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I applied to the Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Berkeley, UPenn, Georgetown, and USC last cycle with a 167 and 3.74 in late January. I got waitlisted at Columbia, preferred waitlisted at Georgetown, and waitlisted at USC but then got admitted with a 60K scholarship. I took myself off of the waitlist at Georgetown and denied the USC offer due to a family illness and decided to wait an re-apply this upcoming cycle.

The problem is that I can't settle on a coherent strategy that I find clearly better than any other strategy. There are the two options I am toying with at the moment:

Option 1: Apply to all the T-14 on in September with a binding early decision at UPenn with the current LSAT score and possibly retake the LSAT in October and send in a updated score.
Option 2: Apply to T-14 in September with a binding early decision to Georgetown and not retake the LSAT.

The problem with retaking the LSAT is that I have insomnia/get sick easily. I was supposed to retake in June but my dad ended up getting sick two days before and then I got sick and couldn't get a minute of sleep the night before the test so I ended up not showing up for it...which was bad. I was definitely prepared and felt confident that I could score in the168-170 range. My fear is that if I sign up for the LSAT and don't show up for a second time the admissions committee will consider that a major negative.

What do you guys think?

Also, if USC is willing to give me 60k even though I applied super late and got waitlisted, don't you think at least a couple of the T-14 will be willing to admit me without a scholarship offer?

167/3.74 waitlist at columbia? Are you an URM? (I only ask because it is a relatively large advantage that would help us give you better advice).

Binding decisions are not worth it, anywhere. It will limit your scholarship opportunities dramatically.

No I'm not URM. And yeah the Columbia thing was weird - my thinking is that they were pretty unsure about how the cycle was going to turn out so they kept a few applicants with lower numbers on hand just incase.

As for applying ED, I am worried that if I don't apply ED to G-town then I may be in a position to not get into ANY of the T-14 schools besides maybe Cornell (and I really don't want to go there). Plus, since I am re-applying to G-town I feel like I'm already at a disadvantage and I'm trying to make up for it by applying ED....

Hate to say it, but you should retake.

I think retaking the LSAT is your best option. Also, I don't think you should ED with Penn. You are at median GPA and 25th percentile LSAT for CCNP. If you can bump your LSAT to a 170, your chances will increase dramatically

I would do things to alleviate stress. Sounds like you have a lot of anxiety regarding the LSAT. You could also get prescribed a non-addictive sleep aid for your insomnia. This can help regulate your schedule and prepare your body for the exam. Lack of sleep + a lot of stress = high susceptibility to illness.