Lol… Self help. Loans. Awards. It’s all the same, but it’s not a gift, right?
I guess I can’t really further this discussion much without knowing how good the financial aid would be for me from the top schools. My main question is the EA one.
I’d have to apply EA to these 4: SMU, UM, Georgia Tech, and U Richmond to be considered for merit. I feel like the chances of getting a full ride are so small that it would just be better to EA to Harvard or Princeton for a better chance at acceptance? What do you all think @snorkelmom @ricka8 @doschicos
What’s your home state?
Is the acceptance rate really that much higher at Harvard for EA or do recruited athletes skew that number?
^^ recruited athletes skew that number entirely. In reality, it is true what people say that EA or ED will rarely give you an edge because most athletes apply EA/ED since they are recommended to.
Also OP, I know someone from my school with slightly lower stats than you who got a full ride from U Richmond so I wouldn’t be too discouraging.
OP, have you run the Net Price Calculators at those schools? That’s where I’d start. If your parents are still married and don’t own a business, those should be fairly accurate.
I’m from FL @doschicos
@suzy100 Only Harvard’s because it is very simple and not complicated. We’ve hired an advisor, whom I plan to visit after the stressful junior year is over. I just want to figure everything out now! That’s my personality. I want to know everything asap.
@ricka8 and to everyone, so I should still apply EA to the 4 schools instead of to Harvard or Princeton?
One more question: Is it worth applying to every ivy and many prestigious schools, in hopes of landing in a great school with a solid financial aid package? Even if I don’t particularly love the school (Eg. Columbia and Brown) What if that is the only school I get into, though?
^^ no it’s not worth it. Research each school and find out what you like about it. Applying to all of them doesn’t increase your chances!
Are you looking for a good fit that’s affordable or a prestigious school that’s affordable? I’m not clear on your goals?
@snorkelmom I feel like it must to some extent. One thing I recognize is, if I spend so much time and energy applying to 20+ schools, the quality of the applications will certainly not be as good as maybe 10-15 applications.
Re: 23
All of Harvard’s (or Princeton’s) recruited athletes can’t fully account for the fact that SCEA admit rates – at around 14.5% for H and 15.4% for P – are roughly four times the RD rate.
Harvard, for instance, had an RD acceptance rate of 3.38% this year. For their early admission to be equally difficult, only about 219 students would get in (out of 6473 early apps).
But 938 got into Harvard SCEA/REA. Were 719 of those recruited athletes? Are there 2800+ varsity athletes at Harvard (719x4)? No.
There may be some other hooked applicants getting in through SCEA/ED, but some also get in through RD. Athletes do apparently almost all get in early, or so it’s been said. But even if all athletes got in ED, it wouldn’t entirely explain the much higher early acceptance rates at most schools.
So:
Applying SCEA/ED does improve your chances at most schools, with MIT and Georgetown being notable exceptions. OP, if you do develop a clear #1 choice, and if it's affordable, and if it offers ED/SCEA (and isn't MIT or Georgetown...), you might consider applying in that early round.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/12/938-admitted-early-to-harvard-college-class-of-2021/
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/3/31/harvard-regular-admissions-2017/
https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S48/18/18I83/?section=topstories
Can you not apply EA restrictive to Harvard/Princeton and do regular EA to the others? I thought you could to both, in which case there is absolutely no harm in doing EA for one of those Ivies since it’s not binding.
Harvard and Princeton are EA… non binding. You can apply to both of these AND the other EA schools. So they are not mutually exclusive. I’m more familiar with SMU and GaTech than the others. I think your chances there are great for the Presidential if you can write a solid “Why SMU” essay and sell yourself well. I think you would find a cohort of students much like UM where you could potentially be a big fish. More than half of the student population is from outside of TX.
These 60+ colleges tend to be those that offer the most comprehensive financial assistance to students with need:
Regarding your interest in math, Bowdoin, Carleton, Grinnell, Hamilton, Harvey Mudd, Haverford and Reed are highly selective LACs that appear among the 26 schools listed in a Princeton Review sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors.”
@snorkelmom @ricka8 You can only apply EA to public universities or foreign universities if you apply to a restrictive EA. You can only apply to 1 Restrictive EA. So I guess I would be able to apply to Georgia Tech in addition to Harvard or Princeton.
@prezbucky I’m pretty sure both Harvard and Princeton would be affordable. Here’s the thing: Full ride at Gtech, Urichmond, and especially Umiami (only 5 or so Stamps scholars) is very hard to get. If I really “fall in love” with either Harvard or Princeton, I will apply EA. I am just not quite drawn to the Elitist feel of most Ivies.
You cannot apply both to Harvard and Princeton EA. Here’s Harvard’s policy: If you apply to Harvard under our Early Action program, you may also apply at the same time to any public college/university or to foreign universities but you are restricted from applying to other private universities’ Early Action and Early Decision programs.
ETA: OP beat me to it.
I only used H and P to make the point that ED/SCEA can help.
But you’re right: nothing beats a free, high/quality option.
I hate to be a whiny little kid, but this decision making process sure is tough. I should at least be happy and reassured that I have a great option with UF basically guaranteed.
Sorry, my college planning software didn’t designate SCEA when I made a quick search. I guess you could ask yourself if it’s worth it to apply to H or P SCEA (only one) with a 5-7% acceptance rate and not the other EA schools where admission AND huge merit is highly likely. Sounds like a big risk to me. (5-7% acceptance rate means that 93-95% with similar stats as yours are denied.)
You will have a lot of good options, @AimingTop50, which, paradoxically, actually makes it somewhat difficult to make recommendations for you.
I just have so many schools on my list for now. All the ivies are on my radar. Then the more “Southern Ivies” like Rice, Duke, Vandy, Washu, and Notre Dame. Emory, Wake, USC around 5 LACs, 3 safeties. It’s a mess.
All the supplements 