Benefits to applying Early Action?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>Does anyone know what time on November 1 the Harvard early action deadline is? Also, what time zone is it according to: the applicant's time zone or Eastern Standard Time?</p>

<p>Also, how significant are the benefits of applying Early Action over applying Regular Decision to Harvard (with regards to chances of admission)? I was planning to apply Early Action, but I don't think I'll be able to polish my application satisfactorily before the deadline, so I'm now considering whether I should wait until Regular Decision instead.</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

2

<p>If your application isn’t the best it can be now, wait until regular. Generally, the acceptance rate is much higher early for Harvard.</p>

3

<p>11:59pm tomorrow (November 1st) – Cambridge MA time, meaning Eastern Daylight Savings time.</p>

<p>Several years ago, when Harvard returned to SCEA, their early admit rate was pretty comparable to YPS – and it was easy to accept their explanation that your chances in the SCEA round were no different than the RD round.</p>

<p>However, last year Harvard took more than half their class (895 students) early – that’s 246 more students than Yale took SCEA, 198 more students than Princeton took SCEA and 170 more students than Stanford took SCEA.</p>

<p>By taking so many more applicants in the SCEA round than their peers – both in sheer numbers and percentage wise – Harvard is letting student’s know that if you really want Harvard, your chances are better by applying in the early round.</p>

<p>Class of 2018 SCEA Acceptance Rates
Stanford = 10.77%
Yale = 15.47%
Princeton = 18.53%
Harvard = 21.24%</p>

4

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<p>Nevermind. My mistake.</p>

5

<p>^^ Faced with more academically qualified applicants than places in the freshman class, admission officers review the two teacher recommendations and essays with great care. IMHO Admissions uses essays and teacher recommendations to help distinguish top performing students from each other, as virtually all of them have great GPA’s and test scores. So, it’s to your advantage to apply with a “killer” essay. If you’re just trying to decide whether to apply SCEA or RD at this late date, I would really look closely at your essays. Are they the best you can do? If you had more time to work on them, would they get better? Remember, you only have one shot to make a first impression. Make it your best shot whichever cycle you apply in!</p>