I am planning on applying ED to Duke and EA to Georgetown, but I recently saw that GTown does not let the applicant apply to any binding programs if I apply EA. Do colleges really check if I am applying to another program before reviewing my app? Or do you think I could get away with sticking to my original plan of ED to Duke and EA to GTown?
They might not cross check applications – but is it really worth the risk? If someone finds out, you could risk acceptance to every school you apply to. Also, have you told your guidance counselor about this plan? They are the ones sending your recommendation, school report, and transcript. I’m guessing your GC will not let you apply to both schools if that is indeed Georgetown’s policy.
- Your intent to circumvent existing rules and thus trying to obtain an unfair advantage to college admission process speaks volume of your character.
- Your guidance counselor has to sign off on your binding early action (SCEA) or an early decision (ED) application, only one of which s/he can sign as per the rule. This is the step that colleges rely on to ensure transparency and fairness to all applicants.
- If you do manage to somehow go around #2, there are unsubstantiated rumors that elite colleges share Early Action/Decision applicants database to compare any discrepancies.
This is a BAD start to the rest of your life, friend. Step back before you ruin your reputation w/your GC by asking him/her to lie on your behalf, who you’ll want to speak nicely about you.
@T26E4 @viphan @sophie9999 I’m sorry if you guys got a bad connotation about me from my post; I wasn’t trying to sound like a rule-bender. I was simply wondering how strict these policies are, as I have no previous knowledge of the college application process.
It is highly unlikely that your guidance counselor will send out reports for both ED Duke and EA Gtown. If you are unfamiliar with the process I suggest you sit down with your guidance counselor and be sure that you understand the guidelines (which do need to follow) so you won’t be embarrassed going forward.
There is really no advantage to applying EA to Georgetown, as their acceptance rate at EA is lower than RD and they fill only a small portion of the class EA. Duke fills almost half of the class at ED and states that ED can provide a boost.
Thank you so much! That’s very helpful advice 