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GPA: 3.43
LSAT: 161, 165.

I just retook in June. I was PTing at 168-172. I took about 30 PT's and studied for about 4 months before the test. I know I can do better, and I think I just burned out due to long period of study, graduation, and other shit going on. I'm now working full time and can relax a bit. I'm from Colorado originally and I could probably get into CU Boulder with my 165. I'm at their 75th for LSAT and at their 25th for GPA (LSP says 54%, but all LSN people very close to my range were accepted or pending). It's the top regional school in the area and I'd be happy practicing there.

I'm still a bit intrigued with the T14 though. I also have loved living on the east coast.

At first, I thought I would just ED to CU and call it done. But the nightmare scenario is if they reject me for some weird reason: then I'd be too late in the cycle to retake and get the best LSAT I can without applying reaaaally late. Further, my current score would leave me unlikely to get into schools I want at that range (UWash, GW, Bostons, etc). This is the situation I want to avoid: having to wait another cycle out because of a gamble.

This is my new idea: retake in October. The ED application for CU runs from October 1 to November 15th, so I could get my October score before I applied ED. So one of three things would happen if I retook:

1) Score SIGNIFICANTLY better on LSAT (170+) - Apply regular decision to CU and carpet bomb T10-T20 and see what sticks (maybe ED to UVA).
2) Score SLIGHTLY better on LSAT (166-168) - ED to CU Boulder just before deadline, enjoy almost certain acceptance and better chance at financial aid.
3) Score same or worse on LSAT (165 or worse) - ED to CU Boulder just before deadline, hope that the new lower score doesn't hurt me and hope that my delayed ED app isn't considered "late"

Does this sound like the best course of action? Am I being paranoid? Any downsides?

Thanks!

Study your ass off and retake. That's your best option.

Go ahead and retake. This is your last chance though, as more than three scores and schools start wanting to know why. No pressure though.

Yeah. This will be the last shot. I didn't really study for my first one: just took a Kaplan prep class and did it. Then I discovered TLS. I wish I could take that one back. I studied a TON for my 2nd. Slightly disappointing score, but at least I banked something higher. One more chance.

*cue montage*

You have put a lot of thought into this, so none of us will have much to say. One thing that I would note is that if you apply ED to Colorado, your chances of significant aid will be slim. I know that this sounds cynical, but schools need all of the merit and supposed need aid to lure people with the best numbers. So EDers rarely get significant aid. So, option (2) of your plan might not be realistic. I would encourage you to look into the issue of aid and ED further, and not to take my word for it.

Also, it is hard to tell if you are a resident for tuition purposes at Colorado. This is a big deal, and the exact details matter for whether it is rational to attend CU. Do you live in colorado now? Have you done so in the past three years (some states are willing to take this into account)? If you are not a resident for tuition purposes, is getting in-state a sure thing in your second year? You have to look into this very carefully and speak to current students, not just administrators.

Lastly, Colorado has expensive in-state tuition, running at $28,934 a year (just for tuition). Yet in neighboring states, the tuition at the state flagship university is less than half of that (for in-state). I don't know why tuition is so high, and I assume that the job prospects are not better. So, look into this.