<p>The general rule of thumb is that you should apply when your application is its strongest. If you think by waiting an additional semester your rank will increase, then yes, it is worth waiting. If you look at the statistics, very few students who are ranked below the top tenth are accepted.</p>
<p>Remember that the higher ED acceptance rate can be a bit deceiving since many of those accepted early are athletes or legacy.</p>
<p>I disagree. Let's say you apply ED. Here are the possibilities:
Accepted: Who cares about the rank then, right? You're in!
Deferred: They'll have an opportunity to see your change in rank with your mid-year report. So it's the same as applying RD.
Rejected: Honestly, the change in rank probably would not have helped, unless it is really drastic.</p>
<p>So, in my opinion, when you apply doesn't matter in terms of the strength of your application. It just depends on if you're willing to make the ED commitment.</p>
<p>I'm an international student and my school does not have any class rank system. Also my final semester grades will not be out when I apply. My class rank is not too hot either. But I will be applying full pay,from what I've read on CC boards that will probably be a big advantage. So,does it make sense for me to apply ED ??</p>
<p>My rule of thumb-- applying early anywhere to try and up your chances is a recipe for failure.</p>
<p>Apply ED if you're absolutely certain that no matter the circumstances, no matter where else you'd be accepted and no matter what kind of merit scholarship exists, etc, that if you were accepted to Brown you'd choose Brown over those options.</p>
<p>Brown is my dream school which is pretty evident in my profile name but I'm worried financially because I dont qualify for any aid so its gonna be a huge financial burden for my paretns since they will have 2 more kids to go to college after me</p>
<p>it wuld be amazing to get in ED,but what if i can't afford it because im in that weird gray area of middle class ppl who get no aid but arent rich</p>
<p>same here, but I don't know whether I want to commit to ED. I would rather formulate a clear list of colleges first then figure out what's a reasonable reach apply there early and then reach higher for RD.</p>
<p>the problem is that i still think applying ED gives a distinct advantage because yes there are many legacies and athletes, you're still commiting to the school as the ONE</p>
<p>Whether it's the open-curriculum, the atmosphere, the location, the Urban Studies program, the FA, or simply the "Brown passion", Brown is for me.</p>
<p>I'm applying early because even though the other schools would be okay to go to (U Penn, U Chicago, Swarthmore, Yale, etc.) Brown just feels perfect for me.</p>