To me, this would not be a “con”, possibly even a pro. But your student might be different.
If THAT is truly a “con”, then this might just not be a good fit in the first place?
That might be the crucial factor, if this concern has been substantiated.
These are good points, but I’ll gently point out that while these may be positives to others, the OP (and presumably her son) do not view them that way. Which is absolutely okay! 
And I have no doubt this OP appreciates hearing other points of view.
But I think that’s why several of us said that based on the OP’s assessment it seemed school #1 was a better fit for ED (combined with the admissions boost that may be needed) for this particular student.
Thanks for being gentle 
Agreed, of course. Let me remind that the problem with these kind of “binary” charts is, that sometimes people feel they need to come up with an equal number of pluses and minuses, just to have balanced lists.
What can get lost are the nuances - a “con” for one school might be barely so, while a different “con” at another school could be closer to a deal-breaker in weight - dito for the “pros”.
That’s why I wanted to invite the OP’s son (through questioning) to take a moment and reflect upon how important/validated some pro/con factors might truly be, vs. others.
3 pros vs 2 seem like an obvious winner.
But upon more nuanced examination, 3 @ 0.9 weight vs. 2 @ 1.4, the result can flip.
Hence my hesitancy to quickly jump to “absolute” conclusions.
I don’t think he should apply ED. He doesn’t have a favorite now so committing might be even more stressful. I think it’s better for an uncertain student to have options.
Yes, my daughter had such a toss-up situation, where she ended up with acceptances to two very good choices. None jumped out as the clear winner; she could see herself at either, but had concerns for both (including the perception/fear of “more intense academics, more academically focused students”) - I’m glad that she had NEVER opted for an ED at EITHER.
She did need every single day to gather more input/insights, refine and bounce-off her thinking, meet a few other prospective students, before committing literally on the final day.
Had she relied on a pro/cons list alone, she would likely gone with her instinctive favorite and not enrolled where she eventually did. But upon reflection she realized that some perceived concerns were not valid, while some apparent advantages at the other University weren’t as consequential.
Ding ding ding
#2 is the current front runner.
But option #3 is to apply EA to a different school.
The saga continues
Thanks. His instinct is for #2 but now he’s now considering not doing ED to either school and rather doing a possible EA
Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful and helpful responses. I’ve really appreciated the wisdom and advice that you all shared.
As of 8 pm tonight, #2 is far ahead of #1 (this may change by the morning, but hopefully not!)
And there’s now an option #3 - not apply ED to either #1 or #2 and instead send his app to an REA school that’s a huge reach but could be a great option. He knows this is most likely (but not 100%) giving up the possibility of #1 but he’s okay with that since he does prefer #2.
It’s going to be a long weekend writing supplements!
Haha I sounded so school marm-y. 
One thing I would remind OP, it’s ok if he doesn’t finish any or all of the supplemental essays this weekend. If, as he is writing, he isn’t happy with the writing - it’s better to send applications in RD with his best writing than send in a supplemental essay that isn’t his best work, just to attempt to ED somewhere he isn’t 100% committed to.
I would also gently suggest that being this close to the wire without a firm decision/unfinished applications does actually give a lot of information about where his head may well be.
I think we often say a lot with what we chose to prioritize & finish and what we are internally struggling with that can lead to procrastination. Even if he is saying he wants to ED (or EA) but his actions aren’t leading to that being a plausible path to success - listen to what he is saying with his actions. It can be very easy to get caught up with feeling like you have to ED or EA. If his application will be better with more time, help him recognize the gift of time and perhaps let go of the FOMO of not going ED/REA.
In this case, let me elaborate on my daughter’s experience in that regard:
She had JUST finished 4 years of all-in high school. She had enjoyed several extracurriculars requiring pre-school-hours, and after-school attendances, but being a high-achieving type then worked way until mid-night writing papers and preparing for exams.
She was very concerned about wanting a “normal” college experience, where work and life were more balanced - not a continuation of high school. She too figured that a T10 school meant an all-academic, competitive, cut-throat student body, dominated by prep-boy types, with take-no-prisoners faculty.
Fortunately, she ended up tagging along on a neighborhood tour of out-of-staters - giving her a chance to fall-behind the attentive parents with fellow applicants and instantly having great chats. Turns out - everyone was cooking with water too, had lots of other interests, and were just as “balanced” as she saw herself.
And the academics turned out to be no more challenging than high-school had been – certainly challenging differently, not MORE. If anything, being surrounded by equally motivated peers meant productive sessions, and professors were approachable and cooperative.
Within a year, she looked back and voiced how she couldn’t even fathom how she ever made it through high school as intense as it had been while college was almost a vacation. And with two thousand people at the college, and even more at the University at large making friends with diverse passions and interests was easy.
I don’t think you should ED because he now wants to REA at a third place.
So if he has a top choice, it wasn’t #1 or #2
And I think your list is going to change over time.
To add to what @DigitalDad is saying my daughter finds the academics so much more interesting than in high school since she’s studying things she wants to study rather than things she has to study. A couple months in she still seems stunned that she actually finds the class readings interesting. She also ended up picking a more academically challenging college (at least on paper, not sure how true in reality) than some of her other choices. On the other hand she did rule out a bunch of schools - including all Ivy types (which she probably wasn’t particularly competitive for anyway) upfront because she didn’t want a pressure cooker atmosphere. She’s very happy where she landed though - intellectual and interesting and challenging but not pressure cooker or overly competitive.
Hmmm. As there are only a handful of REA schools, all of which are super super selective (barring Notre Dame and Georgetown, cough cough), is he wasting his best shot at #2, which he seems to prefer? Is he aware that he doesn’t get a real boost with REA at the schools that offer it, because most kids applying REA are already exceptionally well qualified? If he is hoping for a boost by applying REA, it isn’t the boost he might think it is.
Does #2 have ED2? If it does, maybe throwing a shot at the REA school is worth it. If the REA school is one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Stanford, it is a bit of a disconnect to think your kid is competitive for any of these 4 schools but not competitive for #1 unless your kid applies ED1 there. If your kid is competitive for these 4, he/she should be competitive for almost any school.
He’s a legacy at the REA school but yes, still a huge reach
Unfortunately #2 doesn’t have ED2
He is a legacy at the REA school which will only give him the bump if he applies early
He’s working on his supplement that he could use for #2 or the REA schoool…
He will decide and apply by Sunday night!!
Not trying to be a pessimist, but legacy doesn’t hold much weight these days. It’s certainly no longer a hook. If there have been substantial donations over the years, it might give him a little bump.
If it is one of HYPS, the legacy bump is not limited to REA. If it is not one of those 4, REA is still going to have the most competitive pool of applicants, including legacies (and often legacies where the parent has been engaged in either or both donations and volunteering).
In any case, best wishes for your kid.