I am curious about Williams high(er) ED acceptance rate. Last year is was 257/728 or 35.2%. What percentage of those accepted are athletes/legacies? Williams really values ED, they filled almost 50% of the target class size from ED, but I wonder if a lot of those students are recruited athletes or legacies. Also, this year of those accepted in ED, 140 identify as men, 94 as women (the rest didn’t respond to the gender question). Why is there a large discrepancy in men accepted vs women for ED? Is this perhaps because women tend to enroll in Williams in the regular decision at higher rates than men?
BTW here is the source for that information: https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/12_12_2016_earlydecision/
The article states - Highly rated musicians, actors, artists, and athletes are well represented in the group. I think that answers the question that there were recruited athletes in the group. I’m not sure you will ever find out the exact numbers but, yes, ED numbers are usually tainted by athletes, legacies and other hooks.
My data set of 2 children: both accepted ED, neither athletes, nor legacies. Kid #1 was very strong in STEM, Kid #2 in music. I wish more students wanting to apply ED realized they don’t need athletics to be accepted to --and thrive – at Williams.
To apply ED, the student has to know that this is THE school. It makes sense that athletes, musicians, legacies, actors know early since they have had more contact with a coach, music program,or theater professors. They may have visited the school with their alum parents over the years, attended summer programs, attended a sports camp.
ED says “I want you and only you” to the school. What school doesn’t want to be first choice, to have the numbers secured by Jan 1? The school can then know how many RD acceptances to issue to achieve the yield. The coaches know how many more players they need or can stop recruiting. The orchestra knows if it needs 3 more violins or should be on the lookout for a flutist.
Schools offer ED because it helps them build a class with more control.
The other aspect of Williams ED is that Williams is very good at turning around a decision very quickly, you apply by November 15 and typically here back by early December, in just 3-4 weeks, if accepted, you are done for the year before the holidays and can enjoy the rest of your senior year knowing that you have been accepted to one of the most selective schools on the country. It’s like having a half gap year built in to your senior year.
Also a note, Williams has the WOW program which is a flyin program for lower income and/or minority groups. Its a program that has basically the same acceptance rate as Williams (around 15%) and 80-90% of people that get in the program get into the school itself (if they apply obviously). I was in the program and am applying ED and I’m sure many others are, so that could be another percentage of people that get in ED.
One more data point - D was accepted ED last year with no hooks. I agree the ED male/female ratio was notable. It had the effect of shifting the overall gender ratio to slightly more men (53%/47%). I’m not sure why this was a goal, but some say that a gender ratio of more men than women results in a healthier campus dating environment.
http://time.com/money/4072951/college-gender-ratios-dating-hook-up-culture/