<p>I am applying to quite a few schools this fall. I will try to apply to a few places Early Action (nowhere ED), and possibly one place REA (either Stanford or Princeton). If I do the REA, then I can only apply EA to public schools. If I do EA, then I can apply early to a few publics and a few privates, but not Stanford or Princeton.</p>
<p>However, the two publics I would apply early to (UVA and UNC) don't notify until January, and the whole reason I am applying early is so that, if I get into a match, then I won't need to bother applying to my safeties, thus saving on application costs.</p>
<p>So, basically, I have three options. </p>
<p>First: apply EA to MIT, UChicago, and Boston College
Second: apply REA to Princeton
Third: apply REA to Stanford</p>
<p>I'm torn between Stanford and Princeton, but I really want to get into a reach school, since I need really good financial aid and they'll most likely give me better packages than most of my matches. I know that Princeton has an early admit rate of 18% - will this increase my chances significantly? Or, would I have better chances at getting into either MIT or UChicago early? </p>
<p>My preference on the reaches is:
Stanford
MIT
Princeton
UChicago</p>
<p>BC is a match. </p>
<p>I have run the net price calculators for all. The 4 reaches would give me generous aid. BC would be affordable, but the last affordable of the group. </p>
<p>Yeah… I just really like the allure of Princeton’s 18% REA acceptance rate (vs. Stanford’s 10%). I know that’s kind of shallow, but I feel that they’re equal enough in my liking that a higher acceptance rate is reason enough to choose one over the other.</p>
<p>Don’t be fooled by those rates though. While Princeton may have a higher acceptance rate among early applicants, they also receive extraordinarily well qualified applicants. Your chances would be the same at either Princeton or Stanford.</p>
<p>In my opinion, if you aren’t a recruited athlete or someone with international recognition, you should apply EA MIT, Chicago, and BC.</p>
<p>Last year I applied SCEA to Princeton and got deferred, so it felt like a waste.</p>
<p>Read the fine print - Stanford will allow you to apply early to other schools if it’s for scholarship deadlines etc. These schools are highly selective, and applying early won’t give you any boost in admissions. If I were you, I would apply to unrestricted EA schools only (and more – perhaps a safety/match school?) Your chances at Princeton/Stanford early are as good (or bad) as your chances in RD.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you would want to apply to all these schools. They are all so different. Does your desire to apply to all these not-so-similar schools stem from your wish to get into the “highest ranked” college possible?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t listen to these guys. If Stanford is your true dream school, as in you would go there over any other school, go for it. You only get one chance for this so why not just shoot for your dreams. A kid at my school was in a similar situation as you. High stats, athlete, overall very well qualified. His dream was Princeton but due to pressure from parents he applied to MIT/Cal tech because they insisted it was the “safer” option. He got deferred and then rejected to both, and rejected to Princeton regular, and he regretted it so much. He kept thinking what if and he couldn’t let go of that thought. Mind you, it wasn’t like he wasn’t qualified. He got into Duke, Dartmouth, and Regents at Berkeley. So my point is, if you don’t do what your heart really wants to do, you will always have that what if at the back of your head. At least if you go for Stanford and you don’t get in, you’ll know you gave it your best shot.</p>
<p>Princeton may have a stronger SCEA applicant pool than Stanford’s REA applicant pool. Or the Princeton SCEA applicant pool may have a higher percentage of “hook” applicants. In general, admission rates are not reliable indicators of selectivity, due to differences in the applicant pools.</p>
<p>This is a question many students face, and the answer is really going to depend on an applicant’s stats and their relative ranking – neither of which you mentioned. </p>
<p>Here’s my advise to all students in the same situation.</p>
<p>If you are an extremely competitive applicant – meaning that you have a 2300+ SAT or a 35+ ACT, with an approximate ranking of the top 2% at your high school, it’s a slam dunk. Apply SCEA to the school you love best.</p>
<p>If you are an competitive applicant – meaning that you have a 2200-2300 SAT or a 33-34 ACT, with an approximate ranking of the top 3% to 7% at your high school, it’s more iffy. While you could apply SCEA to the school you love best, you could also apply to a large group of non-binding EA schools and apply RD elsewhere. The decision often comes down to how much you really want the SCEA school vs. how much of a betting-man you are – as you’re putting all your eggs (aside from state schools) in one basket. The decision is very subjective and the applicant really needs to consult their guidance counselor and recommendation writers to get a feel for what might happen based upon their knowledge of you and the knowledge of past applicant’s from your school. And then you need to go with your gut.</p>
<p>If you are a competitive applicant – meaning that you have a 2100-2200 SAT or a 31-32 ACT, with an approximate ranking of the top 8% to 10% at your high school, you should NOT apply SCEA as your application will get lost among a pool of highly qualified candidates. You should apply to a large group of non-binding EA schools and apply RD elsewhere.</p>
<p>FWIW: Both my kids applied SCEA to Yale several years back. My daughter had a 2280 SAT and a 34 ACT, with 8 AP’s (all 5’s) and 6 SAT Subject Tests (all 750+) and was ranked in the top 1% of her ultra competitive high school. She was deferred, then rejected and is now a super-senior at Harvard. My son had a 36 ACT and was ranked in the top 2% of his class at the same high school, he also had 8 AP’s (all 5’s) and 6 SAT Subject Tests (all 750+) and was accepted to Yale, where he is now a rising senior.</p>