<p>I am considering applying to Harvard for the class of 2016. My stats are not glowing: 2120 SAT (retaking), 3.75 GPA, etc. I do have an internship this summer at UT Southwestern Medical Center doing cancer research with a well known radiologist. I want to highlight this on my application because I think it is my biggest advantage. My question is: should I apply Early Action or Regular Decision, or does it really matter in my situation?</p>
<p>Any replies would be great!</p>
<p>If H is clearly your first choice, then apply early. If you think your GPA will rise, or you will have significant new achievements after November of senior year, then apply regular. You are wise to recognize that it is a long-shot (as it is for most.)</p>
<p>Wait for your senior grades. I learned this the hard way.</p>
<p>Harvard has restored early action starting this fall. Good luck.</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> restores early admissions for fall 2012 class](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/02/harvard_restore.html]Harvard”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/02/harvard_restore.html)</p>
<p>Hey, I think either is fine. Just wanted to let you know that I got in with less than a 2150 and so did another kid I know. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>
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<p>Agreed. Save the early round for a much safer bet–the peace of mind is worth it.</p>
<p>The admission rate is higher than RD. I know many of you think that it does not matter, that all the legacies and athletic geniuses are accepted EA, making the early pool extremely competitive, contributing to a false percentage of acceptance. But that can’t account for everyone in the 15-17% accepted, and a 15-17% is significantly better than a RD 6%.</p>
<p>In my school I don’t believe that our rank is updated mid senior year. Is it still advantage to send in my first semester grades?</p>
<p>^If you think you’ll do spectacularly well first semester, then you could send in your first semester grades. However, if rank and everything else is a done deal by the end of junior year (and you’ll be done with the application in time), then go ahead and apply EA.</p>
<p>Harvard is extremely difficult to get into whether you apply RD or EA. If it’s your first choice, apply EA. But even though the odds of acceptance are greater, they are still extremely small, so don’t waste your SCEA application on Harvard if there are other EA schools that you could have gotten into that you like a lot.</p>
<p>@Mordred. Yes, it could, if that were our early acceptance rate. Do you really think they’re going to admit, rather than defer, a candidate they aren’t absolutely sure they would admit in the regular round as well? How are you even getting that number, though? We haven’t even had EA since the overall acceptance rate was 3-5% higher than it is today, so the last EA admittance rate can’t be compared to this year’s overall admit rate. Is it an estimate? From where?</p>
<p>@OP Everyone else has given good advice. I personally eschewed the whole really-competitive early admissions thing, got into a match, and was quite pleased when I didn’t have to freak out about applying to tons of safeties when my friends who were deferred from Yale or Stanford were so freaking out. On the other hand, Harvard was my first choice, not Yale or Stanford. If it’s very clearly your first choice (and your retaken SAT score can arrive in time for EA), going for it might be worth the peace of mind of a match. Good luck!</p>
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<p>I’m wondering this as well. </p>
<p>There are a lot of valid arguments to be made for SCEA being more difficult than RD. Why would they waste an EA acceptance on someone they weren’t absolutely, 100% sure they’d admit in the RD round, regardless of the competitiveness of the RD pool? Unlike ED, those early admits aren’t guaranteed to attend, and there’s no reason to spend an extra couple months wooing an average applicant to attend H after admitting him/her early, because that average applicant is unlikely to be choosing from peer schools. SCEA admits are the superstars and the hooked applicants.</p>