Apply early and to as many schools as feasible to give yourself options! You never know what could happen if you are not willing to take a risk and apply to some reach schools. Do not be afraid to take the LSAT more than once if you know that you can do better and increase your score. Be genuine and tell your story authentically and you will stand out among the many applicants!

Final thoughts on my cycle: Picking between UVA and UT was one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make so far in my life. Due to a number of factors, such as overall cost of attendance, location, and my personal future plans, I chose UT. UT offers me an elite education at 60% less of the cost of UVA (~38k vs ~80k per year). If I had different career plans or wanted to work on the East Coast, I probably would have picked UVA. But because of my preference to be debt averse and wanting to work in the Texas legal market, UT made the most sense for me!