<p>I went to the info session, I know they say that the acceptance rate is higher in this application round because the applicant pool is more impressive, but is that entirely true? In other words, would I stand the same chance of being admitted if I apply early as opposed to regular? If my chances are similar in both rounds, should I not save my SEAC on a more feasible school? Thanks.</p>
<p>First off it’s SCEA (Single Choice Early Action).</p>
<p>Secondly, the reason the acceptance rate is higher in the early round is that recruited athletes are all applying early. Ivy League rules stipulate that a college cannot recruit more than 230 athletes per year – and Harvard probably recruits the maximum in the early round. In addition, many URM’s (Under Represented Minorities) apply early, as well as legacy applicants and developmental cases (big $$ folk). If you take those students out of the mix, the SCEA acceptance rate drops precipitously. We could debate where the actual early acceptance rate drops to, but I think it’s safe to say that it’s higher than RD, but vastly lower (probably by half) of the published rate.</p>
<p>Lastly, the SCEA pool of applicants is filled with tippy-top students who pretty much all have a high GPA with a transcript filled with demonstrated course rigor, high test scores, suburb teacher recommendations, wonderful essays and interesting EC’s. If your application is not of the highest caliper, then there is a chance it might get lost among the polly-perfects of this world. So without knowing your stats, it’s impossible to say whether you should apply SCEA or RD.</p>
<p>Thanks Gibby! I’ll keep this in mind w/ respect to my stats</p>