I am a rising HS senior, and I am trying to choose which schools to apply to early decision. So far, I have the following colleges on my list: Duke, Brown, Dartmouth, and Williams. I know that these are all very different colleges, but I like the academic programs about the same for all of them.
I have looked at lots of different statistics about the acceptance rates of each of these colleges, but I found that the acceptance rates don’t necessarily tell how selective a school is. For example, Williams has an ED acceptance rate 20% higher than Dartmouth’s, but William’s applicants have much better scores on average. Can someone rank these schools by the difficulty of getting in early decision?
Also, I like to do a lot of social activities but I’m not into hard core partying. I would also like to have a good balance of schoolwork and having fun (i.e. playing intramural sports, hiking, watching a movie, etc.) Based on that description, which school do you think would be the best for me socially?
I really liked all of these schools when I visited, but I am trying to choose which one I will like the best. I’m just hoping for some more information about them so that I can make a more informed decision.
If you’re looking to apply to the one you think will be “easiest” to get into, don’t be deceived by Williams’ ED accept rare. As you point out, their pool is deeper. But the bigger issue us the effect of athletes and other hooked applicants. It’s a much bigger percentage at Williams.
Because WIlliams is so small, the majority of ED spots are taken by recruited athletes and other hooked applicants. They take about 200-225 kids ED, far lower than the other schools on your list, so even though their % may seem favorable it’s not indicative of the reality. Duke does tell applicants that ED gives them a boost, they do like ED applicants. So when you are looking at where you can get the best edge from applying ED, maybe it’s Duke
It’s not what you want to hear, but you should use ED for your first choice, not to game the system. There is a long list of reasons why ED acceptance rates are higher than RD, and it even varies a bit from school to school. If you were in a group that would benefit from ED at a particular school, you’d know. With that said, I would not ED anywhere where my stats were not strong – that’s throwing away an opportunity.
However, note that a Harvard study concluded that the ED boost at the schools they considered was equivalent to the addition of 100 SAT (CR+M) points. This is after having controlled for “hooked” applicants. The study may be dated beyond usefulness though.
Based on your stated interests, Williams might be the best option from your group.
@HSsenior78, The best ED option for you is the school you most want to attend. Sure, there’s risk involved in applying ED, but the risk runs both ways: You may be disappointed if you do apply to your #1 school. You may be disappointed if you don’t apply to your #1 school.
My son was admitted ED to Williams. He was not a recruited athlete or a legacy, and I believe that applying ED did give him a boost. From your description – I like to do a lot of social activities but I’m not into hard core partying. I would also like to have a good balance of schoolwork and having fun (i.e. playing intramural sports, hiking, watching a movie, etc. – it seems that Williams would be a good fit for you socially. The other schools on your list may have other advantages for you. You haven’t told us enough about what you’re looking for to make a judgment.
The key point of differentiation among these four are size (Williams is the smallest), location (north/south, urban/rural/suburban) and politica (very liberal/middleroad) and social (Greek system or not).
Duke considers level of applicant’s interest, so ED obviously helps there (since ED is the strongest possible expression of applicant’s interest). The other three you named do not, but ED may still be some help, although it is not obvious from the outside whether it does and how much (raw admission rates cannot tell the full story without stratification by applicant strength, recruited athlete, and such).
However, ED is really only appropriate if the college is your first choice, and you do not need to compare financial aid and scholarships across different colleges.
@marvin100
The source is the numbers. Williams takes about 230 kids ED, while Duke takes 800. It’s no secret that recruited athletes are encouraged to apply and commit early. The number of varsity athletes at those schools are not that different, but the total student population at Duke is much larger. So the % of athletes making up the ED number at Williams is much higher. Leaves less room for others
I haven’t looked at the data for these schools in particular, but at a LAC where 40% of the students play a varsity sport and where 40-50% of the seats are filled through ED, wouldn’t that mean most of the ED spots are going to athletes? I recall looking at the FB page of one such school after ED 1 results were announced, and there were only 3 posters who weren’t athletes! I found it pretty discouraging. I agree that at a larger school, this would not be the case or at least not to the same extent.
“At Williams, a perennial winner of the Sears Cup given to the most successful overall athletic program in each division, 71 athletes are given preferential admission in a class of 550.” That’s from from 2001 (but number of athletes is probably similar, or maybe even less as I have heard NESCAC now caps at 66 but cant find the book I read that in).
So even if 100% of those are ED, that’s still less than 1/3 of the 244 they admitted ED on the 2015-2016 common data set.
Of course that alone does not dispute your claim because there could be other hooks in that group. Just offering some stats!
That’s helpful. And yes, atletic recruits would be ED. Legacies could easily push those with preference over the halfway point. (Many schools insist that legacies apply ED to get the benefit of that status.) All to say, OP, if you’re not hooked, ED may offer only a little bit better chance. But if it’s your first choice school, why not?
@Postmodern , I’d guess those are slots but don’t know for sure. Wondering what it’d be for slots + tips and how that works into the numbers. An athlete with a tip will beat out a comparable non-athlete, all else being equal. Or so it seems from recruiting threads.
