My numbers are lower than yours and my scholarship covers most of tuition...  I'm going to need to come up with three thousand dollars for the year but I got a grad assistant position which makes up the difference.

I'll admit I don't know much about NYLS...  but I do think that you are better off with the degree than without one. 

Your prospects coming out of NYLS may not be as impressive as those of someone getting thier degree from a T1, but it just means you need to work harder.  Get in that top 10% and you won't have to worry so much.  And your prospects with any law school degree are still better than someone who doesn't have an upper level degree at all!

If you do decide to scrap the law school idea for this year and apply again in the fall, what will you be doing in the meantime to improve your chances of being accepted?  If you don't do anything worthwhile with this year, the same schools that turned you down now will probably still ding you later...

Finally, I know there are many people on this board who seem to be in this for the money.  And of course the potential for a six-figure salary is a draw for anyone.  But starting at $60,000 certainly isn't shabby.  Most of my friends coming out of undergrad are making between $25,000 and $40,000 and they have NYU debt! (and most of them have NYC rent to pay as well).  When my parents got married (given this was 23 years ago) they had a combined income of under $30,000... but they made do.  Will you be living the high life on $60,000?  Probably not.  Will you be living comfortably?  More than likely, especially if you aren't set on staying in New York City...

My opinion is: 

When making this decision, don't worry too much about the money.  We're only on this earth for some eighty-odd years if we're lucky...money really doesn't matter that much in the long run.  Worst case scenario: your kids pay it back 50 years from now with your life insurance money! 

Go to work hard and learn something.   Go for the intellectual stimulation.  Don't deprive yourself of what could be a great educational experience because you are hung up on issues of cost or prestige.

The driving thing does bring up a good point...what is a "right?"

We all have the right to fight for our country if we so choose, it's called enlisting.  But when it comes to the draft, is it women's "right" to be drafted?  Because frankly I tend to think of my rights in terms of my freedoms and I saying I have the "right" to be forced into the military is similar to saying I have a right to pay taxes.  It may be my duty, but it is certainly not my right. 

On the other side, are men being denied the right to stay at home and away from danger that women have generally enjoyed in the past?  Possibly.  However, if we claim that it is a person's right to NOT be drafted then having a draft at all would be a denial of everyone's rights, men and women.  For this reason, it is problematic to examine the draft in terms of ERA which talks about equally distributing rights.  It doesn't necissarily follow that we would have to equally infringe upon rights as well.

On a personal note, as a woman I wouldn't want to be drafted.  I wouldn't want my sisters drafted.  I wouldn't want my female friends drafted.  By the same token I wouldn't want my boyfriend drafted, nor my male friends.  But I will admit that as sexist as it may be, if the men in my life went to war I would worry about them slightly less than the women.  I also would never let a female friend go home with a stranger from a bar while a male friend doing the same thing would hardly raise an eyebrow.  I would never let a female friend walk home alone at night in a bad neighboorhood. 

Most women may be just as capable as men, but as a woman, I don't mind being sheltered from hazardous situations.  I was never taught to handle them.  I'd rather be sheltered from violence, but I didn't grow up learning to hunt, tackle, or take pride in my injuries like many boys do. 

More men than women have the ideas of war and athleticism drilled into them from a much young age.  Despite great strides in equality these are lessons that most women are still not taught.  I don't feel women shouldn't be in combat, but I don't know whether a draft for women is right for our society (or our gender roles which are still insiduously entrenched) at the current time.

When you say you used Kaplan, did you just review the books at home, or did you take the class? 

Personally I did my prep work on my own at home but some people can really benefit from assignments and a study schedule worked out by someone else.  If you have the extra money and inclination, a class may be worth it. 

Plus, they do have the "higher score guarantee" so if you don't improve you'll be refunded so long as you did all your work.

Of course I teach for them, so I may be a bit biased...

Some unsolicited advice:

I agree that you should consider your options before you rush to retake the test...  What if the scale is even "harsher" next time?  You cannot be certain your score will go up.  

When I took the test last February it was more or less on a whim, and did no test prep at all.  Thus my 168 was an incredible stroke of luck.  So I determined that if I studied I could improve my score at least a little.  I buckled down a little more and took the October test...for another 168.

It was a waste of time, money, and extra stress that I just didn't need my senior year of college.

I'm not saying you shouldn't retake your LSAT... but you still have a score to be proud of - one that lots of people would be grateful for.