I'm trying to decide whether to apply during this application cycle or next. I've taken the LSAT all 3 times (for the 2 years allotted), with my most recent retake this past October. I graduated last May and the plan was to take a gap year and increase my LSAT score and get a high score this past October but well.... obviously that hasn't exactly worked out.
GPA is a 3.82 and LSAT is a 164.
The next time I can retake is this coming June... but then I'd end up taking 2 gap years off instead of one (because I'd have to apply next cycle.)
My current goal is Cornell (my alma mater) or Georgetown.
I feel like people are going to tell me to wait and retake, which introduces another problem. When I took the LSAT the first two times (161 and 163), I self-studied (with the bibles), didn't do as well as I had hoped, and decided to take a prep course. I took the prep course this past summer (with Powerscore), felt I had learned a lot, improved a lot in terms of practice tests (was scoring consistently between 169-171), and ended up increasing my LSAT score by only one point. Not to mention, this dropping 6ish points between practice and the real test wasn't a one time thing; it happened all three times and quite frankly, I don't know why. I know it's normal for your real score to be lower than your practice, but to score ~170 for a month leading up to the LSAT on multiple tests and then have it drop to a 164 on test day? I've been a wreck since scores were released. I want to say it was nerves (I do get very nervous taking tests like this), which really comes down to: is that even fixable???? I can spend the next 10 months practicing my ass off, but if I'm just going to blow it on nerves...
Basically, I don't know what to do now. If I take another year off to study, I'm dubious as to whether it will help (get my practice score up the mid 170's and then have it drop to a 169? This does not seem worth it to me.) and considering I already took a course, which only increased my score by 1 point, I don't know what to do. I'm very frustrated and it feels hopeless.
I feel this post might not have been that well organized and sound rather rant-y/ramble-y, and I apologize; I just really need advice considering the pros/cons of waiting. If getting into Cornell or Georgetown this year is possible (not a stretch?? worth trying????) then I would really, really, really prefer to just do that, but I honestly need some other opinions, because I can't tell if I'm being optimistic or pessimistic or what. Being a splitter is no fun, and I feel very alone in this whole process
Any thoughts would really help.
