<p>My first choice looked exactly like Catherine Deneuve.</p>
<p>But I had to settle for the only school that accepted me, more like Rodney Dangerfield.</p>
<p>Neither school tends to defer early applicants. #1 Super Reach has an overall acceptance rate in the single digits. At #2 Also Reach, the overall acceptance rate is around 20%, and the ED acceptance rate is around double that figure.</p>
<p>I’d apply to #2 ED, for the same reasons stated as others.</p>
<p>^^^ somewhat ironic advice considering your screen name, don’t you think? :)</p>
<p>What about lower ranked schools? Does the ED calculation also hold there?</p>
<p>Many times kids have no true dream school where they have a chance for admissions. They just want to get into the most “prestigious”, highly ranked school in their own universes. It isn’t important to them whether that school is Colgate, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, etc. In such cases, it is certainly a good idea to pick a school where the student has a chance and maximize that chance with ED.</p>
<p>But there are also cases where a student does have a chance, is definitely in the running to get into a school that is also a dream school for him. In such cases, why should he settle? At age 17, 18, you settle for fear of not getting into the school you want, so you pick a school you don’t want as much? Makes little sense to me. If a student is in the range of getting into a highly selective school, the chances are good he will get into one RD. Maybe not the one he wants most, but he will get into a school that he will like very much and is selective, most very likely. Yes, it does happen that such kids don’t get into any of their choices but it isn’t likely that is from second guessing ED. </p>
<p>A young lady we know applied ED to Tufts. She liked the school but it was not her first choice but applied ED mainly because she got scared when so many top kids from her school and others put Tufts at the top of their lists and applied ED. She got into the line of thinking that she might miss the Tufts boat if she applied RD, and certainly was not going to get into her top choice school if she was so unsure about Tufts. Yes, I understand her line of thinking, and yes, it was possible that would happen, but what she did just eliminated any chance of getting into schools she preferred, and she then was able to watch the many other students who popped out of the woodwork and ended up getting into those very schools she had given up on as first choice. Some of those kids were not as “stellar” as she was much to her chagrin. One classmate that was deferred ED to Columbia which made the Tufts EDer feel like she did the right thing was accepted RD to Columbia, which then made realize that she too had had that chance to get accepted there as her stats and resume were comparable to her friend’s. Second guessing like that is always painful, but hurts more, in my book when you don’t give it your best. You then wonder what you can do.</p>
<p>^ Queen’s Mom,
I’m not sure what you mean by “lower ranked” but at some moderately selective schools the ED advantage becomes even more pronounced. In 2007, Bryn Mawr’s overall admit rate was 45.5%—fairly high, especially for a school of that quality. But its ED admit rate was a stunning 77%. Now they may not get that many ED applicants, but still, something to consider. I don’t think the ED admit rate is consistently that high; according to Bryn Mawr’s 2008-09 common data set, the 2008 ED admit rate fell off to 53%. But still, I think if you’re well qualified and a college truly is your first choice, ED can give you a significant leg up—as well as peace of mind relatively early in the admissions season. </p>
<p>Total and ED admit rates for some other moderately selective LACs:</p>
<p>College / 2007 total admit rate / 2007 ED admit rate</p>
<p>Grinnell / 49.9% / 77%
Smith / 51.9% / 65%
Oberlin / 31.3% / 65%
Colby / 31.8% / 42%
Bates / 29.6% / 42%
Macalester / 40.6% / 46%
Mt. Holyoke / 52.3% / 53%
Scripps 42.9% / 60%
Bucknell / 29.9% / 56%
Colorado College 31.9% / 43%
Kenyon / 29.2% / 53%
Trinity / 34.2% / 69%
Holy Cross / 33.0% / 54%</p>
<p>So I’d say the phenomenon isn’t universal, but pretty common among good, moderately selective LACs. And it makes sense in a way. These schools tend to feel a little unloved; they’re a lot of people’s second through nth choice, and most of them tend to have relatively low yields among students they accept. An ED applicant is pretty much a guaranteed enrolled student if accepted; that’s good, from the college’s perspective, so long as its someone they really want whether for special qualifications (athlete, legacy, URM) or because they fit the school’s academic profile. And they also want some students who really want to be there, as opposed to those who may be coming somewhat more grudgingly because it was the best they can do. From the colleges’ perspective, nothing says “I love you!” quite so much as that ED application.</p>
<p>I have my doubts about applying ED to any school that’s not your first choice just because of the admissions advantage, however. You might just get what you ask for.</p>
<p>I meant lower ranked than HYP which are the schools OP was asking about. Bryn Mawr is exactly on the level I was thinking. Actually, to pose my D’s dilemma: Smith or Barnard? Barnard is her “dream” school, but she loved Smith too. Smith is a real possibility, particularly if she applies ED, but Barnard is a huge reach (based on scores and grades alone) whether she does ED or RD. So assuming money is not a consideration, does she “waste” an ED on Barnard or does she use it for Smith, giving herself a leg-up?</p>
