Early or Regular?

Applying to College Early Decision / Early Action
1

Hey there!

I’m applying to 21 schools, some ivies, and other reach schools. (It’s a balanced list, don’t worry :))

I’m first-gen and trying to figure if I should apply early action to schools?
My extracurriculars are great, strong test score, have had 4.0 for the last 2 years, the only apprehension I have is my freshman year grades. I got 2 C+s and a B, so even with the already 8 APs I’ve taken I’m in the top 12% class rank. I’m taking 6 APs and going to get all A’s. I’m unsure if I should wait until my GPA (u/w 3.89) and class rank are stronger or use the advantage the comes with being early action? Should I apply regular for ivies but keep early for targets and safeties?
Thanks

2

It depends on the schools. Some like the UCs apparently don’t look at 9th grade grades.

3

Yale, U-chicago, Georgetown.

4

If you apply SCEA to Yale, you cannot apply EA to UChicago or Georgetown.

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5

What are your AP scores?

Georgetown requires test scores if you have taken any…what are yours?

What are your affordable safety schools?

6

You have two very good years already under your belt. IMHO, applying EA is not going to turn a potential RD acceptance into a denial. If a school feels like they need to see your senior fall grades, they’ll defer you to RD and you’ll be no worse off than if you waited.

In addition to the UC’s, Emory also doesn’t consider grades from 9th grade. (But neither UC’s nor Emory have EA anyway. Emory has ED but not EA.)

But anyway, as already pointed out, many Ivy-level early application programs are either ED (like Brown, Cornell, Penn) or restricted early action (like Yale, Stanford, Harvard) so you can’t shotgun the early cycle at these schools regardless.

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