The idea of early decision really scares me but I feel like I won’t be accepting to Emory if I don’t do it, any opinions and feedback would be great.
GPA: 3.71
SAT: 1350
742 service hours at vet hospital
Upenn summer program
President of 2 clubs at school
Received service recognition award at school
Top 10% of my class
Zoo volunteer 342 hours
You “may” have a seriously hard time getting in. However, what does your chances of getting in have to do with applying ED1 which would be your best chance? You only have to withdraw other apps if you gain admission. If you are debating whether or not you want to even attend Emory as a first choice, then do not apply ED. It is that simple. There is no need to “settle” for Emory as some ED choice because you think it is a more accessible top tier school. Make sure the ED choices are places you really want to go to whether you have a shot or not. Also, factor in whether or not you need financial aid.
ED1 would probably help you get in, the admission rate for it is usually at least about 9% higher than RD (that’s not a guarantee, though). Don’t apply ED unless it’s your dream school/absolute #1 choice, though. If you’re hesitating or even slightly prefer another school, don’t do it. It really is binding and if you try to go back on that, you can get rescinded from all of your other universities, too.
A couple of comments:
– In general I only recommend applying ED if both of these are true 1) it is your absolute top choice school and 2) it appears affordable based on the net price calculator and your family has no need to compare financial offers from different schools.
– Your SAT is below the 25th percentile for Emory which will makes the school a real reach. You may want to consider re-taking the standardized test before applying if you feel you can improve your score. https://apply.emory.edu/discover/fastfacts.php
I don’t necessarily agree that an ED1 school necessarily needs to be a clear cut top choice. If there are three schools you like equally and the net price calculator works for them, it would be a shame NOT to ED1 at one of them. The bump is significant at many schools and you may want to choose one.
I am not a fan of anyone chancing candidates with the exception of formulaic state universities. However, I do think the advice above is excellent about taking another opportunity to increase your SAT superscore. When you are close to the 25th percentile, you owe it to yourself to attempt to increase your chances.