<p>So I have been stuck on the fact that there is a genius in my school applying to my top choice, Stanford, regular decision. He is the real deal, 4.0, maybe 4.8, 36, 2400, and lots of academic extracurriculars. So it hit a certain point where I realized that my 3.87/4.55 and 35 aren't that far behind and I have sports, a job, and leadership to put me close with him. Would it be silly to apply EA to Stanford to avoid some other applicant from your school? I don't know whether EA is harder or not. Also, I see that applying ED at Columbia increases your odds significantly. From like single digit % to almost 30%.... what are the repercussions of applying ED to a school and then backing out? Losing a few hundred dollar deposit? Any advice on which I should do early, if either, is appreciated! =)</p>
<p>You can apply ED columbia but if accepted, you’re obligated to withdraw all other EA apps. However, Stanford has SCEA, meaning you are prohibited from making other EA or ED apps. </p>
<p>But you must know: SCEA or ED is no small matter. ONLY choose these options if you really feel that the target school is your first choice.</p>
<p>Your Stanford app will stand alone – the fact that there’s another strong applicant in your HS won’t directly affect you. No “quotas” exist per school. You’ll be accepted or rejected based on your own merit and based on comparison with a large pool of apps – not just the uber-kid from your school.</p>
<p>As for backing out on ED, do a search. This is a constantly asked question. Basically, your HS will hate you for it and may not participate in submitting further app materials and you risk having all admissions offers withdrawn from you.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/547301-early-decision-real-world.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/547301-early-decision-real-world.html</a></p>
<p>Here’s another topic about breaking the ED contract</p>
<p>Ok I’ll read up on that. Would applying to Oxford, which has a regular app period before EA at Stanford, breach the contract in any way? And at Stanford, you can apply EA and still apply early action, not decision, at any PUBLIC university. </p>
<p>On a side note, is applying EA to Stanford really worth it? It is most definitely my top choice…</p>
<p>Only you can determine if you want to put your Stanford SCEA forward. I recall that Oxford timing requirements, some allowances can be made by American universities. Perhaps a call to Stanford’s admissions office?</p>
<p>how do i know if a school permits students to apply ED/EA to that school AND ED/EA to other schools ??? Call the officers ??</p>
<p>^^Read their websites. They make it quite clear what their restrictions are. They don’t keep it a secret!</p>
<p>I would love to decide whether to apply SCEA to Stanford but in order to do so I want to know the benefits. Can anyone explain why it would be beneficial? I’m actually pretty set on doing it but my problem is that I don’t actually have a good reason why I would other than that it is definitely my number one choice.</p>