ED or wait?!?

<p>I have a dilemma... </p>

<p>I always thought that the GPA being sent to colleges would be only my three years of high school (9th-11th), however after conferring with my GC, he said that first term/semester of senior year is also factored into your GPA and updated with your records as you are applying... </p>

<p>Should I apply ED with a fairly subpar GPA (~3.7weighted) to a top 20 school (However I'm expecting good essays, recs, SATs, the like) or wait it out and not apply ED and wait for a better GPA (I'm taking 4 APs senior year -- if I get straight A's, that'll be a 5.0 into my GPA, making it a 4.027weighted, MUCH HIGHER.)</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

<p>And also, even though ED is supposedly MUCH easier to get into, why are the average accepted GPAs for RD round much lower then ED? (well, at my school -- I'm assuming its similiar to other schools) Is it BECAUSE of the fact that people who apply ED round have better stats then RD?</p>

<p>ED is due November 15...are you sure your 1st Quarter won't be done by then? I'm pretty sure mine will...</p>

<p>Actually, I'm kind of wrong.</p>

<p>
[quote]
And also, even though ED is supposedly MUCH easier to get into, why are the average accepted GPAs for RD round much lower then ED? (well, at my school -- I'm assuming its similiar to other schools) Is it BECAUSE of the fact that people who apply ED round have better stats then RD?

[/quote]

Self selection. ED isn't "MUCH easier to get into," it's just that typically the less qualified students weed themselves out because they don't want to blow their early on a school they probably will not get into. That is why the acceptance rate and GPAs are higher for ED.</p>

<p>^ Oh, I see... so it is essentially harder for a person with lower statistics (as opposed to other applicants) to get in ED? So I shouldn't apply ED, even if I LOVE the school to pieces because I have a better chance RD round (where other people will have lower stats?)</p>

<p>Fandangoya: Our first term is over on November 14th, but the actual grades from the teachers aren't "due in office" until the week after, so it'll be waaaay too late by then, haha. :(</p>

<p>There are many things to consider. Indeed, ED may give an edge at some schools, but many caution that it does not. During the ED round the coaches recruiting athletes have them apply, most legacies apply who really want the school and other special candidates. That is what generally makes the numbers seem so much better for RD.</p>

<p>You also need to consider if money is a concern. If you need financial aid, it's often a bad idea to apply ED. You will not be able to compare and negotiate packages. </p>

<p>If your stats are lower than the schools average and you are not a legacy or recruit, ED probably won't fo as much for you as a better gpa.</p>

<p>You should also consider if you really like the school before applying incase there is the binding. Don't pick a school just for reputation if you have not researched it to see if it is the right place for you</p>

<p>Yeah, I love the school. :) It's close to home (which I want) but not so close that my parents can drop in at any moment, the campus is EXACTLY what I'm looking for, it's a university with a LAC atmosphere... etc etc etc</p>

<p>But if I don't get in I think I'll be torn lol x___x I don't know!</p>

<p>What school is it?</p>

<p>tufts university =)</p>

<p>i'd be willing to bet that tufts is one of those schools that is markedly easier to get into ED because it is notorious for yield protection. doesn't tufts have ED II? That might be a good solution</p>

<p>^ oh whoa, i just realized it does. i guess i kind of forgot about it because i was so focused on doing ED I because it supposedly has a higher admit rate then ED II... </p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.tufts.edu/?pid=116%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.tufts.edu/?pid=116&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>but... that doesn't make sense, lol. why would the ED II deadline be at the same time as the RD deadline? ...</p>

<p>It gives you a chance to enhance your application with good grades senior year, but it still shows very great interest in the school. I might be wrong, but I think that the notification date for ED II comes much eariler than the one for RD, so you just cancel your RD applications.</p>

<p>Contrary to what has been posted so far in this thread, nearly everything I've read concludes there is a significant advantage to applying early. This is based on comparing similar students who applied early and RD. The posters who say it is self-selection or some other factor have in wrong IMHO.
[quote]
Many college admissions counselors admit that students who apply early have a better chance of being accepted than students who apply through regular decision (See Loftus, 2002, p. 70). The favorable acceptance statistics across the board for early-decision admissions have influenced many high school students to feel that they have to apply early in order to maximize their chances of getting into a good college. </p>

<p>A 2000 study of five years of admissions records from 14 selective colleges by Christopher Avery and colleagues at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government shows that this may be true (as cited in Fallows, 2001). Avery's study found that the competitive value of an early-decision application was equivalent to 100 SAT points more than a regular decision application (as cited in Fallows, 2001). </p>

<p>Admission rates for early-decision applicants are higher than for regular-decision applicants. For example, in 2002, Johns Hopkins University admitted 59% of its early-decision applicants compared to 33% of its regular-decision applicants; the University of Pennsylvania admitted 38% of the early pool compared to 16% of the regular pool (Loftus, 2002, p. 70).

[/quote]
From <a href="http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-4/early-decision.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-4/early-decision.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>