Top Law Schools

Hey all, I would appreciate some advice about this:

I have a 3.83 GPA from a top public uni, pretty good LORs and softs. I took the Oct LSAT and am waiting on the scores, but I am 99.9% sure I didn't do well enough to get into a T14 school, and I am totally of a T14-or-bust mentality. I'm signed up for the Dec LSAT but I know those scores don't come back until really late. Would it be worth applying late (let's assume I prep better this time and break 170) with a better score or should I just defer another year? I graduated this May and am already taking this year off to do apps and some other things. Thoughts?

I can't say I would know what to do in that situation, but:

"let's assume I prep better this time and break 170"

is a big assumption. So assuming you do, I would say yeah the 170+ is more than worth the December retake and thus the late app. But if you're going to hit around the same score again, which is never out of the question, then you might as well settle for your October score or take a year off.

Also, I'm not as well-versed as the rest of this forum in what the magic numbers for certain schools generally are, but with that GPA you could have a chance at the lower top 14 with just below a 170 (I'm assuming in this case you meant you might have scored a 168 or 169 but won't take anything under a 170).

Take December LSAT and if you really do get 170+ it will be worth applying late. If you don't then either you'll have to live with being outside of T14, or take a year off and retake in June. My point is that there is no reason not to take December.