ED chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Oberlin College
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<p>From my main thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1229805-lac-early-decision.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1229805-lac-early-decision.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Scores
GPA: 3.5 UW, 4.06 W
ACT: 33
SAT II: Lit (750), US history (720), Spanish (680)
AP: English Language (5), US History (5), Spanish Language (3)</p>

<p>Recognition
School high honor roll
NCTE nominee
National Merit Commended</p>

<p>EC/Sports/Work
EC: I haven't done a particular activity for four years, so my ECs are spotty. I've done NHS, a volunteer club, class board, student congress, more volunteering, small leadership roles (very small), and one larger leadership role. Currently involved in school literary magazine and radio.
Sports: JV swimming, cheerleading (each for one year)
Work: Summer job</p>

<p>Senior courses
AP Calc AB
Spanish 5 Accelerated
AP Gov
AP Macro
AP Psych
3 English electives (radio, film, creative writing)
AP Themes</p>

<p>Misc.
I'm a strong writer, so I hope that helps. I've had a few outside things with writing. Not particularly notable for the college app.</p>

2

<p>In. No doubt in my mind, myself being a white male 3.5 uw gpa 32 act.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your response! i know it was solely based on numbers, so would you say you had a similar background in terms of ECs and other activities?</p>

4

<p>@Cakewalk - I’m going to pull a dave72 and post Elizabeth Houston’s [“What</a> are my chances?”](<a href=“http://blogs.oberlin.edu/applying/selection_process/what_are_my_cha.shtml]"What”>http://blogs.oberlin.edu/applying/selection_process/what_are_my_cha.shtml) blog post here for you.</p>

5

<p>Hey guys, since we were on the topic of ED, I had some questions. I took the October ACT and the November SAT. I plan to apply for the first Oberlin ED, however, this means the scores will get to the admissions office in the middle of their assessment of my application. Is it wiser to wait for ED II?</p>

6

<p>That’s a good question, Matiasberretta.</p>

<p>I think there are two concerns that you’ll want to balance. First, of course, would be the concern that your Nov. 5 SAT score report would be received after your application was read and too late to change the disposition (or that the scores are delivered only after a first impression was formed by the first reader). A second concern – unrelated to test scores – is whether your application will be ready and polished by November 15. If you’re in a rush to get the application complete…or if you’re hoping other awards, grades, honors, etc. will materialize after the deadline, then those factors would point toward a later application process (EDII or Regular). You want to put your best foot forward, so you may profit from letting your essays sit and stew a little longer and apply later when you know the Nov. 5 SAT results and have additional information to share. You’re the person who’s best positioned to balance these two concerns.</p>

<p>In terms of getting informed on the first concern, I didn’t see any guidance from the Admission Office on the latest test dates that applicants (whether EDI, EDII, or Regular Decision) can take and be confident that the results from that test date would receive full consideration. I just made a quick search. If you can’t find this information after a more thorough search, then I would ask the International Admission coordinator, Joel Presti, whether the Nov. 5 scores will receive full consideration in time for the December 15 decision. That would, of course, be the best possible information.</p>

<p>The College Board web site says that the score for the November 5 test date will be provided via Internet on November 22 – five business days after the ED deadline. That sounds like you’re safe, but there are only 20 business days from the deadline date until the date they have committed to giving you an EDI decision. Additionally, November 22 is the Tuesday before a long U.S. holiday weekend (generally a short day on Wednesday with many businesses closed from then until Monday), so it’s possible a staff member won’t post your SAT scores to your folder until the following week. In the meantime busy admissions officers will probably work over the weekend reading applications, which could mean your application gets read before the reader has seen the latest SAT scores. Fortunately, Oberlin’s application process is entirely electronic so there’s a good chance that the Nov. 22 Internet report from the College Board will move straight into your electronic application file with no delay at all.</p>

<p>In the absence of specific guidance or assurance from the Admission Office on your timing concern, I still think I would go ahead and apply for EDI **ASSUMING<a href=“i”>/B</a> your application is ready and looks as good as it’s going to look, (ii) your recommendations are all set (with translations if needed), (iii) the school report is put together (or, if not, then you’re confident that they have experience with U.S. college applications to get it all together for you), (iv) the other international requirements are complete and ready for transmittal (see the link in the paragraph below), and (v) you don’t expect any application-worthy news between November 15 and January 2. If you decide to apply EDI, then you should make it clear in your application materials that you took the Nov. 5 SAT exam and that you wish those results to be considered with your EDI application (again…assuming you don’t have better, more pertinent information from someone in the Admission Office).</p>

<p>Regardless of when you apply, remember: “The application fee is waived for all international students.” Source: [International</a> Application Requirements - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/international-students/requirements.dot]International”>http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/international-students/requirements.dot) When you complete the Common Application payment section, it may appear that your application is incomplete because Oberlin is expecting payment…but there’s no need to send the payment. You can make the Common Application’s payment “warning” notice disappear by indicating that you have applied for a special waiver – although you don’t need to actually do so. Oberlin will recognize that you’re not required to pay the fee even if the Common Application does not.</p>

<p>I hope your Nov. 5 SAT scores are all that you expect and that the admissions office acts with exceptional wisdom when they consider your application!</p>

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<p>I would encourage you to double check this by reading the Oberlin Admission blogs but – when we attended Oberlin info session, we were told that ED at Oberlin is typically admit or deny, not a derferral to regular admission and a student who is rejected at ED cannot re-apply in the regular admission pool that year. They will defer some ED cases to regular pool, rather than deny, in order to look at more grades etc. However, their ordinary decision is admit/deny not admit/defer.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info, D’yer Maker and Midwestmomofboys, I really appreciate the support. </p>

<p>I am confident that my application will stand strong and polished in time for the deadline, so no problem there.</p>

<p>And as for the test results I’ve got my fingers crossed. I only ever took a standardized test before in May 2011 (SAT). That first time, I felt tired and didn’t have enough time to finish every section; it was so unfamiliar to me. But my most recent experiences have actually been fun; I’ve finished every section with 5 minutes to spare and check for mistakes. </p>

<p>The wonders of a goodnight sleep, good breakfast and the incentive of having a chance to enroll at Oberlin :)</p>

9

<p>Guys I need help
I have just realized I have to send the International Student Certification of Finances</p>

<p>Once I fill it in, how and where exactly do I send it?</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

10

<p>Just found out I can send it by email or fax so disregard my previous post. However, when someone says the ED acceptance rate is 68% that doesnt apply for internationals right?</p>

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<p>Remember, the pool of applicants is different in the ED rounds, so don’t look at an ED application as giving you an advantage. That’s possible, but I wouldn’t count on it. I think, more or less, your outcome will be the same regardless of when you apply. The applicants who choose Oberlin for their ED choice are confident that it’s a good fit for them, academically and otherwise. So it’s not surprising that the admission office will be more likely to also come to that conclusion for more of those applicants than an applicant pool comprised of people who are applying to more colleges and numerous people who look at Oberlin as a reach and others who may be throwing it in as an ill-fitting choice to round out their pool. The ED group is highly focused and highly-informed about the choice – knowing that they will matriculate without any doubt and that their qualifications make it worth their while to apply. The regular decision group may have some people like that, but it is loaded with applicants who have a wider range of motivations and intentions when they apply. I think the disparity you see in admission rates reflects the dynamics of the applicant pool far more than it reflects a disparity in standards by which applicants will gain an offer of admission. The admission office will ultimately offer you admission or it won’t…and I doubt that the outcomes it delivers are influenced by gamesmanship and timing over the actual merit of the applications.</p>

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<p>I see. Very useful info. Thank you.</p>