<p>My d (a junior) has already narrowed her search to two schools. One is a stretch and the other, UR, appears to be a fantastic fit and her scores within the range of your current averages. So, here is the question: Does she go on and apply early admit to her stretch school and then reg decision at UR? There is a risk with the rise in apps that she might be one who doesn't get in UR. Does early admit get any preference over reg admit? (for instance, at Chapel Hill they tell you it makes NO difference). I am inclined to tell her not to apply early to her stretch school and go on and apply early at UR, since she loves it so much. But she still wants to try for the stretch. Help! First of our children to go through this, can you tell???? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would recommend allowing your daughter to visit both school and do an overnight visit at each. Get on campus Thursday night, go to classes Friday, spend the night Friday night and leave Saturday. After her visits she should have an idea of which would be a better fit for her and should apply early to that one.</p>
<p>Good advice. Can you answer any of the specific questions I raised? Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Before you make your decision, I highly suggest you wait for UR to release the new SAT ranges for our freshman class (2012) and other statistics like that. A lot of people applied this year who fit in last year's numbers and were rejected. It's really amazing how much more competitive it was - 8000 applicants, 2000 accepted.</p>
<p>So, yeah, I would wait and see their "new" standards so to speak before you decide if it's a fit or not. I don't mean to be condescending by saying that, by no means, because I have no idea what your daughter's scores are or anything. She may very well still have a good chance at UR. But, I got a 2100 on my SATs and know people who got higher scores on their SAT who were waitlisted or rejected, which is crazy to me. </p>
<p>Anyway, to answer your specific questions - I think, just like many other schools, UR accepts a higher percent of their ED pool then their RD pool, but, I think that's generally because those are stronger applicants. I could be wrong, though.</p>
<p>I personally am a little against ED because I feel like my college tastes changed from the time I would have applied ED to the time I found out my decisions in March. So if she falls in love with another school after November, she's out of luck. I'm a strong believer in keeping options open.</p>
<p>Sorry - I tried to edit my post above but it wouldn't let me. When I said, you should wait to decide if it is a "fit" or not, I did not mean that at all. A "fit" is somewhere the student loves, and it will remain that way. I chose the wrong word.. sorry, I am very ill and out of it. I meant to say, it may actually turn into a "slight reach" like the other school rather than a "good match", but again, I don't know, depending on your daughter's accomplishments.</p>
<p>252525:</p>
<p>You should not believe that Richmond is a certain "admit" for anyone. My understanding is that UR had a severe spike upward in both the quality and quanity of applicants for its Class of 2012. I read some where that UR's admit rate fell to 25%+/-.</p>
<p>Please also note that the US News stats have a 2 year lag so the stats currently listed on the US News site are for the Classes of 2010. Since you daughter will applying for the Class of 2013 those stats are unreliable for most competitive colleges.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>It all sounds pretty daunting.....so maybe UR is also a stretch school. It just seems like the reg decision is so competitive now. But I hate for her to not get into UR if she WOULD have by going early decision vs. reg. decision. Sounds like she needs to start over and have some other options. Never dreamed it would be like this. A 2100 didn't get in UR? All I can say is wow, things have changed!</p>
<p>This is such a sensitive subject. With counselors and families trying to figure out the best strategy for getting their students into top tier schools, there seems to be a flurry of ED applicants trying to “play the game.” Unfortunately, this can lead students to make premature decisions on colleges or (the cardinal sin) failing to withdraw applications once they are admitted ED.</p>
<p>I have, and will always, believe that Early Decision is a choice that should be reserved for those students enamored with a particular institution. Stating that you will definitely attend an institution if accepted is a huge step for many students, especially in the early fall of their senior year. Many students need additional time to explore various colleges and universities, speak with alumni, retake SAT/ACT exams and rework their college essays. </p>
<p>Applying Early Decision is not a step to be taken lightly, nor does it imply automatic admission to an institution. Truth be told, for the University of Richmond, our ED pool’s profile is usually not far off from the prior year’s enrolled student profile. Those students admitted in our two ED cycles are not students that have skated into the class by the skin of their teeth. These are talented, bright, and hard-working students for whom the University of Richmond is an excellent match. </p>
<p>While some universities use their ED pool to help secure their class, and thereby increase the yield rate while decreasing admit numbers, the University of Richmond does not. We typically admit about 25% of our first-year class through Early Decision. This is in no way a large percentage when you compare our statistics with other institutions. Richmond also keeps factors such as ability to pay and demonstrated interest out of the equation. </p>
<p>I guess what I’m trying to say is that no one can help a student make the decision to apply ED. I think that’s a personal choice that should be left up to the student and not one that is pushed as a strategy for acceptance… The amount of pressure we put on our students has come to a peak; admissions professionals and college counselors should take a step back to evaluate how we present the admission process and try not to add undo stress to an already stressful situation. </p>
<p>Spider Admission</p>
<p>Very good advice coming from the school.</p>
<p>Thanks for that reply</p>