I’m in SF Bay area and would like to take the advantage of applying as ED. I’m not sure about how to make this decision. More specifically, I’m considering premed at college and live in SF Bay area.My top choices for ED are: Stanford, Pomona and Brown. I consider Stanford and Pomona because of proximity; Stanford because well it is Stanford; Pomona because of equally great education opportunity as Stanford and smaller class sizes and more interaction with professors. I consider Brown because I get this intuition that it might be a great choice as a premed but the disadvantage is that it is far. My stats are: SAT 1570, unweighted GPA 3.95. I have many extracurricular activities and this summer I’m interning at a research institution. Based on my profile, what would make sense to apply as ED? Any suggestions? Thank you!
This may not be very helpful, but whichever one suits you best. They’re all very difficult to get into, so I’d do ED for the one I think I’d be happiest at.
Stanford had an early acceptance rate of 9.24%
Pomona 20%
Brown 18%
Have you visited them all? If so, did one feel more like the right place for you than the other two? Have you/ your parents run the numbers and are you pretty confident about affordability of all 3 of them?
You want the best chances among the three, it’s Pomona or Brown. Would you have regrets throwing Stanford out of your best try? My son applied ED to the school he wanted most. Some do not do that; they go for the odds. Personal decision as to which way you want to go.
IMO you should only apply ED if both of these are true:
- you have an absolute top choice college AND
- you have run the net price calculator for the school and the finances appear to work and your family has no need/desire to compare financial offers among different colleges.
Also please understand that these colleges are reaches for any unhooked applicant. Your academic stats will only get your past the first hurdle.
May be a technicality but Stanford does not offer ED. They have REA which is non binding.
You don’t do this based on “intuition.” Nor just the reputation. And tons of colleges offer a “great education opportunity.” If you want any Early shot, you need to be a convincing match. To match, you need to know more about what that college looks for and be able to show you have it. That means, you have to both know what it is and have it in your record. In spades. And every piece of your app package needs to be 100%.
It’s so much more than top stats and “many extracurricular activities.” So here we are in July. Much to learn. These college like kids who do put in the effort, know what they’re doing.
Just applying Early gives no boost, if you aren’t what they look for.
In my area, it seems that most all of the high stat kids who are in the running for acceptance for a selective college apply ED or SCEA. For many of them, and their parents, it’s more important to get into a “name” (as defined by them , usually a selective college with name recognition) school than which name school. In other words, Emory, Wash U, Tufts, all the same to them. It’s a matter of which one is most likely to accept the kid.
The reward is that it’s game over for college admission, the kid got into a name college, which is a good school—They’re all good schools and life is good.
Kids who get turned down from School A usually end up happy and fine at B. Yeah some regrets it didn’t happen. But the same goes with picking School B ED. Yes, School A was preferable but better a surer thing with School B.
I was glad my kid went ED with a true first choice. But he was getting quite enamored with his second choice school and said he wanted to go there ( Accepted EA with merit money) if he did not get into his first choice. I think he’d have done as well and been as happy there
So, I don’t harp on the ED choices that are primarily due to chances of getting into a select school. That is truly how some students and their parents want it