@yayforapples: Your initial question in this thread was: “Should I apply SCEA to Princeton or ED to Rice?”
In my opinion, only you can answer this question. The odds of being admitted to Rice are high, while the odds of being admitted to Princeton are quite low. If you apply SCEA to Princeton, then you should prepare to attend college elsewhere, whereas if you apply ED to Rice, then you should be prepared to attend Rice University.
None of this is intended to be an answer, just intended to make sure that you view from this angle as well as from other perspectives.
@above that is precisely the angle I am viewing from. I stated in the original post, I am a rational person (I guess it is easy to claim this and be irrational because humans are inherently extremely irrational but I digress) and I fully expect to be deferred and then rejected from Princeton. I do hold hope I might get in, but I don’t expect to. This isn’t just Rice vs Princeton. If I ED Rice, I lose the opportunity to go to Berkeley, UMich, Austin, etc. (assuming I get in which I concede is far from probable let alone a given) and plenty of other possibly better schools than Rice, math-wise.
“I did go on to USAMO itself; I took it last year and performed slightly above the median I believe. Not as great as I wanted because I was aiming for MOP but not bad.”
This is significant, and based on just that, I would not ED anywhere, SCEA Princeton, EA Michigan, Georgia Tech, RD the others and see what happens.
Princeton. You’ll get into Rice regardless in my opinion.
It sounds like Rice is very familiar with your school and that applicants with your stats get in every year. Rice’s acceptance rate took a dive this year due to a new financial aid initiative so things may be more difficult for the class of 2024 than in the past. If you apply SCEA to Princeton, you can also apply to UT, Michigan, Ga Tech, and Berkeley as they are public schools. You can have some acceptances in hand if you are deferred or denied from Princeton and are waiting on Rice RD. That way you will have no regrets. https://admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/application-dates-deadlines/single-choice-early-action
@above that’s what I thought as well. However, some tell me that it would be better to go to a small private school like Rice over a larger school like Austin or UMich (or Berkeley) due to research, undergraduate focus, etc., even though Rice is ranked quite a bit lower than these at CS and math. Of course, Princeton is also a small private school but the odds are against me getting in while Rice seems like a decent shot if I ED. Then again, when attending Austin, they seem to isolate the stronger students and seem to have very strong research, and I have heard similar things about UMichigan and such.
You can’t count on Princeton taking similar number from your school. They make take more or may take less.
I guess it boils down to your preference for fit, do you see yourself happier at small top private schools with undergrad focus or good large state schools with graduate focus? If answer is A then ED Rice, if answer is B then ED Princeton but be ready for UT as paying OSS cost of attendance for another large state school is just not justifiable for a math major.
@above paying OSS cost is fine if the school is like Berkeley or UMich or something. Both Berkeley and UMich and UT Austin seem very, very strong for research opportunities and undergraduate focus in their stronger programs (like Turing at Austin,but I doubt I will get into Turing because I am not top 6%). Money really isn’t that much of an issue (not trying to brag or anything like that), but of course if I get into a similar cheaper program like Honors Austin then I would pick that.