<p>My daughter feels that Tufts is her number one choice but is a little scared of applying early decision. She just submitted her early action applications to a few schools and will most likely apply regular decision to Tufts in December. The question is - should she consider early decision 2 instead? How would early decision 2 differ from regular decision? What are the advantages/disadvantages to doing the second round ED? Is the process any different between the three types of applications (ED1, E2 and RD)? Any advice?</p>
<p>The BIG difference between regular decision and ED II is that an ED II application involves a commitment by her to attend if accepted. Perhaps she should see how she fares with her early action apps, how she feels about attending any of those schools to which she’s been accepted, and then reassess, before the ED II deadline, whether Tufts truly is the one.</p>
<p>Hey, I want to apply to Tufts with 2020 SAT and 83 GPA. I want to make an eary decision 2 but I guess if i take the january sat i may do better. To send my jan SAT i need apply to regular decision.
But I keep on hearing that ED2 increases your chance of getting admitted?
what should do I??? ED2 OR RD??</p>
<p>I have heard that applying early really doesn’t increase your chances and that by applying early your putting yourself in a more competitive pool since high ranking students tend to apply early. The only reason the percentages of admitted students are higher is because of the number of students that applied were smaller not because they were more lenient. They would treat your application the same regardless of which decision you chose. Also if you think you’ll do better on the SAT if you take it again then you definitely should do RD.</p>
<p>The example of Harvard’s SCEA acceptance rates don’t apply to Tufts ED, in my opinion. For whatever reasons, Tufts doesn’t release ED acceptance rates, while Dan stresses that students admitted ED are being evaluated as if they were RD applicants. We have no proof one way or another that applying ED is a bump. So koretm, I’d say that getting higher test scores is going to be much more important than looking at EDII providing some possible-but-maybe-illusory bump.</p>
<p>This is the first year that Harvard has had SCEA since doing away with ED, so it’s still anyone’s guess how applying SCEA versus RD will shake out for unhooked applicants. Certainly a good chunk of the SCEA admits are recruited athletes. Unless you’re being scouted, it would be a mistake to look at SCEA acceptance rates and think that it’s going to be easier to get accepted if you apply early.</p>
<p>This is a thoughtful and well made point not just about Harvard (disclosure: I know nothing about what’s going on there), but about many schools. ED often comes with a larger than normal group of applicants who match important institutional priorities - athletics being a good example of an institutional priority - and these are students who would be admitted regular or in early. I will not deny that there are schools where it is easier, sometimes much easier, to be admitted early than regular. However, looking at the admit rate alone doesn’t tell that story.</p>