ED for Harvard or UPenn?

So my dream is to get accepted to an Ivy League college, and I know the best way to do that is to apply ED/EA, but I’m not sure which school to use for it. My top choice is Harvard, but I know that my chances would be best with a school like Cornell or Dartmouth. I have high SAT scores (1590) and good grades and AP scores (all 5s), but I know I still might get rejected to all of the ivies. Does it makes sense to apply early to a school with the highest acceptance rates or to one of the harder ones that would be my dream to get into? Any advice would be great, thanks guys!

IMO it only makes sense to apply ED if: 1) the school is your absolute top choice and; 2) your family has no need to compare financial offers.

Harvard does not have ED. They have REA.

You need to research the schools better. The schools in that sports conference are very different from each other. If you can’t figure out why one is better for YOU, it will be hard to write a good Why X essay.

I agree with @Eeyore123, you should research these schools and then apply ED or REA to your dream school.

Here are some differences to consider:

Penn is in an urban setting, and not in the best area of town (though it’s getting better). The campus itself is beautiful. Penn has a strong pre-professional vibe and a competitive culture. Some people thrive in this environment and others find it stressful. The housing is mixed and they don’t have a residential college system.

Yale is located in New Haven which gets mixed reviews. Some students love the eclectic feel of New Haven and others are turned off by the crime. Homeless people are not an uncommon sight on the Yale campus, though students get to know them and it’s apparently not much of a problem. Yale has a more chill, collaborative vibe and it also has the residential college system which is basically a group of smaller colleges within Yale that really help foster close friendships. The campus is stunning.

Harvard is another urban campus with a lot of traffic from tourists but it’s in a better neighborhood than either Yale or Penn. I suppose that’s subjective so you’ll need to research for yourself. Harvard also has the residential college system but not until sophomore year. Harvard is probably less cutthroat than Penn but not as chill as Yale. The name recognition is, of course, huge and it’s the granddaddy of them all.

Princeton is in an affluent town in New Jersey and the campus is gorgeous. Some people love the somewhat bucolic perfection and others say it’s too Stepford-like. There are many high-end stores and restaurants in Princeton but not a lot of nightlife. Princeton has adopted a similar residential college system to Yale and they also eliminated grade deflation (you need to know this when researching because older reviews will mention it). All of the Ivy League schools have strong financial aid but Princeton’s aid is particularly outstanding. Princeton is another school that’s not as chill as Yale but not as competitive as Penn.

I don’t know a lot about Dartmouth but I recently researched it for my own kid. It’s in a more rural setting and there’s more focus on outdoor recreation than at the previous schools mentioned. The students are known to be friendly and collaborative. Students praise the smaller class sizes and the relationships they build with professors. Greek life is popular at Dartmouth though apparently you can find your niche without it. Unlike some other schools, the Greek life at Dartmouth is known to be friendly and inclusive.

Cornell is in a very rural location and the campus is breathtaking but it’s huge. You’d do a lot of walking if you were a student at Cornell and the winters are harsh. Due to its isolated location, parties take place on campus. I’m not too familiar with the housing system or the overall vibe of the school.

Brown is known for having an exceptionally friendly and collaborative student body. The school doesn’t have distribution requirements and they offer a pass/fail option for classes. The school is part of the town of Providence, meaning you walk through the town as move through the campus. Brown is probably the most liberal school in the Ivy League. The housing accommodations used to be quite poor, relative to the other campuses. However, I believe Brown has recently started to renovate the dorms.

In addition to geographic differences and the overall differences in culture, each school is known for specific academic strengths. You’ll want to compare your interests and intended major with each school when determining where to apply early. Good luck to you!

SCEA to Harvard if that is your dream school but realize that they are only going to take those who they really want for some reason or another. IOW your scores and grades don’t make you stand out vs all the other applicants. If you have something else that does then you have a shot at an early acceptance. ED on the other hand actually gives you a leg up on the RD applicants, this is where your shot at acceptance is the highest. but its a choice you have to make after careful consideration, as you are committing to that particular school. You do really need to look at each school individually as they are quite different and not just as the ivy league.

re #4: “Due to its isolated location, parties take place on campus”

some parties take place on campus.
Most parties take place off- campus. Including all the good ones.
Most upperclassmen live off-campus. The staple of the social scene for upperclassmen is house parties thrown by small groups of students in their houses and apartments. (Which don’t have RA’s or university rules).
In addition fraternities also throw parties, and are also off campus.

Being isolated is only a problem for those who want to get someplace else.
Most people rarely find such need. Ithaca is a great college town, and the university is large. There is plenty to do right there. For most people, most of the time.

The campus is indeed large, however it is divided into “quads”, based on subject matter and college, and most of one’s classes are in one’s own quad. Which is not that large. There is still a lot of walking though, depending on what you take.
And it is cold in winter, true enough. It is also spectacularly beautiful in the fall, and plenty nice in the spring. (It’s wonderful in the summer too)

Also, I agree with what the others have said. These are all “good schools”, and they play sports in the same athletics conference. Nevertheless, the schools are different, and some may fit your interests and desires better than others.
There are also “good schools” that happen not to play sports in the ivy league, that actually might fit you better. Once you examine your preferences, and what they offer. For example, if you decided to go to Stanford or MIT instead of Harvard, nothing worse would necessarily befall you.

Agree with others who point out that these are eight very different schools. Brown is very different from Penn or Dartmouth.

However, since I am well aware that the pull of brand name and prestige is very strong for so many, if the overwhelming urge is to get into an Ivy League school, and if having the Ivy pedigree is what is most important to you, then apply ED to Cornell. No, Cornell is not easy to get into, even with the ED bump. But Cornell is the largest Ivy and has more seats to fill, and if you are already a competitive applicant, your ED chances might be boosted to 25%-30% instead of Cornell’s usual admit rate. Harvard? Sure, you can take a chance on its restricted early action option, but the bump/boost will be much more modest.

Is the glass half full or half empty? Is the dress blue or white? Should one apply ED to one’s dream school, even if it might very well be a rejection, or does one study the numbers and aim for the school that offers the strongest odds for acceptance? I don’t know, but I do understand your dilemma. For me, if it’s just a matter of getting into any Ivy, I’d aim for Cornell.

Here’s the thing. Human beings are for the most part hopeful and optimistic. Getting in Harvard is not 5 or 10 percent chance. It’s virtually zero for most students.

In the recent discovery filed in the Harvard lawsuit some sobering figures were released.

Between directors and deans selections. Legacies, athletes,international, faculty children and employee children roughly 60 of the class is spoken for before anyone else is considered. Add in urm that are not in the mix already counted in those figures it may be up to say another 10%. So 70% done. That leaves roughly 250 to 280 spots per gender. That is the pool the 30000 applications are looking to fill. And out of that group we still need the authors published researchers dancers artists and actors to fill out the class. And then there is geographic diversity. So with 50 states you might be actually competing for one or two admissions from your state. And hopefully you don’t face off against the 4.0 val who is a professional juggler who built an app while volunteering to help the needy type.

Give it a try. Someone has to get in. But a students most valuable tool in elite college admissions is ed and rea. Use this chip very wisely.