ED 2 v. Reg? also: wes, tufts, NU, barnard...

<p>i was rejected ED to penn... and i'm trying to figure out what to do next. i love wesleyan and tufts, and both have ED2.. should i just choose one and go for it? will it make that much of a difference?</p>

<p>other schools i really like: barnard, northwestern (medill)
safeties: brandeis, bu, maryland</p>

<p>1460 SAT, 780 V, 680 M
SAT II: writing- 800, bio-700, world hist-680
weighted gpa-93
one of top public schools in country in CT
AP exam grades: World- 5, U.S.- 4
Currently taking: AP Euro, AP Gov & Politics, AP Studio Art, AP English, Honors Advanced Functions (mix of calculus and pre-calc), Journalism III
weighted gpa this year: 96.4</p>

<p>ECs-- my ECs and recs are my hook-- i do much more than all of this but i have 1000s of hours of ECs, whcih is why my gpa is so low (i have so much involvement, but i love it). my essays are great.</p>

<p>-Editor in chief of school paper, was Features editor last year, went to prestigious summer journalism program at northwestern (give me an edge at medill)
-ART ECs, also ran and produced art gallery show to benefit children with special needs, attended selective art program at Wesleyan University
-staff of literary magazine
-piano, play at festivals at most advanced level
-varsity swim team- 4 years
-mock trial- defense lawyer, lead witness
-founded french club, biking club
-national charity league- involvement in many local organizations
-internship at local tv station and am co-producing a program with them</p>

<p>bump bump bump</p>

<p>I'm a student at Tufts, but from the looks of everything, you can't go wrong with either institution. Just find whichever one you love more, and sign your bank account over, and I'm pretty sure you'll get an acceptance letter from both :)</p>

<p>Wow, rejected, thats rough. Why are so many people i see getting rejected ED? I thought most of the time you were just deferred. Oh well, i think you have a good shot at all your other schools.</p>

<p>haha, thank you SO much for all your help! im just trying to figure out my game plan here haha.</p>

<p>what if im unable to decided by the deadline, and i just apply to wes, tufts, barnard, nu (medill) regular? how are my chances then? and how are my chances at wes and tufts regular compared to if i applied ED 2?</p>

<p>Well Tufts factors in heavily on how much you demonstrate interest, so they really like it if you write about how much you'd like to go. Wesleyan, I am unfamiliar with their exact admissions procedures, but they're roughly similar in terms of selectivity. From what I've heard, Wesleyan has excellent academics (with a rather...interesting student body) but unfortunately is in the middle of nowhere. Tufts is close to Boston, which is nice, especially when I need to get away from the intense atmosphere of constant studying. Harvard Square is in a walkable range (20-30 minutes) or you can take the T. Both schools party hard on the weekends though, although I'm sure both campuses have plenty of things to do that don't relate to alcohol.</p>

<p>thanks snuffles! can you tell me a little bit about how the social sciences are at Tufts? Or history, poli sci? Is there any particular major that could combine philosophy, politics, and economics in any way?</p>

<p>I'm really interested in Wesleyan's College of Social Sciences. Is there anything comparable at Tufts, do you know? or anyone?</p>

<p>Also, can you tell me more about this "demonstrated interest" thing? does it help RD or only ED?</p>

<p>The social sciences are strong here, especially when it comes to professor student interaction. The professors really take the effort to get to know you and they are also very concerned with your academic progress! I'm more of a science type person, so I'm not terribly familiar with the social science majors, but from what I hear from my friends who are doubling up in political science with IR say it's a lot of work. IR is a fairly encompassing major that sums up politics, economics, foreign policy, and history into one program. Tufts has the #1 program in the country for both graduate and undergrad, which might be interesting to look into if you want to consider that a possible area of study. The major itself is quite versatile, going anywhere from law to diplomacy in the UN etc.
Tufts also has one of the best acapella groups in the nation - the Beezlebubs, which sells out/is packed at relatively every concert. The food is delicious (granted all food becomes a bit tiresome after eating it straight for a year and a half), but it's supposedly second only to Cornell, but Princeton Review doesn't recognize this for whatever reason. Rankings aside, it's much better than what you'll get elsewhere in the nation.
The dorms are rather dingy though. They're quite old, and although they look fine from the outside, the facilities need fixing. People do weird things at interesting hours, from indoor sports, to shaving cream bombs that explode when you open your door (don't ask). Overall, I am very satisfied with the education that I have received while at Tufts. I have not had one professor that I have disliked, but I'm probably just lucky. </p>

<p>Demonstrated interest is basically where you write in your application what you like about Tufts and why you think you can add as a part of the community. Tufts accepts oh...~38% (not sure) of the early decision candidates, which is nearly double the normal rates. However, the pool is stronger, and it limits financial considerations if accepted. I applied early myself, and I had no regrets in doing so. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. However, you should think carefully about applying early, especially if you like Wesleyan as much as you say. Give it some more thought, because it's important to think hard about where you'd like to spend the next four years of your life. Picking the wrong school, or wishing that you had gone somewere else is what makes early decision the double edged sword. If you want more information about Tufts, you can post on the CC Tufts board, where you probably can get some more advice than just my opinion, or you can cycle through my post history.</p>

<p>wow, thank you so much snuffles. you've been a real help.</p>

<p>how are my chances at barnard, northwestern (medill journalism- i went to a summer program there)?</p>

<p>I believe you should be an extremely strong candidate for Barnard and Northwestern, although I hear that the Medill School of Journalism is incredibly difficult to get into. Theres no reason not to apply and take a chance though. :)</p>

<p>whew thank you. so do you think i would need the edge by applying to one ED2? or should i let the chips fall during regular? i just dont know if ill be able to pick within like 5 days</p>

<p>I don't think NW has ED2. Barnard might though, but I wouldn't commit myself unless I was 100% sure that I wanted to attend that school.</p>