<p>Ok, what if you were going to keep the same stats (hypothetically) and I mean exactly the same, would EA or RD be better for you. EA has a stronger applicant pool where you might not shine as much, but it also offers a higher admit rate due to expected yield as well. RD, on the other hand, might be a slightly weaker applicant pool, but that is reflected in a lower admit rate.</p>
<p>So disregarding stats, which is better, EA or RD? Would SCEA or ED be different?</p>
<p>well early is always better, thas why its there</p>
<p>EA, ED or watever always has a much higher acceptance rate due to the sole fact that the college knows that you love that skool so much, its your first choice, and that you'd pretty much jump off a cliff to go there.. especially with the lower end of the best of the best it really helps. Take duke, darmouth, northwestern, or watever... the best students will apply there regular decision more of a "backup"(although in no way am i saying they are). when you apply early they kno its your number 1 choice and the applicant pool in most cases will prolly be easier w/ a high acceptance rate. ONLY APPLY EARLY IF YOU REALLY REALLY LOVE THAT COLLEGE AND YOU WOULD HAVE NO REGRETS GOING THERE!</p>
<p>Well, if you really want to go there, by all means apply EA. I suspect that a lot of top-notch applicants who do not have a favorite school in mind will probably decide, "Hey, if I apply EA to all these good schools, they'll definitely accept me! Plus if I get accepted, it's not binding, and I get a definite advantage from applying early."</p>
<p>However, the pool of applicants is also much smaller. I think if someone had a fantastic essay but with lower stats they could stand out much more during EA than RA. ED though, gives the biggest advantage.</p>