I'm a 164 / 3.5 currently. Going to retake in December (won't be ready by October) and I'm intent on applying this fall / winter. Of course, I'm hoping to get as close to a 180 as possible, and depending on how many points my LSAT improves (knock on wood), I'll have additional apps to send out around Jan 2013.

1. Do I apply to my current (164 / 3.5) targets as early as possbile, and then send my updated score to all, regardless of app status?
2. Do I sit on apps that would be currently reaches?


Any help is appreciated.

The whole point of this post is this: how do I gauge the fine line between improved LSAT score and early app submissions? (Waiting another year to apply is off the table.)

Why can't you do October? There's still about three months to study and that would allow you to apply early.

The difference between an early application and an on-time application -- even if you only increase your score by a few points -- is staggering: Early; On-time. If it is at all possible, do October and submit your apps the day your score comes out.

Full time job w/ some travel for work coming up this summer. Plus two large summer commitments that eat my weekday nights and weekends until mid-August. So I'm giving myself Aug-Nov for 4 solid months.

Those charts are telling, though...

I don't know, bro, I say drop some of those commitments if you absolutely must go to law school next year. Those graphs say that you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't. I'm taking my own advice: if I don't score where I need to in October, I'm going to sit out. I hate the idea of it, but an early app it just too important.