Do most people applying ED apply to a few EA schools “just in case”? We can wait and see if she doesn’t get ED and then do RD, but frankly she really will need the bump that comes from EA. If it makes any difference, she is primarily looking at “inclusive” SLACs, schools with over 50% admit rate.
I don’t think that EA gives you a bump. But it’s really good to apply to some EA schools where you have a strong chance of getting into. That way if the ED comes back negative, hopefully you’ll have some positive EAs to take away some of the sting/worry. Otherwise the wait between the December ED and April RD can be interminable.
Schools that allow unrestricted EA is fine. Apply away. No bump for EA, generally, but it’s better to head in to RD with acceptances.
you can apply EA to other schools while applying ED?
@muffindollars Yes, it’s OK to apply via unrestricted EA even if you have applied ED to a college. The only limitations are in ED - you can only apply to a single school ED. If you are accepted to your ED school, you need to withdraw from any EA applications, and turn down any college where you have been accepted.
I agree that it is a good idea to apply to schools EA so that if ED doesn’t work out you have some other options to soften the blow. Having those early acceptances make the world of difference.
Thanks for your comments! I will definitely have her apply to a couple schools EA (probably targeting second favorites without audition (possible music major) or significant supplementation). But I always thought EA provided a little boost to your admission over RD. No?
I don’t know any ED schools that prohibit EA apps. You can not apply ED to one school and to another under a restricted EA offering (REA/SCEA). Some schools may have early scholarship and/or honors college app deadlines, so why not apply under EA (where available), rather than sending an early RD app?
Also, don’t forget to consider schools with rolling admissions, for example, U Alabama and U Pittsburgh. Those apps are typically available in July. As others have said it’s great from a psychological perspective to have an early acceptance or two.
D is not a highly competitive student, thus I’m looking for strategic admissions boost beyond all else. But I also don’t want her to go through tons of extra work doing applications this fall if it’s unnecessary. She is going to be head drum major and is also on varsity swimming so she barely has a moment from August-November. She will definitely be tackling as much of her app as possible this summer! @Mwfan1921 thank you for reminding me of rolling applications, I think she has a few on her list.
Some schools only offer merit scholarships and honors college for EA applicants, and some fill the majority of their class in EA rounds.
Oh, good point on the merit. Unfortunately she is probably not going to get honors college anywhere unless she gets a very surprising SAT score in May.
As @momofsenior1 mentioned some schools have early deadlines for scholarships. Verify what the schools policy is wrt to merit and deadlines. Even if she is not a strong student! And as others have said it is really nice have an acceptance or two early in the game, even if they are not her first choice. Last, make sure she is studying for the upcoming SAT. 15-20 minutes a day on subjects she needs help on. My S took a full length timed test at home. I corrected and figured out where he needed the “least” amount of help and would pick out 5 questions related to that topic he would do every night before dinner. I would correct, and go over the problems he got wrong. We would continue going down the list til it was test time. He did not mind the 10-15 minutes of work every night. My D did better with a private tutor.
If she is applying to auditioned bachelor of music [BM) programs, check to be 100% sure that the target school allows ED or EA for music majors. Many schools that offer ED (or EA) still require music majors to apply RD because they want to hear auditions from the whole applicant pool before accepting anyone and offering talent scholarships. In many cases music schools may only accept a handful of kids on the target instrument so they must choose carefully. And again, for music majors, sometimes you can apply EA but that may only apply to the academic admission and then the music admissions decision will come later, after the final audition date. If it is a non audition program and/or a BA music program rather than a BM that isn’t likely to be an issue. The web sites for the music programs will have this info on their web sites where they outline the application process.
If you haven’t already found the music major forum here at CC, check it out! Lots of very helpful people there.
She is taking a math prep class the week before the SAT. Studying for the test has become a huge point of contention in our household, to the point that it has strained our relationship, so I have given up on forcing it. She has had hours of private tutoring but flat out refuses to study on her own. ACT was an absolute disaster. She is doing well in school and takes pride in it, and completely immerses herself in her extras, so that will have to be her sell. So thankful for all the test optional schools now! Sorry for the tangent!! LOL
@classicalsaxmom she is applying primarily to SLACs with strong music departments or conservatories. Not sure if she is going to do BM, BA, minor, or what, I believe all we are looking at have a special EA/ED audition date. And from what I can tell, they are all on the same day in November LOL.
For some colleges there is a huge bump for ED and EA as each school is individual in their admissions approach. I believe Trinity U’s EA rate for 2017 grads was 73% but their RD was 17%. For the class of 2022 TU accepted 90% of their students in their EA/ED rounds. At some schools you will really get boost for EA admissions. You need to look at each school you are interested in and apply accordingly. For example American U and Furman U both have 90% acceptance rates for their ED1 rounds (and bonus they are both test optional schools!). If you apply wisely EA & ED can really help to boost admissions chances. I will echo @mamom that practice tests are one of the best ways to prepare for the SAT/ACT. If your DD has not taken the ACT, I would try a practice test to see if she likes the ACT format better. Some kids are just better at one or the other.
That was DD’s strategy … ED to favorite (private, top 20) and EA to three others (two state flagships - one in state, the other OOS) and one private. All were due November 1st I believe so it was nice to do one wave of a few applications (three were common app, one was it’s own).
She received admittance to one state flagship an hour before private ED admittance and then the other a few days later. She had to withdraw the four application since their notification was another month away.
If you can put in an application to a school that does rolling admission, even better. An early acceptance is emotionally worth its weight in gold!
I had always assumed EA would provide a boost. Maybe it doesn’t for some schools? But I believe it does for most we are looking at. List includes: Puget Sound, Lawrence, Southwestern, Clark, St. Olaf, Loyno. All are TO except St. Olaf and Loyno.
She has taken the ACT and scored a 22. She ran out of time on every section and had to bubble in guesses on huge chunks. But apparently what she had time to answer was darn close to perfect! ? I think her PSAT was around 1100 so am hopeful that the SAT will go better next month.
If she fails to be admitted to any of the above schools, she’ll definitely need over an 1100 to get into some of the less competitive backup state schools. That’s our plan B.
@sahmkc Trinity was one of the first schools we looked at! This was when D was a sophomore, before we knew testing might be an issue. It certainly has surged in popularity. A friend went to an info session there and said the president of Rice was there visiting with their child!