<p>I know applying ED to specific schools not top Ivy's gives you a better chance at admission then RD because a prospect of Harvard would not apply ED to Duke but he/she would apply RD for safety. </p>
<p>Chances for ED at Duke, Cornell, Boston College, Tufts, Northwestern, Georgetown</p>
<p>Florida HS Junior
Female
UW GPA: 3.7
SAT Scores (1st time, plan to take in May)- CR:650 M: 670 W:590
Went to boarding school 9th grade year; the Berkshire School
I'm taking 2 APs, a college level math course and the rest honors
Senior Year- 3 APs and 4 Honors
Debate-(11, 12) VP. 2 first place wins in Extemp. speaking. merit dist. in debate
Newspaper- (11,12) Staff Writer--going to do newspaper in college
NHS- 11,12
National History Honor Society (10,11,12)- Founding Member
Flag Football (10,11,12)-- Varsity Captain-QB, honorable mention all county
XC- (9,10,11,12)- Run 3.1 in 21:01 Ran the Miami Beach Half(13.1 miles) in 2:29:02
JV/V Basketball (9,10,11)- JV Capt. in 10th, most spirited, Varsity lettered
Volleyball- (11)
Tutor elementary school kids on saturdays at the local library</p>
<p>I'm a normal kid. I don't have a "super" focus in one spec. area but I like to be involved. </p>
<p>ED can give an admissions boost, but how much (if at all) varies from school to school. Here’s your checklist for thinking about ED, in this specific order:</p>
<p>1) Have I had a serious talk with my parents about paying for college? Have I and my family run a FAFSA estimator to see what my family’s expected contribution will be each year for college, and run a private college estimator like Princeton’s to see what a generous private school will expect us to pay? </p>
<p>If your parents have said that they can pay for any college you want, even if it costs $60k a year, and they tell you that they have savings and/or current income to cover that, then great. If they tell you that they will somehow “manage” to pay for any school, don’t believe them. Set a budget. Know how much your family can afford a year. If you apply ED and are admitted, the school will make a financial aid offer. You’ll have to decide if you can accept it without being able to compare that offer with others from other schools. Are you prepared for that choice? If you say “no”, then you cannot reapply to the ED school during RD round. </p>
<p>2) Do I love this school above all others? Have I researched it, visited it, and found out all I can about it, so that I know that yes, this is where I want to go? Am I convinced that I won’t have any regrets about choosing this school, rather than waiting to apply RD and seeing what other acceptances I have?</p>
<p>Now you can start thinking about if ED boosts your chances, or not. Start by asking your school’s college counselor if someone with your stats would have a shot at The School You Love and if applying ED would help. In general, your test scores do look low for the schools you’ve mentioned; ED alone will not make up for that. Best of luck on the test in May!</p>
<p>Only merit distinction? I got honors dist my freshman year. If you continue to work harder the beginning of senior year and at least get an honors dist, that would benefit your app by +5%. But don’t focus on debate too much if you want to apply early. </p>
<p>“I like to be involved” sounds more of a Stanford alum. If you like, apply to Stanford REA or RD, and write about how you liked to explore passions. It gives you a great boost to well-rounded colleges like Stanford, Columbia, UNC CH, Duke, etc.</p>
<p>Try to boost those SATs with good preparation and retakes. Target schools where your scores are at the 75th percentile of admittees for some comfort.</p>
Set a budget. Know how much your family can afford a year. If you apply ED and are admitted, the school will make a financial aid offer. You’ll have to decide if you can accept it without being able to compare that offer with others from other schools. Are you prepared for that choice? If you say “no”, then you cannot reapply to the ED school during RD round. </p>