When to submit application materials? Forum

[Bulldogs1]

I took the June LSAT and received a 168 (3.83 GPA) and am applying to UCLA, Berkeley, USC, UT Austin, and UC Davis. I am retaking the LSAT on Sept. 27th and plan to have most of my application materials submitted once they open in early September.

I realize that the sooner you get your application in, the better your odds. But since I'm going to have a retake score coming at the end of October, should I worry about the bulk of my applications after I retake? That way, I can leave more time and mental energy to study?

FYI, plan on studying for the retake beginning in a week and working on my personal statement rough draft now. Letters of rec. are mostly handled and resume is finalized.

[Rigo]

Focus on your retake. You'll still be submitting pretty early anyways even if you wait. Focus on application after Sept. 27th. Your LSAT is pretty strong as is for those schools anyways, so just focus on climbing as high as you can go.
Good luck!

[03152016]

you're not going to start your retake prep for another week?
why?
a single point on the lsat could equal thousands of dollars in scholarship money

[ilikebaseball]

We'll get our scores on October 22, so its still considered early compared to when the majority of other applications will be sent in. I'm just finishing all my apps by Halloween

[pylon]

I agree with the other responses - focus on the retake. It's much more important.

If it was me, I would do the bulk of my studying for the LSAT now, and would work on my personal statement/application while waiting for the updated score.

[Bulldogs1]

you're not going to start your retake prep for another week?
why?
a single point on the lsat could equal thousands of dollars in scholarship money

I had a really strong testprep for my June LSAT and ended up underperforming due to test day anxiety. I noticed at the end of my studying that I stopped seeing much improvement from drilling and preptests, and that I need to focus my efforts on confidence and relaxation.

Also helps that my 168 is enough to get me in to a lot of places I'd like to go, and there's far less pressure for my upcoming retake.