a white female and am the first of my family to go to college. My grades drastically improved beginning junior year. Not many extra curriculars, but I did work 30 hours a week while in school. Also, I had some serious family issues going on freshman/sophomore year that I plan on writing a supplemental paper on. Here is what I was thinking:

Safes: Campbell, Charleston, and Florida Coastal
Target: Miami
Reach: U of Florida, Florida State, and U of South Carolina
Waste of App Money: Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

What do you guys think? Any suggestions would be really really helpful!! Thanks!

Safes: Campbell, U of South Carolina, Gerogia State
Target: Miami and FSU
Reach: U of Florida, UGA, Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

Waste of App:  Florida Coastal and Charleston.

Add:  U of Houston, U of Mississippi, U of Tenn., U of Arkansas, Texas Tech, and LSU. 

[Ninja1]

Hello! I am a senior at UNC and I will be applying in about 2 weeks. I have a crazy long list of schools but I really do not know what my targets/reaches/safes should be. I am a white female and am the first of my family to go to college. My grades drastically improved beginning junior year. Not many extra curriculars, but I did work 30 hours a week while in school. Also, I had some serious family issues going on freshman/sophomore year that I plan on writing a supplemental paper on. Here is what I was thinking:

Safes: Campbell, Charleston, and Florida Coastal
Target: Miami
Reach: U of Florida, Florida State, and U of South Carolina
Waste of App Money: Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

What do you guys think? Any suggestions would be really really helpful!! Thanks!

Safes: Campbell, U of South Carolina, Gerogia State
Target: Miami and FSU
Reach: U of Florida, UGA, Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

Waste of App:  Florida Coastal and Charleston.

Add:  U of Houston, U of Mississippi, U of Tenn., U of Arkansas, Texas Tech, and LSU. 

This, though I'd get rid of Campbell and Georgia State as well unless you have some overly compelling reason to go to them.

I'd be amazed if you didn't get at least Florida State, Miami, and South Carolina with a 164 and a 3.0.

[Contract2008]

Hello! I am a senior at UNC and I will be applying in about 2 weeks. I have a crazy long list of schools but I really do not know what my targets/reaches/safes should be. I am a white female and am the first of my family to go to college. My grades drastically improved beginning junior year. Not many extra curriculars, but I did work 30 hours a week while in school. Also, I had some serious family issues going on freshman/sophomore year that I plan on writing a supplemental paper on. Here is what I was thinking:

Safes: Campbell, Charleston, and Florida Coastal
Target: Miami
Reach: U of Florida, Florida State, and U of South Carolina
Waste of App Money: Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

What do you guys think? Any suggestions would be really really helpful!! Thanks!

Safes: Campbell, U of South Carolina, Gerogia State
Target: Miami and FSU
Reach: U of Florida, UGA, Carolina, George Washington, Wake Forest

Waste of App:  Florida Coastal and Charleston.

Add:  U of Houston, U of Mississippi, U of Tenn., U of Arkansas, Texas Tech, and LSU. 

This, though I'd get rid of Campbell and Georgia State as well unless you have some overly compelling reason to go to them.

I'd be amazed if you didn't get at least Florida State, Miami, and South Carolina with a 164 and a 3.0.

Why keep South Carolina and get rid of Georgia State? 

['blueskies]

South Carolina = best school in its state, Georgia State = third best school in its state

[Ninja1]

South Carolina = best school in its state, Georgia State = third best school in its state

This.

[Contract2008]

South Carolina = best school in its state, Georgia State = third best school in its state

If you look at the employment stats (I know they can be misleading), GSU is clearly the winner.  Georgia has a big market, SC does not. 

[lawboy81]

Wake isn't a waste of money. I've heard they care more about LSAT than GPA. More like a target/ reach. UNC, on the other hand, is the opposite and mostly care about high GPA's and minority status.

Do you want to stay in NC or are you open to the South as a whole? From the school's your looking at it sounds like the latter. Here's what I'd do:

I'd apply to Wake, Tulane, Florida, FSU, Tennessee as reach/target schools and South Carolina and Ole Miss as safeties. If you really like Miami, send an app there too.