Are there any strategies? I think she has her ED1 school and there’s some schools that she will be applying to EA. Let’s say she doesn’t get into the ED1 school, but gets into EA schools that she would be happy to go to. Do you use ED2 for a reach or somewhere you have a decent shot at? Is it a waste to apply to an ED2 school if her SAT isn’t at least in the 50th percentile?
I welcome any advice. Thanks!
As with many things I think the answer is “it depends.”
–How much she prefers the ED1 school to the ED2 school and if she gets deferred or denied. If she gets deferred she may want to keep the ED1 school in play.
–How happy she would be going to an EA school she got into.
-How much more she likes the ED2 school as compared to the EA school. (I don’t think the ED2 school is a waste if the SAT is close to the 50th percentile and all other things are a good match.)
It would be interesting to see a list of colleges which offer ED II. Davidson College is one.
MIddlebury has ED 2
I agree with happy1. Totally depends where the EA schools fall on your daughter’s list of preferences.
One strategy some people use is to pick an ED2 that the student is still very enthusiastic about attending (enough so there will be no “what if” regrets), but that is a tiny bit easier to get into than the ED1 college, yet still so competitive to get into that the ED2 advantage may pay off.
E.g., Dartmouth ED1, Colgate ED2
Or
Vassar ED1, Skidmore ED2
In general, if scores and GPA are below the middle 50%, another part of the application or student’s background needs to be really compelling. But no harm in trying for a reach, especially if there are good options through early action already, so the student will not be too depressed or anxious if the ED options do not work out.
Of course, the ED2 school needs to be clearly more desirable to the student than the other schools applied to (and the student needs to be willing to give up a chance at the ED1 school if that result was deferred rather than rejected).
Remember also that if any EA school admits and is affordable, it becomes a safety, so if such a school is a higher choice than any remaining ED2 or RD possible schools, the student need not apply to any more schools.
Elephant in the room question…
Why does she have to have an ED2 school…at all.
I am with @thumper1 with same question. Also can you afford the Ed options if she gets in?
@thumper1 @knowstuff Applying ED 1 or 2 seems to give applicants an advantage at many schools. I figured it was a way to apply to a school that takes around 1/2 it’s class from the ED pool and is a little bit of a reach. And yes, we can afford the ED options.
However, ED should only be used on a school that is a top choice for the student. Are the potential ED schools top choices for the student? (i.e. more desirable to the student than EA schools and those without any ED or EA)
If she gets rejected at the ED1 school, she can then put in the ED2 application as a reach. If she gets deferred from the ED1 school, she would have to decide whether to apply ED2 or RD to the ED2 school. It is really not possible to answer at this point since if she gets into the ED1 school, she will be done and if she gets a flat rejection the ED2 is not needed. It is only if she gets deferred that the ED2 would be submitted (and only if she really loves that school more than any of her EA admits).
@ucbalumnus The schools she applies to ED1 and ED2 if necessary will be schools that she would love to attend.
@mom2and Thank you. I honestly think that if she gets deferred from the ED1 school she will move on and have no hopes of getting in in the RD round. I kind of feel the same way.
Just remember…in that “higher %age” accepted ED…this includes development admits, legacies, recruited athletes.
Some schools accept all of their recruited athletes ED. That can really be a sizable chunk of the ED acceptances.
The “edge” for the average kid applying ED isn’t all that huge. Simply put…your kid would have to be in the ballpark for admission anyway to be accepted ED.
One situation where ED probably has a big effect is that of a student applying to a school that appears likely by stats, but considers “level of applicant’s interest” and tends to waitlist or reject “overqualified” applicants. In this case, applying ED is the strongest possible expression of applicant’s interest.