EA or RD?

Statically, EA applicants have a higher chance of being admitted. But I’ve heard some say that it’s because that the highest qualified applicants apply EA rather than RD? Is this true? Or is it because schools are more lenient with EA applicants? I’m referring to mainly the upper echelon schools (Ivies, MIT, UChicago, etc.)

just apply ea if you really love the school haha
don’t overthink it!

A 1-2% difference can often be accounted for by recruited athletes and highly qualified applicants; these are mostly non-binding, selective schools, like MIT. Some EA/SCEA schools, however, have larger, ~5% differences, like Princeton and Caltech. Likely these schools favor early applicants more. ED schools tend to have larger differences (although not always)—think Cornell, 15%.

The number one largest factor on whether to apply EA is if you are waiting for a competition or an award that would occur in between the deadline for EA and RA that would be significant. Additionally, some people prefer to wait to develop more senior year grades, which may be used to offset weaker grades from previous years.

Overall, if you like a school, and want the ability to relax in December, go for it! There is no one answer for all people. Look at the schools you want to go to, look at their statistics, and think about it.

Thank you both for the replies!

didn’t even consider developing senior grades, thanks for that.