<p>I'm currently a junior right now and plan on applying to Stanford next year. I've read that applying early action boosts your chances, but have also been told that if you don't have amazing stats you should just apply regular decision. I was wondering if you guys have any input on that second opinion -- is EA better if you're fairly qualified, or is RD?
Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>I feel like if you think you have a good shot you should apply early. It seems that they are not stressed by class size limits during the first round, so they will just accept whoever they want. in the RD round they have ridiculous numbers to squeeze into a few hundred spots and its pretty hard to get in even if you are qualified. I mean around 6,000 apply for 45% of the class size in the EA round. then 26,000 apply for the other 55% of the class in RD. you do the math lol</p>
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<p>They’re stressed at the prospect of taking too many early admits and having to pass up a very good regular admit.</p>
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<p>You should check your numbers… 45/55 is nowhere near accurate.</p>
<p>it is near accurate yes. and by that I mean within 10% and dude what I said is true- they have a completely blank class to work with and they can start shaping however they want in the early round. by the end, they are seeing restrictions in size and cant admit everyone they want</p>
<p>I honestly don’t think there’s a huge difference in better “chances.”</p>
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<p>You’re off by 12.3%. And “within 10%” is horrible accuracy anyway in this context.</p>
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<p>They can’t admit everyone they want early either… they can easily fill more of their class from just early admits, but they’re aware there’s a lot of talent in the regular group that they shouldn’t preemptively pass up on.</p>
<p>well I have been thoroughly embarrassed- and publicly on the internet, no doubt. yeah I was poking fun at myself by saying within 10% is near accurate haha. but you get my point, right?</p>
<p>The advantage is that you are usually notified of your decision earlier.</p>
<p>There’s also a lot less stress during 2nd semester if you get admitted and secure your college in December, you know? Then you have more time to study and secure scholarships :)</p>
<p>NO ONE (not a SINGLE PERSON) has ever gotten into Stanford EA. I mean, there are obviously people who do, but I know a handful who got in RD. I would certainly apply RD if I were you.</p>
<p>It is more difficult to get in SCEA than it is to get in RD; only slam-dunk applicants are accepted early. Post #8 correctly identifies the sole advantage.</p>
<p>I dont think I was a slam dunk applicant and I got in. I honestly dont think I would have gotten in during the RD round. the acceptance rate in EA was around 13% for RD it was less than 6% to make a class rate of 7.2% this year.</p>
<p>As to my earlier post, I meant no one I KNOW has ever gotten in early. As for Xargon42’s post, the acceptance rates are very deceiving. Sure the EA rate is higher, the applicant pool is WAY tougher. The EA round typically doesn’t have the 3.0, 1800 SAT disillusioned students who believe they can get in. Trust me, RD is the way to go.</p>
<p>As an early admit, I can say that there are some slam dunk admits in the early round, but certainly not all of them. I feel the real advantage of applying in November is simply that you receive notification earlier, which can do away with the stress of multiple college decisions come April.</p>
<p>At a Stanford info session, the admissions officer said that there is a marginal boost in that if you apply EA, they know it’s your ‘first choice’ (I got in early and ended up choosing another school to which I was accepted RD, so I suppose that’s not really the case).</p>
<p>Regardless, it’s not like your chances are any better or worse applying EA than they would be if you applied RD (despite speculation out there saying otherwise). If you really want to go to Stanford, just apply early and you’ll be able to find out by December. That said, if you feel like you could turn in a stronger app given more time, then apply RD.</p>
<p>Based on class of 2014 results, advantage is extremely tenuous at best.</p>
<p>I applied to Stanford early and it was literally the only school I didn’t get into. I only know one person who got into Stanford early and I know 25+ people who got into Harvard. Anecdotal evidence, but they admissions people have said themselves that there is no benefit in applying early unless you love Stanford enough to know that you wouldn’t apply anywhere else if you get in.</p>
<p>^^That’s right, because although the percentage of students taken from the early admit pool is higher, the credentials of those who apply early are, on average, more competitive than in the regular decision pool. (Please note that I said “on average”; I’m aware that there will be exceptions on both sides.) The other important factor is that Stanford, unlike some other schools with early action programs, doesn’t defer a large number of candidates from the early to the regular pool. So if you think you will be able to stand out among the early action pool, you should go for it since if you aren’t admitted, you most likely wouldn’t have been admitted in the regular round anyway.</p>
<p>Anonymous93, I hope you have a fantastic time at your chosen school. I’ve heard of quite a few similar situations this past year, with amazing students accepted at all but one college for some indecipherable reason. It’s an illustration of the fact that some element of randomness exists in admissions at all of the top schools, even for the most desirable candidates.</p>
<p>do NOT apply early unless you know ur stats are the best and ur essays are fantastic. I went in thinking i was a shoo-in for stanford this year and neither me or my friend who is legacy at stanford got in.</p>
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<p>Only ED indicates this.</p>
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<p>My “slam dunk” comment came directly from an admissions officer at Stanford, so maybe they’re not all on the same page.</p>