Some schools don’t defer their ED applicants. So would the adcom be more lenient towards accepting borderline/slightly below avg. applicants, or would it be the opposite?
<p>It is normally easier to be accepted during ED than it is during RD. Thus, if you can't make it during ED, you probably won't make it during RD either when the pool is "stronger". However, the defer gives you the opportunity to improve your application, and the college may find that it needs you more than they thought. I think that colleges that don't defer are just saying that they know you won't make it during RD either, and they don't want to look twice.</p>
<p>I'd disagree with dufus3709 on this. Some colleges, like Stanford, will give a clear yes/no answer to ED apps. Others have taken a different approach, and I don't think it has anything to do with keeping ED students in "reserve" in case they need them later. They don't want to discourage ED apps so they "defer" kids and leave them with the sense that they haven't lost anything by applying ED. It seems like they still have a shot in the RD round, right? In fact the college knows its a reject, and you can see this by how few students are deferred ED and accepted RD.</p>
<p>Colleges do the same thing with waitlists, BTW. Many colleges know they've only taken 10-20 students from the waitlist in the past decade. Putting 100 on the list should be more than enough, and yet some colleges will put 500 kids on it. Its a way to keep in favor with feeder schools and their parents. Savvy parents know whats going on, but most will think "Johnny got into Harvard and would have attended if they just had room for him". Harvard had no intention of taking Johnny, but they want Johnny's sister and the family friends to apply, and the odds diminish if they think "if Johnny couldn't get in, neither could I". I'm just suprised colleges don't accept some and waitlist everyone else, but maybe that's too blatant ...</p>
<p>I have developed a somewhat more sympathetic view on why the colleges put so many people on the waitlist (often more people than they accept). The unsympathetic view is the adcoms don't want to upset their feeder schools, it is easier to control yield, and what do they have to lose. I think it might be because the adcoms are sitting around the table; they have just accepted somebody; they are looking at somebody else with nearly identical stats; and it is psychologically easier to waitlist them than to deny them after having just accepted the person's clone. In any case, waitlists are out of control and end up being cruel.</p>
<p>I can see why many schools would defer ED applicants. They showed a lot of effort and interest in the school, after all. </p>
<p>My question is (and was).. schools that do NOT defer ED applicants would reject all the applicants whom they would have deferred if it were an option? Or would they accept some of those people?</p>
<p>It would depend on who they expect to show up in RD. If they are optomistic about RD, they would be more critical during ED, and vice versa. The adage "A bird is in hand is worth two in the bush" might indicate something, but another adage is "Hell, we can do better than this bozo!" (lesser known adage). I don't think there is any tendency that you can exploit for practical gain.</p>
<p>The mindset for a ED Accept/Deny/Defer college would seem to be that we want the best people possible. The mindset for a ED Accept/Deny college would seem to be that we know what we want and know when we see it. </p>
<p>(A lot of people don't like waitlists since they string people along unnecessarily.)</p>
<p>
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My question is (and was).. schools that do NOT defer ED applicants would reject all the applicants whom they would have deferred if it were an option? Or would they accept some of those people?
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Well, "schools that do not defer" is a over-generalization we've been using to separate them from schools that send out either acceptances or deferrals ED. A school like Stanford WILL defer a few kids, those that they feel honestly have a shot in the RD round or for whom they want to wait for more grades to come in, etc. But if they know a kid is going to be rejected RD, they'll go ahead and reject them if they apply ED.</p>
<p>So the answer to your question is these schools will defer a few if the feel they truly need to be deferred. They don't send almost everyone they're not accepting ED a deferral, though.</p>
<p>There are some schools that do not have a defer option. You are accepted or else you are denied and not allowed to reapply until a year has gone by. Northwestern is also like that.</p>
<p>I know for a fact that Claremont McKenna either accepts or rejects ED they don't defer and many stellar applicants are rejected ED that I think may have gotten in regular decision</p>
<p>I would think that those schools would accept all the stellar applicants and surprises would rarely occur because it is obvious that ED applicants really want to go to that particular school.</p>