Self-study
As you probably know, the LSAT measures your logical ability, reading comprehension, and mental acuity. Perhaps just as importantly, though, it also tests your confidence, fortitude, and ability to handle stress. I’m going to talk about the latter, because focusing on these made a world of difference for me.
I started studying off and on for the LSAT from about February to May and I was getting about mid-to-high150’s in a couple of PT’s. I started to study seriously in May, and thanks largely to 7Sage I moved into the 168-170 range on my PT’s by September! This range was my goal, and so I took the September test hoping that I could match my PT’s and start applying by October. Unfortunately, though, I got a 165. This was still a fine score, but I didn’t understand why I had underperformed. The more I thought about it, the more realized that it had more to do with how I prepared for the test than how I had studied for it if that makes sense. I made some significant changes, and in November I got a 169!
Those four points have COMPLETELY changed my application outlook. At best, I had a fair-to-middling chance at getting in to a T14 school before, with a T20 school being more likely. That would have been great, but now I have a decent chance at a T6 school! (I should note that I’m a former Air Force officer with a masters and some other strong soft factors.) The thing that might surprise you, though, is that from September to November I did almost no studying. The only thing I did was take two PT’s in the week before the test to shake off any rust that might have developed. Below is a list of what I did do.
To be fair, 7Sage says a lot of this in one of its early lessons, but I think my example is a good anecdotal case study of the importance of the intangible factors. Feel free to use or not use any of the things I did, because in the end it all comes down to your specific experience and how your individual brain will respond. I'm probably an extreme case to be honest, so you should probably tone some of these things down a bit if you do use them. Bottom line, the important thing is that you do everything you can to create the best circumstances for success. Good luck!
P.S. I just used the Edit Once sentence-level edit feature in the Admissions course, and it might be the best $200 I ever spent. I definitely recommend it for peace of mind before you send off your applications if you are at that point.
If you get the BLOS, then you should absolutely do that and it’s not even close at that point in my opinion. You should still go and visit a your top choices, but a full ride at Berk is an insanely good deal. The difference between NYU and Berk is almost negligible in comparison to the difference between NYU and UCLA/USC. UCLA and USC are excellent schools, but Berk was #6 in the USNWR rankings less than a decade ago. Plus, just by being in Cali you’ll be able to network in that area better. So yeah, if you get the BLOS and anything less than maybe $100k from NYU, then it’s no contest.