<p>So I have a couple of colleges that are reaches for me. If I visit and really like one of those colleges is it more advantageous for me to apply early decision or wait and get my grades up?</p>
<p>If you need FA or merit aid, by applying ED you will be giving up the chance to compare aid packages.</p>
<p>If you really want to go to that school, it is financial affordable, and you are at least near the admission average, go for it.</p>
<p><a href=“I”>quote</a>s it more advantageous for me to apply early decision or wait and get my grades up?
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<p>Completely depends on what your grades are now, what the 25-75% range is for the college in question, and what your test scores are.</p>
<p>For the highly competitive universities and LACs, those schools almost always have such high thresholds to be a viable candidate that anyone requiring a strong 1st semester senior year to be a viable candidate likely isn’t one. There are exceptions, yes, but without knowing specifics, that’s the general rule. And if you already are a strong candidate, any improvement you make 1st semester will be so minimal as to not make a difference. For example, say you have a 3.7 after junior year, but pull a 4.0 1st semester - that will give you a 3.74, which is generally not enough to make a difference in the decision they make.</p>
<p>In short, either you are or are not a strong candidate already - it takes a special case like really messing up the first two years of HS to have senior year make a difference and at elite schools, you’re likely already marginal. But if you apply ED and they like what they see, but need more info, they’ll just defer you.</p>