<p>Yah basically how much of an advantage is it? I know at some schools (Penn) they admit that it makes a very big difference in admissions. How does Duke treat the ED students?</p>
<p>I did ED and worked in the admissions office, so I may be able to offer a little help. ED, statistically speaking, has higher admissions rates. I'm not sure, but i think it currently is around 17% regular, 25% for ED. However, if you ask an admissions officer, they will explain that this is somehow related to the fact that a different "type of student" usually applies ED. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. They do NOT give you any "bonus points" or somesuch for applying ED, Duke doesn't use some kind of rubric for admission, its very holistic. They do, however, note that ED kids display enthusiasm by the fact that they are applying ED. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if that clarified anything at all, but its some of the info I know.</p>
<p>I wonder about that, because I decided against it to build a stronger app for the rd round. Duke was my first choice (although I didn't really want to do ED anywhere). I retook the SAT and did much better. I maintained my grades and ec's, but didn't do anything else different. I got in after being waitlisted.</p>