<p>Hi, I'm a junior starting to look at the whole college admission process. Is there any definitive benefit to applying EA to stanford other than knowing earlier if you're in or not (save deferrals)? I know that the acceptance rate is slightly higher, but that seems to be because the applicant pool is stronger. And since it's EA not ED, it seems like there would be way more people applying "just because" instead of it being their #1 choice. To flip the question around too, are there any downsides to applying EA? Thanks!</p>
<p>Well, from what I've seen/read/heard, EA has almost become just like RD - only with earlier dates.</p>
<p>SCEA (not EA) is very, very difficult to get in through. In fact, that seems to be the time when all the hooked candidates are accepted. You should only apply to Stanford SCEA if a) you have the time to make your application as good as you can, and b) it's your first choice.</p>
<p>Say Stanford is one of two top choices, my application is as perfect as it will ever be, but I'm by no means a hooked candidate, would I be disadvantaged to apply SCEA? Overall, Stanford's just plain hard to get in to, but from what it sounds like, SCEA doesn't provide a boost in odds, so the only reason to apply SCEA is earlier notification, which'd be nice (unless, of course, I would be disadvantaged to do it).</p>
<p>Thank you for responding. Do you have any idea how many people that are deferred get in later in the year?</p>
<p>Isnt SCEA more advantageous in the sense that there are less applicants applying than in the regular pool, so your app has a chance of standing out?</p>
<p>The average quality of applications is also higher in the SCEA pool than the RD pool. Hence the slightly higher acceptance rate.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The average quality of applications is also higher in the SCEA pool than the RD pool.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Stanford's provost has made a very public statement to this effect, but the admission office hasn't released figures in a way that would allow an independent researcher to check this statement's premise.</p>
<p>I've heard that at many schools' early action or decision program, the pool is usually stronger than the regular decision pool often because the early applicants boast strong grades from the get-go and are often recruited from.</p>
<p>You've heard that from publicists for the schools. Independent researchers on the matter who have had access to colleges' admission files </p>
<p>report that merely applying early has often been as much of a boost for admission chances as getting an extra 100 points on the former two-section SAT. The thing to check, which most college admission offices won't let anyone check, is whether two otherwise similar applicants have the same probability of admission, whether one applies early or not, or whether applying early IN ITSELF boosts an applicant's chances of acceptance.</p>
<p>That's an interesting point. I always assumed acceptance rates are higher for EA because the RD pool attracts most of the average, "long shot" applicants. You know, the ones who apply just for the hell of it.</p>
<p>They should really publish comparative data sets for EA and RD.</p>
<p>tokenadult, that's exactly what I was wondering.</p>