ED at Northwestern, Duke or Rice?

@thumper1 - I totally agree that college is a great time to get away and learn about a new part of the country and a more diverse population than NE. I think S would be okay without winter for four years, especially since he’d come home for the holidays and get to experience it it with us!

@momofsenior1 - as an avid COVID news follower, I am definitely aware of NU not-so-great response this fall, especially when compared to his other two schools. So tough for the freshman to have to pivot so late and so last minute. But glad you don’t think the weather is too cold!

@monydad - Tufts, Emory and Penn are all on his list for RD! And maybe he’ll add a couple of CA schools too!

@dogmomof2

Does your son have any sure things for admission on his college application list? The schools you have mentioned are competitive for admissions. If you don’t think he has a chance if admission to Duke or NU RD, why would you think Penn, Emory, or Tufts would be easier admission? And which schools in CA? If UCLA or Cal, those are not easy admits either.

What’s his sure thing in terms of admission?

An article from USA Today dated September 17, 2014 listed Evanston, Illinois (home of Northwestern University) as the 5th Best City To Live In. Might be of interest to you & your son.

@thumper1 - yes he has other more likely schools on his list. UVM, UMass, Wisconsin, Northeastern, etc.
I am very aware that all of the schools I mentioned are reach schools!

@Publisher - good to know about Evanston!

Has your son given a lot of consideration to whether NU’s quarter system would be a good fit for him? @Publisher ’s pro/con re this is IMO spot on.

@melvin123 - My S has given some consideration to NU’s quarter system and his gut reaction is that he’s excited by the opportunity to take so many classes as he has many interests. But perhaps can’t really understand the intensity that four college courses entail.

@dogmomof2 , the quarter system can be perfect for some kids, and is really so different from a semester system. If he learns more about the intensity and thinks that the benefits of the quarter system outweigh the drawbacks for him, I think he may have solved the “where should I ED” question and should apply to NU. I’m not too sure how many classes a year kids take at Rice, but at Duke they only take 8/year. That’s a big difference if you don’t know what you want to do and want to sample a bunch of classes. FWIW, my D decided not to apply to NU because the quarter system wasn’t for her.

One of my kids went to college where the quarter system was used…and so did I back in the Stone Age.

  1. It’s a nice advantage because you can take more courses in a year, but you need to understand they are shorter in duration, so lots packed in.
  2. If you hate a course, it’s only about 10 weeks long. I found I could do anything for 10 weeks.
  3. Some courses really are tough on quarters. My kid found courses like statistics were tough and she loved math. But if you miss one assignment or one class, it’s very easy to get behind in a ten week course.

I think quarters are very manageable but you have to keep on top of the work and assignments.

Last-year, Duke outright stated on its Admissions website that it gives preference to ED applicants over RD (I think NU said the same, but check to be sure,) unlike the Ivies which say something along the lines of they don’t really care when that’s not completely true.

Rice is a DIII school (for all but a few sports IIRC,) so there may be an advantage applying ED, especially given its small size. Rice has an extremely strong financial aid program and is somewhat unusual in that it offers ~20% of its class merit scholarships (I had a friend receive ~quarter tuition in merit ED.) Again, the residential college system is amazing and is extremely similar to Harvard/Yale/Princeton’s model.

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FWIW, 3 years ago when we were going through this, our GC said that applying ED was a boost at Rice and Duke. We didn’t ask about NU. Also, I was surprised at what @PikachuRocks15 said about merit @Rice because my D’s HS classmate with a 36 ACT and 3.9 UW didn’t get any money. But, he’s still really glad he went there and he raves about the residential college system and the collaborative nature of the school.

Rice is known to be generous with merit money, but things can change. Best to check Rice’s website under scholarships / merit aid.

Under Rice’s new Rice Plan, most scholarships are awarded to those who qualify for financial aid. Most–not all.

@melvin123 It’s still extremely competitive as we’re talking about ~1-2% of the entire applicant pool, but if you’re on the higher-end of the pool, you have a shot. Don’t apply ED relying on merit scholarship money though, only FA is non-competitive (though NPCs are ESTIMATES, not guarantees.)

Applying ED is a boost to some degree over RD at almost any school.

@PikachuRocks15 , why does Rice being d3 make a difference to ED? At most d3 schools, recruited athletes only get coach support by applying ED and because they tend to be smaller schools, the ED round is, if anything, more dominated by athletes.

Agree that the academic calendar could be a real differentiator here. It allows more courses. It does mean one extra set of midterms and exams so can make the place feel more intense. Having done one degree under the semester system and another with quarters, I greatly preferred the latter. As @thumper1 notes, anything is doable for 10 weeks. And realistically, the syllabi under both plans match the amount of time available. It’s not as if a student at a quarter school does the equivalent of 6 years of college. But it definitely creates a different rhythm. Sounds like he is leaning towards NU…

@thumper1 - your points all make a lot of sense. I do think my S is one who could keep on top of things and he is excited about being able to take a larger number of classes.

@PikachuRocks15 and @melvin123 @jym626 - I think ED is a boost at pretty much any school and especially this year with more uncertainly.

@gardenstategal - I agree that most athletes come in under the ED plan regardless of the division (as is the case with NESCAC schools where many of the kids play from our region).

I don’t think the calendar system will be the deciding factor for S but rather the more general college experience. NU feels the least cohesive/community-oriented of the schools with so many students living off campus, Greek life, many different schools, North vs South campus, etc. I don’t deny the great school spirit, however. Duke feels like it’s in the middle - has Greek life but most students live on campus, social life is campus based, etc. And Rice feels the most cohesive and S would probably have the opportunity to meet the broadest group of people. Thoughts?

North vs south campus at NU is like a 10 walk with no real division between the two.

It’s not divided like Michigan’s campus which is a bus ride.

@dogmomof2 - You are correct that this year especially, during COVID uncertainty, applying ED will offer a boost as schools work to address their budgetary concerns and plans.

And this is a quite helpful table about the ED advantage at some schools (Duke and NU made the list) https://www.collegekickstart.com/blog/item/early-decision-schools-that-double-admission-odds?utm_source=newsletter_695&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=college-kickstart-insights-october-2020

I think with bases covered and a lot of good schools on list, this post is the usual “how to best strategize ED”. There are always the down side risks when using ED that way when a kid harbors a true preference but is afraid to lose advantage in less selective schools if the ED shot misses. Or wants to get into the most selective school.

All of those selective schools look good to me. Kid really can’t lose except in regrets, IMO.

I tried to edit the post but missed the time limit. The link with the table of ED admissions is from College Kickstart (by George Fan) (and apologies- didn’t realize the table within his newsletter was considered part of his blog- just pulled up the newsletter, which has a lot of helpful info).

@momofsenior1 - yes - I understand that the campus is fully walkable. Just cold in the winter to make the walk!

@jym626 - thanks!

@cptofthehouse - I am fully aware of the fortunate position my son is in and also that it’s very possible that he may not be accepted to the school he chooses for ED. While strategy is certainly a piece of the decision making process, I’ve most appreciated everyone’s comments giving me a little more of the “flavor” of the colleges. Visiting during COVID and seeing so few students combined with the fact that we only know one or two students who’ve ever gone to these schools makes discerning the differences more difficult. Thank you to everyone who’s weighed in on their/their child’s experiences. I am most appreciative.