I'm going to be the 9,000th person to post this thread on 7sage, so I'll cut to the chase. Here are my stats: 3.78 LSAC GPA, 166 LSAT (first take), solid PS, and (what I'm assuming will be) great LoRs since I'm so close to these professors because of all the work I did with them in undergrad that I'd call them friends. I'm 26 and have been out of college for going on four years. My average LSAT score is a 169 and the errors I made on the September test were almost exclusively due to test-day stress and strategic fumbles. It's a bummer that my score is below my personal average, but I am confident that buckling down on procedure and timing (coupled with the comfort of my first score being a good one) can boost my score in December.

So here's the issue. My PS is good, I'm happy with it, and I think it sends an important message about me. The editorial work I do professionally is freelance and the furthest thing from earth-shattering, but the flexibility has made it possible to commit my time to the LSAT for the past year. I have led a pretty ordinary, comfortable life, so that paired with my lackluster work life has made me pretty attached to this statement/terrified of what in the actual hell I'd write about if I had to reapply to my target schools, which are Cornell and Georgetown. Everyone around me is saying "just apply to Cornell and GULC this cycle super early and then reapply if you need to." I could realistically get my applications out by the end of this week (10/20), but again, the thought of writing an entirely new personal statement if I need to reapply is giving me nightmares. My gut is telling me that I should just wait until even earlier next cycle, much as it pains me to do so. Essentially, as most other people who post this sort of thread, I'm probably just looking for validation that waiting is the smarter thing to do here. That said, any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!