<p>I do agree about applying to ED in a second choice school ordinarily, but what if the first choice is a “hail Mary” to begin with?</p>
<p>“So assuming money is not a consideration, …”</p>
<p>Just curious, in what sense are you mentioning money being a consideration? In that she cannot compare FA packages from the two schools?</p>
<p>I am assuming she will get $0 for financial aid, and, if she gets into a reach there will obviously be no merit aid either. I believe that ED is very dangerous if money is a huge consideration because you are stuck with whatever they give you (yes, I know there are ways to break the contract…) In D’s case, I can pay full ride. That was all I meant.</p>
<p>Queen’s Mom: My D was accepted at Barnard, Mt. Holyoke, Wellesley, Brown but wait listed by Smith. (Eventually off the wait list.) You just never know.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the distance in her desires between Barnard and Smith. My D liked both, but there was no comparison whatsoever for her. She wanted to be at Barnard. If your D’s preference is not as marked, then Smith is a good option when there is a 65% early decision acceptance rate.</p>
<p>mythmom, there is a huge difference for D between Barnard and Smith. Barnard is a huge favorite for her; a clear number 1, but D thinks she can be perfectly happy at Smith too. She still has a few months to decide. Heck, when we started the college search, we were looking at tech schools and now D s focusing on Women’s Colleges. A lot can change for kids at this age.</p>
<p>“yes, I know there are ways to break the contract…”</p>
<p>If the ED FA offer is insufficient, you just say thanks but no thanks, and apply elsewhere RD. It’s that simple. From the Common App instructions:
Needy students shouldn’t avoid applying ED to their dream school because of fear the FA will be insufficient. ED must be avoided in order to compare FA offers, which can be very important to some families.</p>
<p>In Queen mom’s DD’s case I’d ED Barnard. If her DD is qualified for Smith and a full payer, she’ll get in RD. This s a year when the Smith’s will not have full paying students beating their door down.</p>
<p>QM: My D may be in the same situation as yours. She’s seen Barnard and liked it (or at least liked New York). She’s interested in Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Bryn Mawr, though we can’t go see them until October.</p>
<p>Can’t you apply early to Barnard. Then if don’t get in apply early to Smith in round 2? I don’t know, but I’d assume that with those high ED rates of admission, if you apply early and don’t get in, the chances of you’re getting in RD aren’t very good.</p>
<p>Now that’s a good point. FWIW: Barnard absolutely told us that would let any out of an ED decision for financial reasons.</p>
<p>D applied ED, was deferred, and was accepted RD. She attended, loved it, graduated, and is off to London for a Masters.</p>
<p>qialah, we just came back from Smith/Mt. Holyoke and D really liked them. She’s going to Bryn Mawr tomorrow for the open house. Bryn Mawr was her least favorite on paper. Let’s see how she likes it in person.</p>
<p>mythmom, so what you are saying is that ED was not a help to your D at Barnard at all. ;)</p>
<p>hmom5, I thought Smith was need-blind for some reason.</p>
<p>No, I think the ED really helped. It let Barnard know she would come if admitted. It also gave her a platform to “bug” them all early Spring. She did everything but camp out on their door.</p>
<p>She even contacted a professor from a department she was interested in.</p>
<p>So ED was definitely a help in admissions. I’m sure if she’d applied ED to Smith she would have been admitted. The wait list was financial issues (we did apply for FA and are not eligible for Pell grants, the needy group Smith seems to prefer – no quarrel from me – just info.) plus the fact that an “upper” admissions person interviewed her and they just didn’t it it off.</p>
<p>It wasn’t meant to be. Barnard was. I thought both schools were awesome. (I liked all the women’s colleges.)</p>
<p>Yes, I like them for D too. I would never have gone to a women’s college, but D is completely different from me and I think she would do well at any of the ones we’ve seen. Thank you for your advice. You and hmom5 have tipped the scales for Barnard.</p>
<p>I am planning to apply for FA (Smith pretty much requires it or even if circumstances change, they will not reconsider) at all schools, but I am not expecting to get any. Our income is too high and we’ve been saving.</p>
<p>you really need to read the fine print of the school and not just that of the common app. I have no idea what the common app said, but there were a number of schools on S’s list that were very clear to say that if Financial Aid was a consideration, ED was probably not a good option to consider. Plus, the thing about higher acceptance rates ED is that this is a very self-selected group. The MAJORITY are well within the school’s stats. Another reason why the acceptance percentage is higher.</p>
<p>I have to agree full-heartedly with cupofthehouse. If you’re not willing to shoot for the moon at 18 & 19, then when??? Also, along with great risk comes great reward. There’s a million of them. All pretty much saying the same thing; Go for it. There’s a reason there’s a million of them. And if could take liberty of George Eliot’s words for a moment: While it may not ever be too late to be what you might have been, my question would be, “why wait?”</p>