<p>Hi, I'm having a very hard time choosing a school for ED II. (I'm assuming I didn't get into my ED school--super reach! But I find out tomorrow.) </p>
<p>I'm trying to pick between Tufts, Vassar, and Wesleyan. I haven't actually visited Tufts because it's a relatively new addition to my list, but I like the idea of it having 5000 undergrad, being more diverse, and its rigor. I did visit Wesleyan and Vassar and liked them too. I'm very liberal and artistic, definitely on the quirkier side. I love to learn. I'm humanities-oriented and am a writer. When it comes to ECs, they're not very conventional. I do aerial silks, like in the circus, and pole dance (which is ballet on a pole apparatus, so please don't get the wrong idea.) I volunteer at hospice, and I look forward to continuing with that the rest of the year. I want to go into psychology and neuroscience.</p>
<p>Personality-wise, I'm completely Type B. I'm a hard worker, but I admit to procrastinating. Honestly, I like taking harder classes I care about than ones I don't like but might get better grades. I wish I could apply RD and have options, but I my scores are low, so I really don't want to waste a potential ED advantage. I think I could picture myself most at Wesleyan, but I'm worried that it's too small. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>SAT I- CR: 660, M: 670, W: 720
SAT II- Lit: 690, Math II: 630 (ahhhh terrible--took again and am waiting on those scores)
ACT- taking on Saturday
GPA- 4.94 weighted/3.63 unweighted
IB Diploma Candidate
Senior course load- 7 AP and IB classes
Class rank- 34/377
Essays- confident
Recs- great</p>
<p>Based on personality type, does anyone have a recommendation of where I would fit in most? Thanks!</p>
<p>Parent here – I would be very reluctant to add an ED2 school that you have not visited, no matter how good it sounds on paper. If Wesleyan is your preferred choice (after ED1 school), then go with your gut. The higher admissions rates for ED are not simply that it is “easier” to get in but rather that the best suited students, who are the kind of students the school wants to add, apply ED. When we visited Vassar, they said they use ED to create the foundation of their class, and then use regular cycle to add to it. </p>
<p>Both Vassar and Wesleyan identify on the Common Data set that course rigor is considered “very important” – which full IB allows you to check that box. </p>
<p>As a parent, I would recommend doing ED2 to Wesleyan as that is the school you can most easily see yourself at. At 2900 students, it is not small, and is almost 500 students more than at Vassar. Middletown and Poughkeepsie are about a draw, in my mind, smaller towns, but close enough to the northeast corridor to be accessible. As another consideration, I assume you are female, given the ballet reference, (pardon me if I am wrong). As Vassar is still working on its gender balance, from being an all women’s school, the admission numbers are slightly better if you are a male – acceptance rate is technically lower for women than for men. If Wesleyan is truly the school you feel most at home, close your eyes and push the ED2 button there (when the time comes). </p>
<p>Good luck, and hang in there. </p>
<p>ED is for a school that is your clear (remaining) first choice, and for which you will not need to compare financial aid offers against those of other schools. Since you appear to be undecided between several schools, is applying ED to any of them even appropriate for your situation?</p>
<p>From what you are saying, there is a good chance that Tufts is a better fit for you (after all Tufts’ mascot is Jumbo the elephant from Barnum and Bailey’s Circus) but the idea of ED without a visit makes me uneasy…</p>