<p>So I'm definitely considering attending U of C, but I'm completely confused with this EA, non-binding thing. What exactly does that mean? If it's non-binding, how is it beneficial to apply EA? I know I should know all this, but with all the college research I'm doing, I'm just lost in all of it.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for the help :)</p>
<p>It doesn't seem like it's really all that beneficial to apply EA chances wise. (Similar acceptance rates, I think? yes? maybe?) </p>
<p>Bonuses of EA? Getting your decision sooner. Getting another chance of admission if your file was initially deferred. Getting some preference in housing.</p>
<p>Applying EA allows you to receive your decision by December and plan accordingly about applying to other colleges. Also, since it's not binding, it gives you the opportunity to compare financial aid packages later on with colleges you apply to RD if you do. Also, UChicago may be your #1 top choice so applying early and hopefully getting in will lift the weight of your shoulders and save you time applying to other places 'cause you're in college!</p>
<p>It's binding on the college. It's just not binding on you. With ED, if you are accepted you must withdraw all your other applications, and you are stuck with your ED college even if a nicer-looking (or cheaper) college comes along and wants to hook up with you. With EA, you still get to go to Yale if you want to and Yale accepts you. With EA, you get to apply to MIT EA at the same time if you want to.</p>
<p>When you get your EA decision, it can mean that you don't have to bother completing your applications to colleges you would never choose over an EA school that accepted you. Conversely, if an EA school you secretly thought was a safety defers or rejects you, that can be a wake-up call in time to find a couple safer safeties to which to apply.</p>
<p>S1 applied to three schools EA last year, got into two of them (UChicago and MIT) in December, deferred to RD at the third. Since Chicago and MIT were both at the top of his list, he subsequently dropped three schools which he knew would not beat out the cards he already held. (He had ten schools on the list, applied to seven.) In retrospect, he probably should have dropped one or two more -- because the only other two that mattered to him in the long run were his flagship (merit $$) and Harvey Mudd (RD, no EA), which was the one school that gave Chicago a serious run for it.</p>
<p>EA requires that you get organized EARLY. Contact your teachers about what they want for references (resume? transcript? do they have a questionnaire?) as soon as possible once school starts. S contacted teachers the week before school began (sent them an email once they were back for in-service), which they REALLY seemed to appreciate. S1 also changed his mind about his humanities rec over the summer, so taking care of this stuff early meant he wasn't frantically trying to get a new one. Request transcripts, etc. 4-6 weeks before they need to arrive. Use a calendar/crackberry/Google to keep track of all the deadlines. We had a big wall calendar, and then individual sheets of notebook paper for each school's specific items posted on the kitchen cabinets.</p>
<p>If you are planning to submit research/papers/etc. to competitions with fall deadlines, GET IT (or your essays) DONE EARLY. Siemens is due 10/1-ish, and Intel in mid-Nov. Scholastic Arts & Writing, I assume, is also fairly early. These are great things to include in your application, and it will be much easier on you if you aren't writing research papers, college essays and taking 16 APs simultaneously. You'll do a better job, too. S wrote drafts of essays over the summer, and did total overhauls of them through October. </p>
<p>If you can still tinker w/your schedule, taking a slightly easier courseload first semester senior year was helpful. S countered this by taking a killer load second semester, contra to the usual senioritis!</p>
<p>It was wonderful to have an acceptance at S's first choice by mid-December. Took all the pressure off, which was good, because second semester senior year was filled with many exciting things that would have been savored a lot less had he been stressing about pending decisions.</p>
<p>He's an entering Chicago first-year and can't wait to get started!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the help :) Knowing all this is definitely helpful, and I'm pretty sure I'll be applying UChicago EA!</p>