<p>Hi, I'm kind of in a pickle. MIT is my dream school, but I like Cornell almost exactly as much. I know that I have a much better chance at Cornell (given students at my school who have gotten in), but I still want to have a good chance of getting into one of these 2 schools. Cornell has a binding early decision program, but it has a higher acceptance rate than Regular decision, so I'm tempted to apply ED. The problem though, is that if MIT deems me worthy (haha) regular decision, then odds are that Cornell will have liked me as well, Early decision, so I'd be bound to Cornell anyway. Thus if I apply to Cornell ED, there's seemingly no point in applying to MIT at all, because its reeally unlikely that cornell will turn me down and then in April MIT will accept me. This is just really silly in perspective, because its my top choice for a school, and I may not even spend the 70 or whatever dollars to apply.</p>
<p>Have any of you had this problem and how did it turn out? I realize I can't exactly get a subjective answer for what to do, but I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar problem, or known someone who did.</p>
<p>i havent had this problem, but doesnt Cornell have a non-binding early action program. a lot of schools do. if not you should do it anyways, because you said you like them both equally. and your also riding on the fact that you get into both. so figure out wich one you want to go to more, apply ED, and apply to the other Regular if you dont get in. good luck</p>
<p>You actually can’t apply to a school RD if you were accepted to a school ED, I believe. It wouldn’t make any sense even if it were allowed. So, I don’t think anyone will be able to tell you how this worked out for them.</p>
<p>If MIT is your dream, you shouldn’t apply to Cornell ED. Ally to MIT EA, find out in December (have some essays ready in case you get deferred or denied) and then take the necessary steps toward ending up somewhere great.</p>
<p>Well if you apply to the RD pool before the ED results are out, then your application stands. My sister got into Oberlin ED and they told her not to send out any more applications, but the few that she had already sent out were still eligible (Which is a good thing since Oberlin didn’t give her enough money). <That said, I think some people might be able to relate to this situation.</p>
<p>And I know MIT is my dream, but the conundrum is in the fact that Cornell’s ED has a much higher acceptance rate. If I applied to MIT ED and got turned down (which I probably would), I would have missed a chance at applying to Cornell when they are slightly more lenient in accepting people, and if I in turn got denied RD, I’d feel really stupid for missing a chance at both schools, because I’m not truly passionate about any of the schools of visited other than these 2.</p>
<p>michaelwiggins - just a reminder…if money is an issue for you as it was with your sister then I strongly suggest you also apply to a couple of financial safeties.</p>
<p>I plan to, though my dad lost his job since my sister applied for FAFSA, so they should be more generous. That said, if I got into Cornell I’d be in the <$60,000 category and I’d get significant help. A lot of the reason it was an issue for my sister though, was because she’s a journalism major and knew she’d go into deep debt if she took out loans. I’m less concerned as an engineering major.</p>
<p>If you are accepted ED, you are supposed to immediately withdraw all other applications, so in most cases, you aren’t going to have the opportunity to get into a better school. Since ED schools share with other colleges their lists of ED-accepted students, those students who don’t withdraw applications after being accepted ED risk having their ED acceptances rescinded and not getting acceptances (or having acceptances rescinded) from other colleges.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a clear first choice – and if finances are a concern-- don’t apply ED.</p>
<p>I will say that I STRONGLY regret not applying to one of the binding ED programs.</p>
<p>I went with Stanford’s EA program (non-binding), didn’t get in, and then found myself rejected at a lot of schools that I think I would have had a solid chance at if I had applied to one of their binding-ED programs (I am currently on Cornell’s waitlist after applying RD, rejected everywhere else).</p>
<p>Make sure you are realistic about your chances of getting into MIT before you commit to applying there over a substantially higher acceptance rate ED program—understand that a 30% acceptance rate doesn’t make a school that was originally 15% a “safety”—especially considering the higher quality of the early round applicants.</p>
<p>OP you must realize that there is no loophole in the ED/EA/RD process that would let you do what you wish to do, so I’m not sure why you are involving the CC community to tell you what I’m sure you already know. What you wish to do is not in the spirit of ED, and while it’s a fact of life that some people change their mind after ED acceptance, that’s not your situation. You’re anticipating changing your mind if you win the college application lottery.</p>
<p>A simple search on google explains how Cornell views ED:</p>
<p>Remember that an early-decision application is a commitment. You can apply under early decision to only one college or university. If you’re accepted at Cornell, you must withdraw any applications sent to other schools and send your acceptance deposit by the deadline in early January.</p>
<p>Ethically you need to accept this view and act accordingly.</p>
<p>don’t be misled by ED admission rates. all the admission officers at selective schools say the same thing: there is no admission advantage. ED admission rates are higher because the ED applicant pools tend to be stronger than the RD group. If you would not be admitted RD, you almost certainly will not be admitted ED.</p>
<p>so, if you are really undecided, keep your options open.</p>
<p>Typically, once you are accepted ED you are required to withdraw all other applications. In short, what part of “binding” is difficult to understand?</p>
<p>I think you guys misunderstand this thread… well some of you anyway. </p>
<p>I was really just curious if anybody else had been in this situation, and if so what they thought about it. I realize there’s no way I can beat the system to get out a binding early decision; its just that because I wanted to apply to Cornell ED to have a better chance at admission, I came to the conclusion that applying to MIT would be pointless, and that seemed like a stupid conclusion to come to.</p>
<p>The most useful post may have been the guy who suggested that high ED rates just correlate with better applicant pools… lol. </p>
<p>In any case I think I’ll just try MIT ED since I prefer it over cornell a bit… Thanks to those who gave helpful advice.</p>
<p>It’s a long time from January to August, time enough to change your mind, so if you simply prefer MIT a bit, and since there is no advantage in applying ED to elite schools, you might reconsider.</p>
<p>Also, some schools are encouraging top needy applicants to apply ED to their dream schools. There is no consequence for backing out if the offered aid is insufficient, but apply ED only if you don’t care about comparing FA packages.</p>
<p>A little story: 3 of my best friends and I were in love with Rice U for a long time, so we wanted to go there… they both decided to apply early (binding) and I had a bad feeling cus I also liked MIT, and though I wouldn’t get in, I wanted to give it a try anyway.</p>
<p>I got into MIT, and I am sooo happy I didn’t apply early to Rice. Just give yourself choices! You never know what might happen.</p>
<p>smog is correct…
The greater acceptance rate on applying early is an anomaly. If you are qualified, you are qualified. The statistics show a greater number being selected earlier because students who are committed to binding agreements are usually more likely qualified for that university.</p>
<p>You stand no greater change in October than in January. You may simply sleep better</p>
<p>I had this dream school in NY (not exactly a dream school, but it’s my first choice) and another great LAC that I have very good chance of getting in. I’m really unstable of getting into my number1 choice and afraid i won’t get into the LAC if I don’t do ED. In the end I decided to apply ED to that LAC and got in. Then I found out that I got rejected from the NY school. I was really happy coz if I don’t apply ED to that LAC, I might have to go to my safety or even school in my home country.</p>
<p>You keep referring to MIT as having ED - just remember that MIT has EA, not ED. There are definitely some schools where ED provides an advantage; sometimes the schools will even acknowledge that! The more selective the school, the less the advantage - but EA will definitely provide far less of an advantage (if any) than ED possibly could, simply because it is not binding.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is true or not, but someone told me that the percentages look higher for early decision vs regular decision but they are not as high as they appear. For schools that do athletic recruiting, those athletes are in the early decision number as well as others early admits such as legacy and development kids. They have to put those admits somewhere and that is supposedly where they end up.</p>