Hi everyone! I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any advice to help me decide where I should apply early. I have visited many schools over the past year, and my two favorites are Harvard and Duke- I could definitely see myself attending either one. I prefer Harvard because it has a better program for what I want to major in, but I’m nervous about committing myself early there and being rejected.
I loved Duke and if I applied early there I think I have a better chance of getting in (35 ACT, have been competing in horseback riding consistently for ten years, perfect GPA, leadership in community service). The only thing is that Duke’s early decision is binding. When I first visited the school I LOVED it but since then I have begun to second guess myself and have also been reading about the people there and some of the blogs that I have read have made the Greek life seem like a very hostile environment, which has led me to doubt how I felt about the school:(
Based on all of this, Harvard is for sure my first choice, and I know that I am qualified- but I also know that thousands of other applicants are also qualified. I know that there is no fool-proof formula to predict whether or not I will get in, so I just wanted to see if anyone had any advice for me regarding my decision for where to apply early?
This is my first time posting on here so sorry if it’s in the wrong category or something, I really just want advice!
*PS In addition to Harvard or Duke (whichever I decided to apply early to) I will also be applying to safety schools so don’t worry:)
Thank you!
Some people believe there’s a strategy as to where you should apply early, like you should apply ED to Duke because applying early might be enough to push you over the edge into the acceptance pool whereas Harvard you may or may not get into anyway so why bother.
I don’t personally believe that (although I’m sure many will disagree with me). I think early decision should be reserved for your number one pick, and if Harvard is your number one then you should apply early there. If you aren’t convinced you’ll be happy at Duke, then there’s no point in binding yourself to it.
I went to an information session where both Duke and Harvard spoke and the Harvard rep claimed that there is no preference between early and regular applicants while Duke claimed that ED applicants do get some preference. Obviously, if you can’t see yourself at Duke, don’t enter a binding agreement but just an FYI.
@NaijaBoy -Universities love to claim that EA applicants are held to the same standard as RD applicants. The fact remains that a student applying early will have a better chance than that same applicant would applying RD. Admissions statistics at dozens of colleges bear this out-at Harvard, for instance, close to half of the most recent freshman class applied EA. The EA acceptance rate is a tad over 18%, against a RD rate below 4%. The Harvard rep was sticking to the company line, but don’t believe a word of it.
@NotVerySmart Sorry to detour from OP’s discussion but what happens to students like me who have to consider financial aid packages greatly when picking a college? In order to qualify for all merit scholarships, I’ll have to apply early to more than one private school.
@NaijaBoy An EA application is non-binding. If accepted, the reply date is the same as for any other college, so you can wait to see what sort of aid packages various schools are willing to offer, and then make a decision once you’ve got every school’s offer on the table.
Note that applying EA means you’re less likely to get aid-the school, assuming you’re almost certain to attend, won’t feel the need to sweeten the pot as much, knowing they’re one of your first choices.
@NotVerySmart but EA at Harvard is SCEA which means I can’t apply to any other private school early. My odds seem to be much better in the EA round as opposed to RD but to try to get merit aid at other private institutions, I’ll have to apply early to them as well, violating SCEA with Harvard.
@NaijaBoy Well, if you feel like you need to apply to several other schools EA, by all means do so. Faced with the same choice (apply to several schools EA or apply to Harvard and raise my odds from 4% (crapshoot) to 20% (still a crapshoot), I’m applying to Harvard RD and applying EA elsewhere.
@NotVerySmart Although it is true that the admissions statistics are better for EA, a lot of those students accepted early are athletes that have been recruited, probably almost half of those actually. In addition, most of the students that apply early are probably way more impressive than the ones in RD, so I’m not sure necessarily that EA gives you a better chance. But that’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.