<p>ok so i've been thinking alot about the whole advanatage of early decision and early action applications. basically, i have two options:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>apply to one ED school (binding, like Brown)</p></li>
<li><p>apply to multiple EA schools (nonbinding, like Yale/Princeton/Harvard~~but not all three at the same time)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>i know there are pros and cons of both but can anyone make a case for why one is better than the other? i'm just not sure which is best for me</p>
<p>Statistically, ED has a higher acceptance rate (20-25% vs. 6-10% for schools you listed). But then again, most people who apply ED are highly qualified so that could explain the discrepancy. Also with ED, if you are a URM, legacy, or athlete, you have a better chance of getting in with lower stats as opposed to RD. </p>
<p>However, if you are cash strapped than ED may not be the best option because you cannot compare FA packages like you can do with EA. And the obvious drawback of ED is that it is binding, son of your feelings change about a certain school than you are out of luck.</p>
<p>I personally like ED better because I know that the school I’m applying to is where I want to be hands down. But if you have even the slightest reservation about a school I would suggest applying RD. You don’t want to have to spend 4 years at a school that you weren’t sure about without having other options.</p>
<p>Keep in mind there are 2 types of EAs: restrictive and non-restrictive.</p>
<p>You can apply both ED and multiple EA(non-restrictive) at the same time. However there are also “single-choice” or “restrictive” EA programs (which are basically the same as ED and i have no idea why in the world they don’t just name these ED) that prohibit you from applying to any EA or ED college.</p>
<p>No highschools in the U.S. allow you to apply multiple EDs because it is binding. However, many highschools ignore restrictive EA programs and allow students to apply mutliple EAs.</p>