<p>When you take out recruited athletes, legacies, and 1st generation students, it seems as if ED to any university doesn't really boost an applicant's chances, does it?</p>
<p>Yes, it does. I’d take a 25% Penn ED over a 9.9% Penn regular (probably lower as the two average out to 9.9) any day.</p>
<p>I dunno, it depends. From my experience, the ED field is usually a lot more qualified than the RD field.</p>
<p>Each school is different, but in general ED (binding) programs do have better odds while EA (non binding) has less/no impact on odds. </p>
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First generation doesn’t help as much as the first two or some other tip factors (e.g. URM status, coming from a rare state). It is highly overrated on these forums.</p>
<p>At the most selective colleges, admissions officers do not judge each application on its own merits in a sort of vacuum. Rather, they are carefully crafting a class. The orchestra needs good musicians, and the debate team needs champion debaters. You’ll need a few artists, and the soccer team needs people too. All of these factors are considered while reading each application. If you’re the first oboist in the application pool with a 2340 SAT and 4.0 GPA, you may very well luck out. If you’re the tenth or eleventh…not so much. One of the greatest advantages of ED is the opportunity to submit your application while all of these slots in the freshman class are still open. By the time RD rolls around, 33-50% of the freshman class has already been filled, and you have about 5 times as many applicants fighting for the remaining spots.</p>
<p>Of course, aside from this, many schools blatantly prefer ED applicants since (1) they tend to be more enthusiastic about the college and (2) they boost a college’s yield and allow it to be more selective in the RD round, driving down its overall admit rate. In the many threads on this topic, I’ve often quoted admissions websites at top universities admitting a boost for ED applicants that ranges from slight to significant. (Many of those statements have since quietly vanished from the websites. Alas for transparency!)</p>
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There have been many studies that indicate ED results in a higher acceptance rate even accounting for grades and test scores. For example:</p>
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<p>In fact, the studies have shown that ED applicants at most schools are actually numerically weaker than RD applicants.</p>
<p>^^ Couldn’t agree more with Warblersrule. I think ED does matter as long as the applicant is already competitive and if the applicant brings something to the class that a school is looking for. That part is not knowable by the rest of us- what it is they might they be looking for a little bit more heavily from year to year- certain majors? higher average GPA’s or scores? stronger arts interests? Certain ethnic or geographic diversity?</p>
<p>Schools have incentive for accepting even non hooked students ED since the students promise to enroll, guaranteeing the school a higher yield. I think the big unknown with ED is simply who else is in the applicant’s “pool” so to speak. Applicants with similarly competitive GPAs and test scores will be in different pools based on their ECs, diversity, and particular talents. That is why I think ED offers the edge because many schools take up to 40-60% of the class early, and if they can fill different criteria from the early pools, a non hooked ED applicant will have an advantage if they are lucky to stand out in their pool early on with fewer numbers in the pool.</p>
<p>And another advantage to applying ED from a different angle that doesn’t have to do with chances but can be important for an applicant- applying ED (or EA) makes an applicant get his/her ducks in a row early on. The common app essay is polished by Nov 1/Nov 15, and if the student is prepared he/she should have applications to other colleges in the works in case the decision is bad news. Applying early gives an applicant incentive to define what are reaches vs matches vs safeties early in the process. Feedback in the middle of December from an early app school can be extremely valuable- obviously great news if accepted, but if deferral or rejection that is good information for an applicant who will still have a month to adjust and apply RD to other schools.</p>
<p>@lr4550 hit the nail on the head with that one. I used my early application round as a mock RD round. I applied to a couple reaches, a couple matches and a couple safeties. This way I can gauge how my application is received by different tiers of school, so come RD I can tailor my list accordingly. </p>
<p>ED does make a difference. Even after you factor out athletes, etc., the same objective applicant is more likely to be offered admission ED than RD. Schools really like both the enthusiasm it suggests about them and the binding commitment. </p>
<p>It is not a huge difference, however; you still need to be academically qualified. Applying ED will not get you admitted if you are not otherwise a competitive applicant. It’s a trade-off for the applicant as well; improved chances but you don’t get to see all your possible admissions before selecting one.</p>
<p>EA does not really make a difference in your chances. EA is not binding, so the admissions committees know that nothing is risked or lost if they defer an application to the RD pool.</p>