<p>As of right now, Bowdoin is my top choice school and I plan on applying ED1. As the early decision stats show, a greater percentage of people are accepted in the early round than are accepted regular, so applying early seemed like a great idea. However, I recently read an article from Dean of Admissions that said that applying early decision to Bowdoin did not give an applicant an advantage at Bowdoin. This, in addition to the large number of varsity athletes, many of whom are presumably recruited, makes me wonder whether applying early is really helpful to me, and if the percentage of students accepted early is misleadingly high. This topic has probably been addressed countless times, but I can’t find a thread which discusses this issue with particular reference to Bowdoin. So basically my question is, if Bowdoin is my top choice and my grades/scores/other things make me a reasonable candidate to Bowdoin, should I apply early?</p>
<p>If it’s your top choice, sure, why not? You could be admitted, then you’re done. You could be deferred, and then you’ll have time to submit applications to other schools. You could be denied, and then you can move on. </p>
<p>My S applied ED1. It was his top choice. He was admitted. He sort of felt like most of the other ED1 admits were athletes - he’s not. He was thrilled to be done with the application process in December.</p>
<p>While it may or may not give you an advantage, it doesn’t put you at a disadvantage.</p>