EA vs RD

<p>im going to be applying to nd at the beginning of this year and can't decided whether i should apply early action or regular. which will i have a better chance of acceptance in?</p>

<p>Tyler,</p>

<p>This is the guidelines that my ND rep gave me.</p>

<p>Apply EA if you meet these requirements</p>

<p>SAT-1460
Most difficult course load possible
Top 3 % of your class... or close too</p>

<p>basically if you are in that top 25% range of the average student accepted then EA is a great idea</p>

<p>rep said whenevr you can put your best application forward</p>

<p>my rep told me not to apply EA because my ACT was slightly below average... if you're that close you're not going to get rejected EA and if u do get rejected EA you would've gotten rejected RD...</p>

<p>like KR said... if the quality of your application will be exactly the same EA as RD (meaning you've already spend the max amount of time on it) then i say go EA... if you get more awards you can always just send them as they come (it gives you an excuse to send extra letters which shows interest)... EA will also put your name out in the system so you can keep thinking of reasons to call and ask questions! They take your name down EVERY time... </p>

<p>despite what reps say, I think if you're close go EA... i think that reps say don't go EA if you're not above average so that EA doesn't just become everybody... but the earlier you get your name out the more it will help in the end... look at it this way--it really cannot hurt you as long as your app is at it's maximum quality EA... it is simply not possible for someone to be rejected EA who would have gotten accepted had s/he applied RD...</p>

<p>that's my take on it...</p>

<p>what r u gonna do, tim?</p>

<p>Im doing RD</p>

<p>My standardized test scores are in that 25% range</p>

<p>also I have 6 AP classes first semester next year, and I will definitely increase my rank with a solid performance</p>

<p>( however, I dont know how solid that performance will be with 3 and half hours of football ever day) so .. Im a little worried to say the least</p>

<p>just a heads up, with a 1510 SAT and only top 6% of my hs class, i applied early and got in, a guy in a lot of my classes was also a huge nd fan, his ACT was equivalent to about a 1430 and he was 5th in the class (of 650)...the difference here is that i applied early against the suggestion and he followed orders, applying RD -- he was starting center on the football team, eagle scout, and a ton of other ECs...i got in, and he got waitlisted -- as you all know last year they didnt accept anyone from the waitlist...im confident that if he applied early though, he was a better candidate than i was and either we both wouldve been accepted, or he wouldve taken my spot...just one account</p>

<p>Before my S applied this year, he e-mailed his ND rep with a very brief summary of his stats and ECs and asked her advice. She responded with her recommendation-he "appeared to be a solid candidate for EA". He applied early and got in. </p>

<p>From reading these boards back when the early applicants were hearing and posting their status, it appeared that non legacy-hooked applicants, with below a 34 on the ACT, did not get in EA. </p>

<p>E-mail your rep (you can find this on the ND website) and follow their advice.</p>

<p>
[quote]
just a heads up, with a 1510 SAT and only top 6% of my hs class, i applied early and got in, a guy in a lot of my classes was also a huge nd fan, his ACT was equivalent to about a 1430 and he was 5th in the class (of 650)...the difference here is that i applied early against the suggestion and he followed orders, applying RD -- he was starting center on the football team, eagle scout, and a ton of other ECs...i got in, and he got waitlisted -- as you all know last year they didnt accept anyone from the waitlist...im confident that if he applied early though, he was a better candidate than i was and either we both wouldve been accepted, or he wouldve taken my spot...just one account

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Here he comes to ruin the day, lol. As many of you know, EA is a big issue for me, and that being said I have to strongly disagree with tjlax on this one. First of all, there is a big difference between a 1510 and a 1430 (though I couldn't hit either of those scores, lol, glad I am already through ND) in the eyes of admissions. Also, as you all know, there is more to admissions at ND than test scores and GPAs. They look strongly at classes, recommendations, essays, etc. Anything and everything can be make or break, so I think it is hard to say that EA gave an advantage.</p>

<p>If anything, EA is tougher because admissions is more cautious. If you want real evidence of this, go back to the admissions decisions and look for those who were deferred EA but got in RD. This means that they weren't quite good enough to get in EA, but were strong enough in the RD pool, hence the EA pool must be more selective.</p>

<p>I just think looking at that is more accurate. I have no idea why you friend was waitlisted, that sucks (it really does bother me, though I also don't want ND to grow) but it is impossible to know why it happened. I have a friend with a 1550 SAT and who was top 3% in his class that got waitlisted that same year...who knows why.</p>

<p>EDIT: I agree with bus...don't risk it, just email your rep and do what they say. They will not steer you wrong.</p>

<p>Got in EA with a 1460SAT/32ACT no legacy. The essay and all around person is evaluated. Apply when you can put your best app forward Good luck</p>

<p>i was just pointing out that the admissions rep isnt <em>always</em> right, plus as you say ND doesnt only bank on test scores...so regardless of the gap between my 1510 and his 1430...he had a lot more stuff on his resume</p>