Hi all,
As the title suggests, I am now facing the difficult and important decision of choosing which university I should apply EA/ED.
I originally posted this question in the “College Admissions” forum, but was advised to post it here as well in order to get a more definitive answer. You can see the original thread here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1811531-choosing-the-right-school-for-ea-ed-ivys-duke-stanford-mit-international-student.html
Some background info (taken from the aforementioned thread):
I am a 22 year-old Israeli (though I also have an American citizenship) and am now facing the undergraduate application process (after completing my 3 years of mandatory military service last summer).
For as long as I can remember, I have always aspired to one day become a lawyer and practice corporate law in the U.S. As such, I intend on pursuing my JD at Harvard Law, since I believe that, despite the tremendous amount of effort that it will take to be accepted, the top-notch curriculum as well as the invaluable alumni network will be crucial in allowing me a quick and smooth transition in to the job market.
As for my undergraduate studies, I plan on pursuing a double-major in Economics and Philosophy. I chose these subjects first and foremost out of my academic interest in them, but I also took in to account the many benefits that these studies will have as far as my long-term plans go. In all honesty (and I know that many of you here on CC will disapprove of my approach), I see my undergraduate degree mainly as the “stepping stone” for getting in to Harvard Law. I’m not looking for any kind of specific “college experience”, and I honestly don’t care too much about the location of the university itself; I’m sure that I will enjoy my undergraduate studies regardless of any of that. Since I have no real preference when it comes to the university itself, I intend to make the decision of which school to apply EA/ED based solely on my chances of admission. I went through all the data tables I could find regarding the top schools and EA/ED admission rates compared to RD admission rates, but was unable to find any concrete information on this with respect to international students (and, of course, Israel-specific information).
Due to unfortunate personal circumstances, I was unable to complete the application process for the regular decision rounds of last year. That said, I have not let this year go to waste; instead, I worked on strengthening my applicant profile (improving my SAT scores and adding over 20 weekly hours of volunteer work) as well as partaking in activities that I enjoy but probably won’t have time for in college (taking courses in 2 new languages, reading plenty of books, continuing my martial arts training and even picking up bodybuilding as a hobby).
Other potentially important information-
- Test scores -
SAT (superscore): 2280 (730W 790M 760 CR)
Subject Tests: 800 Math II, 790 Chemistry
- My grandfather got his MA from Columbia (I have no idea if this actually makes any difference).
- I am applying for financial aid as well (75k-100k income bracket), which shouldn't be a problem with most schools thanks to my American citizenship.
** TL;DR ** - Clueless 22 year-old post-military Israeli (with American citizenship and decent test scores) male looking for advice regarding which top-school to apply EA/ED, based solely on chances of being accepted.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!