<p>Wondering about Stanford in particular.</p>
<p>The usual consensus is that while ED/EA has a higher acceptance rate, there is also usually a more talented applicant pool. So it ends up being about the same.</p>
<p>If you’re applying to a school that must fit a certain out of state quota, and you’re OOS, it’d probably be best to apply EA/ED.</p>
<p>So what if I’m instate like I am with Stanford? How does that affect my chances?</p>
<p>Stanford is private so that would not affect anything. If you are a qualified applicant, EA/ED is good and may help your odds, but it in no way makes it easy to get into a top school. ED tends to yield better results since it is binding, you will see up to double the acceptance rate of RD. EA sometimes has better results, though that varies by school.</p>
<p>This article is a little bit outdated (it is from 2009) so the acceptance rates are now lower, but this will give you a better understanding of ED acceptances. Sorry I don’t have similar article for EA. [Colleges</a> Where Applying Early Decision Helps - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/right-school/timeline/articles/2009/09/30/colleges-where-applying-early-decision-helps]Colleges”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/right-school/timeline/articles/2009/09/30/colleges-where-applying-early-decision-helps)</p>
<p>So basically what I hear about Stanford is</p>
<p>An applicant accepted EA would be accepted RD.</p>
<p>An applicant accepted RD would not necessarily have been accepted EA.</p>
<p>Stanford defers relatively few from EA to RD.</p>
<p>So does that mean I would have a better chance doing RD?</p>
<p>up .</p>
<p>Bump .</p>
<p>
Incorrect. ED almost always confers an advantage, sometimes a significant one. EA usually provides no advantage. SCEA falls somewhere in between.</p>
<p>As for Stanford, you should apply SCEA if you feel you are a competitive applicant. I’ve calculated the EA/ED vs. RD stats for all of the top universities before, and Stanford’s SCEA admit rate is higher, even accounting for legacies and athletes. The gap is admittedly much less than it is between, say, Harvard SCEA and Harvard RD, though.</p>
<p>You must remember that admissions officers do NOT judge each application on its own merits, in a sort of vacuum. Rather, they are carefully crafting a class. The orchestra needs good musicians, and the debate team needs champion debaters. You’ll need a few artists, and of course the soccer team needs people too. All of these factors are considered while reading each application. If you’re the first oboist in the application pool with a 2340 SAT and 4.0 GPA, you may very well luck out. If you’re the tenth or eleventh…not so much. One of the greatest advantages of ED and SCEA, aside from the blatant bias of many colleges for such applicants, is the ability to submit your application while all of these slots in the freshman class are still open. By the time RD rolls around, 33-50% of the freshman class has already been filled, and you have about 5 times as many applicants fighting for the remaining spots.</p>
<p>^ completely right</p>
<p>While there are factors that reduce the degree of the boost, ED helps in a basic fundamental way: you go first.</p>
<p>When you’re in a smaller crowd, it’s easier to stand out. When you’re the first one up, your long-lost twin behind you ends up being the one who doesn’t seem special. ED/EA helps.</p>
<p>But if you’re not qualified, EA/ED is not your back door in.</p>
<p>I guess now the real question is whether or not I’m a competitive applicant. I know I’m definitely qualified like most Stanford applicants are, but it’s also significantly harder to stand out in the stellar EA applicant pool. I’ve got the grades/test scores but mediocre ECs. Do I have a shot at being accepted EA?</p>
<p>If you want the whole shebang on ECs:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1399402-rate-my-pretty-bad-ecs.html?highlight=rate[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1399402-rate-my-pretty-bad-ecs.html?highlight=rate</a></p>
<p>If your application cannot get any better from Stanford SCEA deadline to the RD deadline, apply SCEA. If, by the RD deadline, you have better GPA, higher SAT/ACT scores or win significant awards, wait.</p>
<p>The only thing that could improve by the RD deadline would be my college essays, and probably only marginally so too. If SCEA does indeed improve my chances, it would probably be a better idea to apply SCEA. The main thing I’m worried about is that I might get rejected outright in EA, but still have a chance in RD (and Stanford doesn’t defer a lot of applicants either).</p>
<p>Bump .</p>
<p>From my understanding of EA (I am more familiar with ED), if they reject you outright in EA then you were more then likely going to be rejected RD. Personally I think you are over-thinking this whole thing, if you are ready apply EA, if you are not apply RD.</p>
<p>Agree with artsy girl. Go ahead and apply, SCEA will give you some advantage but not as much as ED.</p>