<p>It goes against the belief and statistics but, does any one think that applying early decision may actually hurt your chances for admission rather than help it. You are being being compared against a much smaller applicant pool and then once you are deferred your chances are slim to get in....just a thought.</p>
<p>Those statistics shouldn't matter to you. If Dartmouth is your first choice, apply ED. If you are applying because you just want to get in, not good.</p>