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I see some schools are now allowing early decision applications to be submitted as late as January, so the December LSAT still is eligible. Is that a sign that taking the LSAT in December won't sentence me to a life living in an igloo? Based on my board browsing, the late LSAT seems more damaging financially (for regular decision) than to your admissions chances (one of my friends got into Harvard after taking the LSAT in December, and I'm sure you have much more anecdotal evidence than I do). Harvard and Yale do not do merit scholarships, anyway, so the goal is to get in just to get in, right? And I see on TLS that rolling admissions is not even a factor for Yale?

Also, as an aside, what about the UVA early decision? There is no deadline for that? How late is too late? Again, my internet is brutally slow for my board browsing. I'm about 99 percent sure I'm taking the LSAT in December, and have full-time work and realize that if it's a disaster, I can wait another year. I did not stay on pace during the short Alaska summer, but pretty soon it will be monsoon season. I have a 3.9 GPA and five years' work experience, so it all comes down to the LSAT for me. Sorry, I didn't expect to lump in so many questions in one thread.

I know that Penn has two rounds ED. The second one is in January. That's precisely what confuses me. How could it be an "early decision" to apply in Jan?
I also paln to retake in Dec, hoping to get higher score and increase my chances.
According to my email with UVA, most of their admissions are sent in Jan. And they strongly recommend students to retake in Dec and get a higher score. But it may be a different thing if u want to ED.

I saw another thread about UPenn that apparently the second round of ED is new this year. I really liked NU's ED because you get a full ride (but by their cost of attendance info, you're still paying $20K a year on living expenses ... can't complain, though). I wonder how the two rounds of ED vary at UPenn. Also, Duke has two rounds, and the second is due by Jan. 7. I don't know if that's new. And then UVA has the supposedly never-ending ED option. I was thinking of applying ED to NU, but that would be off the table, and I wouldn't apply ED anywhere else because of the finances, but it just seems a bit reassuring to know those options are out there, and that your regular decision applications would be in before a few early decision deadlines at other schools.

With that GPA, if your LSAT is low enough to have to ED UVA, you should retake, not ED UVA.

December LSAT is fine. Schools can't afford to be that picky about early applications anymore.