<p>For me, I'm torn between choosing a school I loved but would have a slim chance at (Harvard) and two that I like and have teeny bit better chances at (Stanford, UChicago, or MIT) based on our school's admissions history in the past. How did you decide where to apply early to?</p>
<p>For me it was mostly how much I liked the school. And then when I knew which two schools I liked best I looked at whether applying early would give me a better shot at getting in.</p>
<p>Do you mean basically applying to Harvard vs applying to Stanford/MIT/UChicago all at once?</p>
<p>Be smart about this… 1 school vs 3? I’d go with the 3. Plus you can throw in Notre Dame and Georgetown if you want. :P</p>
<p>EDIT: I just checked Stanford’s early active policy and it’s single choice early action…</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d apply to MIT and UChicago. You can apply EA to both at the same time, and if you want you can add Caltech, Georgetown and Notre Dame. 5 schools that you can apply to instead of doing single choice at Harvard or Stanford.</p>
<p>Be smart about this…</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If you’re competive and viable with UChicago, Stanford and MIT, you’ll be competitive and viable with Harvard later. Doesn’t mean you’ll get in – but there’s a lot to be said about having a slot at a top tier school in December.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the key benefit of EA is to reduce the expected number of applications you have to file by Dec 31 by getting an EA admit in December. </p>
<p>Consider each of the following scenarios.<br>
- Harvard SCEA admit
- Harvard SCEA defer/reject
- Stanford SCEA admit
- Stanford SCEA defer/reject
- UChicago EA admit, MIT EA admit
- UChicago EA admit, MIT EA defer/reject
- UChicago EA defer/reject MIT EA admit
- defer/reject both UChicago and MIT</p>
<p>Estimate the probability of each scenario.
The probabilities of (1)+(2) should equal 1, the probabilities of (3)+(4) should equal 1 and the probabilities of (5)-(8) should add to 1. Call the probability of scenario i P(i). </p>
<p>For each scenario, determine the number of applications that you end up filing. For example if Stanford is your first choice and if you got in you’d be done, then put 1 for scenario (3). However, if you’d still apply to HYPM then put at least 5 (you might even apply to additional schools). Call the number of applications for the i’th scenario N(i). </p>
<p>Now compare the expected number of applications for each option
Harvard SCEA= P(1)<em>N(1)+P(2)</em>N(2)
Stanford SCEA = P(3)<em>N(3)+P(4)</em>N(4)
MIT/Chicago EA = P(5)<em>N(5)+P(6)</em>N(6)+P(7)<em>N(7)+P(8)</em>N(8).</p>
<p>Choose the option with the smallest expected number of applications. I’m just guessing that you’ll find the MIT/UChicago option wins because it’s most likely to eliminate a long list of matches and safety schools since your chance of getting into at least one of them (MIT/UChicago P(5)+P(6)+P(7)) is much greater than your chance of getting into either Stanford or Harvard.</p>
<p>^ If only college admissions could be solved so simply, ClassicRockerDad :/</p>
<p>OP, I would apply to whichever school you feel you have the best chance at with the added advantage of EA–if there truly is any. Ultimately, if Harvard wants you, they’ll have you despite applying RD. But that’s just my two cents.</p>
<p>Chance is very slim for Stanford SCEA.</p>
<p>I was in a very similar situation last year and I chose EA to MIT, Chicago (my HS has great history with U Chicago) and Georgetown.
I was accepted from Georgetown and Chicago and deferred from MIT.</p>
<p>I may be incorrect, but I believe applying early to Harvard still allows you to apply early to any public institutions. While none of the schools you listed above are public universities, there are a number of very good public schools that have EA programs (UNC, UVA, etc.).</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice, everyone! I’m still torn between all my EA options, so I think I’ll wait to make a decision until I have my essays all done. ;)</p>
<p>Both Stanford and Harvard allow applications to public institutions, right? I’ve checked their websites and Stanford’s is more clear than Harvard’s on that policy.</p>
<p>I EA’d to uchicago, gtown, and MIT after having already applied to 5 UK schools. I was accepted to all 8, and knew about 7 of the 8 before the regular deadline. I still applied to 4 more schools.
If you are interested in reducing your total number of apps, and would stop writing apps after getting into one of these schools, apply to that one. If you don’t care about how many apps you write, then it would seem to me that you could apply to any of them early.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, I love your analysis right there. Turning the admissions game into something quantifiable calms me down.</p>