<p>I've been thinking a bit...</p>
<p>Most colleges accept a higher percentage of applicants from its ED pool than its RD pool, and this has come under fire by ppl who criticize for the schools favoring ED over RD. The schools retort by saying that the ED pool is generally stronger. Well, it's obvious why schools would favor ED over RD (since it's binding). But anyway, I've been wondering, is the ED pool really stronger or not?</p>
<p>So... let's take applicant 1, who has below average academic quality than the average admitted student at university X, but is a killer athlete who the coach really really wants. The coach pressures applicant 1 to apply in order to increase his chances of getting in.</p>
<p>Let's also say applicant 2 is a legacy. I'm pretty sure that legacies have their parents kinda pushing them in that direction and the kids wanting to graduate from their parent's school and such. Also, the school may accept legacies with slightly lower stats since having legacy status nearly doubles one's chances.</p>
<p>Finally, applicant 3 has a chance of getting in, but his stats are only... mediocre compared to the school. He gets unconfident, and decides that only by applying ED can he boost his chance of getting in.</p>
<p>Are ED students really stronger? Or do the schools only say they are?</p>