<p>I have recently discovered the idea of applying Early Decision, but I have some concerns that you may be able to help me with. I originally did not consider Cornell an option due to it being so selective, however I recently discovered Early Decision. I am not quite certain what the chances of me being accepted are; I will post some of my information as a response so that you can use this information in any advice you may offer.</p>
<p>My dilemma basically is as follows: I believe (based on personal bias and naivety) that I may stand a good chance at being accepted to Cornell ONLY if I apply Early Decision. This is what really gets me. Cornell is not my top choice, in fact if I were accepted into Berkeley or Georgia Tech I would rather go to these institutions. But in the back of my mind I have the feeling that I have a high probability of not getting accepted into Berkeley or Georgia Tech, and I feel like I would highly regret not doing Early Decision for Cornell. What advice can you or do you typically give to students in my predicament? What would you do if you were in my situation?</p>
<p>Senior Year:
I.B. History of The Americas HL
I.B. Chemistry HL
I.B. English SL
I.B. German SL
I.B. Math SL
I.B. Psychology
Physics I (AP)
Zero Hour Broadcast Journalism
Zero Hour Theory of Knowledge
Personal Finance (Summer)</p>
<p>*I am an IB Diploma Candidate</p>
<p>Standardized Test Scores:
PSAT: 194 Index
ACT COMPOSITE - 32
English - 34
Math - 32
Reading - 28
Science - 32</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
5 years Broadcast Journalism
2 Years Mentor for Freshmen and Sophomores
2 years Math Club
2 years Scholar Bowl (Public Relations Manager)
2 years Member of the Youth Advisory Council for a Foundation
2 years German Club
2 years German National Honor Society (Secretary)
2 years National Honor Society (Public Relations Manager)
1 year Student Senate
1 year National Art Honor Society
3 Weeks EF Educational Tour in Germany</p>
<p>Awards/Honors:
Best Website (National Broadcast Competition) ($5000 Award)
Public Relations Manager of National Honor Society for my school’s chapter
National German Honor Society
National Broadcasting Honor Society
Department Award for English (11th Grade) [One Student Per Grade Level]
Department Award for Mathematics (11th Grade) [One Student Per Grade Level]
Student of the Month - January of sophomore year
Principal’s Honor Roll (3.5 GPA for a Semester) [x6]
Letter in Academics (4.0 GPA for a semester per year) [x3]
Letter in Broadcast Journalism
Letter in German Club
Top Living Skills Student (Middle School)
Top Broadcast Student (Middle School)</p>
<p>Many Broadcast Journalism awards:
Best Photographer (10th & 11th)
Best Human Interest Feature Story (10th & 11th)
Best Technical Guru (10th)
Best News Story (10th)
Best Overall Package (10th)
Go-Getter (10th)
And More…</p>
<p>~Broadcast Journalism Leadership~
Web Director - Sophomore, Junior & Senior
Line Editor - Junior
Filmed Graduation and Male Pagent Show (earning money)</p>
<p>Community Service
100 Hrs of community service at a VA Hospital
40 Hours of Student Mentoring
10 Hours of Community Service at Elementary Day Care
Four Volunteer Projects for NHS
150 Creativity, Action, and Service hours for IB Diploma</p>
<p>Why do you think you will not get into Georgia Tech and Berkeley? You are a competitive applicant for sure–nothing is set in stone with these top-notch schools, but you should not (in my opinion) go ED for a school you don’t absolutely love when you have other viable alternatives. I say apply early to GT and any others you like with Early Action and go RD to Cornell. ED vs. RD at Cornell may seem like a huge difference, but really the biggest benefit is getting the decision sooner. What happens happens with the Ivy admissions ultimately. Good luck! :D</p>
<p>I think it is mostly a lack of confidence. I was always under the impression that I would never be able to get into a school like Berkeley or Georgia Tech and knowing that I could get into Cornell with an easier route seems very tempting! I do agree however with the advice that you gave, and will definitely keep it in mind, thank you!</p>
<p>What is your financial situation? if you need to compare financial aid offers, you can’t do it if you apply ED. You need to pretty much take what they give you, and you would have no way of knowing if you would get a better deal someplace else. </p>
<p>What does the net price calculator show you at each of these schools? You can find them on the financial aid page of the website of each college.</p>
<p>I would also say… if you can get into Cornell ED, you can likely get into Georgia Tech. Harder to say about Berkeley.</p>
<p>Early Decision is legally binding. You won’t be able to apply to any other schools if you get into Cornell, and you will be legally required to go to Cornell next year. I would never apply anywhere that isn’t your first choice ED. If you wouldn’t be happy being forced to go to Cornell, don’t apply ED. ED does increase your chances of admission, but no one is going to get in who had no chance regular decision. Additionally, make sure your family can afford that sort of commitment to Cornell before applying. Your chances of acceptance at all of those colleges is viable regardless of when you apply; you don’t need ED to boost your chances. If you apply to a school ED, it needs to 1) be your absolute first choice, to the point that you wouldn’t even want to know if you got accepted to other schools and 2) be absolutely affordable for your family. I think applying ED to a school solely to improve your chances is a huge mistake.</p>