<p>I have questions about ED vs. RD.
If you are held over to Regular Decision, are you at a disadvantage compared to the applicants who only applied Regular Decision? Those who are held over will be reevaluated by other different person during RD? Are those who are deferred and applied RD in the same pool during RD?</p>
<p>You can see from the data [url=<a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml%5Dhere%5B/url">http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/admissions_statistics/index.shtml]here[/url</a>] that students deferred during EA are actually admitted at a higher rate later on than those who only apply RD. You may not be re-evaluated specifically by a different person, per se, but you will certainly be completely re-evaluated without regard to your EA evaluation, since your deferred EA application will be in the same pool as those who only applied RD.</p>
<p>There really is no downside to applying EA, as long as you can complete the application and arrange for all the supporting materials to be received in time. EA is unrestricted, and if you're accepted, the pressure is off for the rest of the year (my son applied to three schools EA-unrestricted, got in to all of them, and relaxed for the rest of his senior year). If deferred, you're essentially re-evaluated from scratch. MIT accepted a significantly greater number of EA applicants this year (over 500) as compared to past years, reportedly because of the yield uncertainty associated with Harvard and other schools dropping their Early application option (causing applicants to strategically apply to other schools' Early options). This may or may not be the case next year.</p>
<p>
Yes, they're all evaluated together without regard to when they applied.</p>
<p>kryptonsa, I am about 70% sure that deferred students are re-evaluated during RD by the same person who read them for EA, but I am not sure enough to put any money on it. </p>
<p>I agree with neuron39 that there isn't much of a downside to applying EA if you can get the application together by November 1 (and if there's nowhere else you'd like to apply ED/SCEA). </p>
<p>Deferred EA applicants often seem to benefit from a period of time to think about their applications -- deferred students have a month or two to realize what aspects their applications were missing, if any, and send in supplemental materials to correct the deficiencies. RD applicants can send in supplemental materials, of course, but they don't have the extra time to think about what might be appropriate to send.</p>
<p>
[quote]
kryptonsa, I am about 70% sure that deferred students are re-evaluated during RD by the same person who read them for EA, but I am not sure enough to put any money on it.
[/quote]
In one of Ben's blogs (<a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/its_more_than_a_job.shtml)%5B/url%5D">http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/its_more_than_a_job.shtml)</a>, he said that each application gets read by around 12 people in one round, so deferred applicants do get reread by the same people, just not one person (unless the admissions committee has more than 12 people).</p>
<p>Thanks!!!!!!</p>
<p>Oh, sure -- I mean, nobody's read by just one person. But as I understand it, the person who does the initial reading and summary of an individual student "keeps" him/her for both rounds.</p>