<p>Hi, I'm a prospective undergrad student and I'm thinking about whether or not to apply early decision. My future area of study will most likely be computer engineering, and the two schools I'm debating is Columbia engineering vs Penn Engineering ED.</p>
<p>Either that or I could choose not to go for ED and have more options in the regular round, which involves Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, etc. some of the engineering schools which I believe I could manage to get in to? I'm saying this since their regular D acceptance rates are about as high as columbia/penn ED rates.</p>
<p>For some brief information about myself I have an SAT score of 2270, a gpa of 4.09/4.3, haven't taken SAT subjects yet, and an AP exam record of 9 5s and 1 4. I'm happy to give further details if needed but generally I'm just debating between whether or not to ED and whether or not going to Columbia/Penn engineering would be better than schools like Cal, CMU, or harvey mudd. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a prospective undergrad student and I’m thinking about whether or not to apply early decision. My future area of study will most likely be computer engineering, and the two schools I’m debating is Columbia engineering vs Penn Engineering ED.</p>
<p>Either that or I could choose not to go for ED and have more options in the regular round, which involves Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, etc. some of the engineering schools which I believe I could manage to get in to? I’m saying this since their regular D acceptance rates are about as high as columbia/penn ED rates.</p>
<p>For some brief information about myself I have an SAT score of 2270, a gpa of 4.09/4.3, haven’t taken SAT subjects yet, and an AP exam record of 9 5s and 1 4. I’ve taken the most rigorous courses in school although I do have quite a few B/B+s on my transcript. I’m happy to give further details if needed but generally I’m just debating between whether or not to ED and whether or not going to Columbia/Penn engineering would be better than schools like Cal, CMU, or harvey mudd. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>In terms of the quality and breadth of their computer engineering program all of the colleges on your list are very strong. Columbia and Penn (in that order) are the most selective overall but they are not as well known by employers for their computer science as Cal and CMU. Does that matter? My personal experience is that for computer science it doesn’t. You would do very well with a degree (and a decent graduation GPA) from any of these colleges. The very best employers recruit heavily at these 4 colleges. Harvey Mudd, because of its size, is a special case. But it is also very strong.</p>
<p>Are there other tangible considerations that matter a great deal to you – such as a possible minor, planned post graduation work, location, campus vibe? If these other considerations lead you to prefer Penn or Columbia then ED makes good sense.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your opinion. Basically I’m worried that I may get rejected by a lot of the top tier schools in the regular decision round and would like to take advantage of the increased chances in early decision. So basically my best bet would be to apply ED to Columbia and then go from there right? Also, if possible, what would roughly be my chances at Columbia ED, Berkeley, or maybe CMU?</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is where you want to be if you want to do computer engineering.
Harvey Mudd is also without a doubt amazing.
so choice one and two should be Carnegie and mudd.</p>
<p>Any of those schools will give you an exceptional education and many opportunities in CS so go with your personal preferences on other factors. Don’t apply ED if you’ll want to be comparing financial offers.</p>
<p>Unless you are certain that you love one school above all others, I suggest that you don’t apply ED. You don’t want to get in to a school early and then have regrets. Maybe find one or two schools that strong in engineering and have EA or rolling (perhaps a UMichigan or something) and apply to those so you are sure you are into a college by December.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for their answers. My main choice is between Columbia and Berkeley right now. If I had a choice between these two schools, where should I go for computer engineering? I know Berkeley ranks higher of course, but my family is a lot for the name of the school and Columbia has that factor.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I’m worried that with my currently stats I might not be able to get into some of the schools listed. EDing Columbia will guarantee me a spot at a respected college with a fairly well rounded engineering program, and applying ED makes my chances a lot better. However, if I had a good chance of getting into Berkeley, CMU or Harvey Mudd, I might consider holding out until the regular decision round and compare the different colleges I’m accepted to. This is a really hard decision for me, and all comments are appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Here’s my take on ED applications. Unless you really want to go to the school you are thinking of applying ED to, be patient and go RD for all of them. For one thing in your case, you still haven’t taken your SAT II’s, so it might be a little tight.</p>
<p>But beyond that, you don’t seem to have a distinct preference for one specific college in the sense that if you got in, you would never ever wonder about the others. This is perfectly ok obviously. But from my experience with my kids and others around me, deciding to go ED because you think you have a higher chance of admission doesn’t seem to work. Either the student gets in and wonders “what if?”, or doesn’t get in (deferred or rejected) and has to fill out several applications with a sentiment of discouragement.</p>
<p>ED works best when you know you will not have any regrets whatsoever about not trying other colleges, or regrets about not having a chance to experience the joy of getting into several colleges and having choices. If you’re ready for that, why not. Otherwise, believe me, admissions people know a good fit when they see one. ED or RD.</p>
<p>By the way, you have a great SAT score and GPA, congratulations!</p>
<p>Why are you asking a bunch of strangers? And forget what your family thinks. They’re all great schools. And don’t put too fine a point on getting in anywhere and what advantage ED or not ED will give you, because no one really knows how to gauge that except in a very broad sense.</p>
<p>Which one do you really, really want to go to? THAT is the school you should apply ED to.</p>