<p>HI, I will be applying to colleges this fall and was struggling with the idea of Early decision. </p>
<p>I see various merits in ED. First, it boosts up one's acceptance rate by showing more interest and applying in a smaller pool, and next it allows one to hear from the college earlier. </p>
<p>The thing is, I don't know if I should use this measure to apply to a dream school of mine and possibly waste it, or to apply to a reach school where acceptance is more realistic and likely. </p>
<p>To give more insight, I am a pretty much average applicant with 2140 SAT and 4.5 weighted gpa/ our school doesn't rank but most likely 10% above. </p>
<p>I am considering Upenn-Wharton (my dream, but very very unlikely)
and CMU//Tufts(international relations)</p>
<p>Use ED to your unequivocal first choice school--regardless of how unlikely acceptance might be. ED is binding--you can't go back on it, so it is of the utmost importance that you base your ED decision on which school you would prefer over ANY OTHER school. If your #1 is Wharton, apply to Wharton. Same for either CMU or Tufts.</p>
<p>But even if your dream school is like Harvard or Princeton doesn't mean you should apply ED there doesn't it? (bad example since both don't have ED)</p>
<p>What I'm trying to say is that is it worth it to give your ideal schools a shot using the ED privilege, for say, or is it rather more sage to use it in a more realistic situation where it would actually increase one's chances significantly.</p>
<p>I'd ED to Penn if that is your definite first choice. I believe CMU and Tufts both had EDII which you can apply to if your first ED choice (Penn) were to reject/defer you. So if you definetly know which one of Tufts/CMU you want to go to then EDII might be an option but if you get defered from Penn then maybe you just want to do them all in RD and see what happens.</p>
<p>Well, it's your choice as to how you want to use the ED advantage, but would you be disappointed if you applied ED to CMU or Tufts, was accepted, and had to go? Then what if U Penn accepted you RD?
It's definitely your choice, but my 2 cents is to apply ED to Penn since it's your first-choice. The statistical advantage it'll give you will be worth it since you're applying to Wharton, AKA one of the most selective undergrad business programs in the entire country.
Then again, if you'd be satisfied with mandatory attendance to CMU or Tufts, then use the ED advantage as you want. Ultimately, it's all about where you would mind having to go.</p>
<p>This is more of a personal anecdote, but...
I applied ED to Haverford. Given my SAT scores, grades, extra-curricular involvement, etc, it seemed like a likely bet. My essays were strong, and my chances were appraised by a high ranking adm officer at Amherst (I'm a legacy there, biggest advantage of which was some college guidance) as 85%+. 12/15 came around and I was rejected, not accepted, not deferred. Everyone was shocked. I later learned that Haverford admits very few people through ED, which is a common downside to applying under this plan at small LACs (though some tend to defer more often than Haverford). Ultimately I was admitted/waitlisted at arguably "more competitive" schools; I got over my Haverford fever and without even thinking about the Hav connection, ended up choosing Bryn Mawr. All's well that ends well.</p>
<p>My point in posting this is just to share an ED story. Given the option to redo college apps, I would not apply ED to any small LAC (U of P and CMU aren't so small), would apply unrestrictive EA to a school to which I'd likely be admitted and would be happy to attend. In the end, if I had applied RD and had been admitted to Hav., I'm not sure if I would attend or not. The most sage advice about ED that I can offer is if you are really attached to a specific school, apply ED (assuming you can afford it) but think of several schools with which you'd be happy and which are reasonable for you in case ED doesn't work out. Good luck!</p>
<p>nd09// THats very interesting! I've never thought about ED2s. Maybe thats something I'll look for. So I guess I can apply ED1 and then ED2 if ED1 fails? </p>
<p>ivycmm// You've got my point exactly! Really thats the dillema. I'm really not confident in my chances at Wharton, but then again I still have a chance and don't want to blow it, but while trying to persue that small chance I might blow off another oppurtunity.... </p>
<p>froghorn// Congrats to Brn Mawr! Very interesting input since I was actually considering some small LACs. And it makes sense since some of these colleges admit like 600 applicants in whole and they probably only alot 100~200 of those spots in the ED round.</p>
<p>I don't think one should think about ED in terms of the advantage it gives you. For one thing, the advantage is not always as big as one may think--the acceptance rate may be higher, but, if I understand correctly, the app pools are often stronger, meaning the competition is still very high. </p>
<p>But more importantly, IMO, ED should only be for the school you ABSOLUTELY love the most. IMO it’s a bad idea to compromise…you’ll always have the what if. ED is not meant to be used strategically, it is meant for people who know their # choice to have a chance to get the whole thing over with (and for the colleges to get a solid chunk of their class 100% guaranteed).</p>
<p>There are a number of kids who "settle" for a non dream school ED to get a leg up, applying to a school that becomes a good match ED. Many were spooked when they heard that top kids at their school were applying to the same schools they were and felt that the competition would diminish their own chances. By applying ED to, say, Tufts, they would get an edge over the valedictorian who is applying ED to Princeton, but also has Tufts on her list. There is sense to the strategy.</p>
<p>But there goes any chance to apply to Princeton, going this route. You apply to Tufts, get in, game over. At 17, 18 years old, should you be that scared of risks? If you truly love Princeton, or Penn, why not go for it? THat is my personal opinion. But, as I said earlier, there are pragmatic reasons for quantifying risk and choosing ED as part of a strategy and giving up the shot to the stars.</p>
<p>In your case, I would apply to Penn ED, find another rolling or EA school or schools pick as well. If rejected from Penn, you can apply to Tufts ED2 or decide whether you want to hang on to Penn if deferred. </p>
<p>Do keep in mind that if you need fin aid, you cannot compare offers ED. That should be a consideration if you are in that category.</p>
<p>
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Say if school A's EA dealine is before school B's ED deadline. Would I be able to apply to both?
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Check with School A and School B and see what each of their policies are. Some ED schools will allow you to apply EA, under the condition that you withdraw those EA apps if accepted at the ED school. Some EA schools will not allow you to apply anywhere ED though (and some won't let you apply to othe EA schools either) Make sure you read the fine print.</p>