Should I Apply Early Action or Not? Afraid it might hurt my chances!

<p>I am considering applying Early Action to both Georgia Tech and then apply early to Purdue, who have rolling admissions. What I would like to know is if it may be wiser for me to just wait for RD (I guess this concerns Tech more)? My application isn't head and shoulders above everyone else's like many other EA applicants are. They are probably closer to average in that my GPA isn't amazing-it is very average, I have a very good SAT score- above average for Tech supposedly, and I have pretty good extracurriculars. I am taking all AP classes this year and am not too sure if I will get straight A's first semester. I'm definitely aiming for it and will work my butt off to get them though. What I would like to know is if applying Early Action might make my application seem weaker and get me declined, when perhaps I might have made it through Regular Decision? If I get declined, would I have gotten declined through RD anyways? Thanks!!!</p>

<p>I don’t know about GT but your 2100 SAT is solidly in the range for CoE at Purdue. However, I agree that if you can boost your GPA, you’d be super solid. That being said, I highly doubt Purdue would reject you Early. At worst, they would defer you until after your first semester. So in that sense, I think you’ve nothing to lose sending in your Purdue CoE application. </p>

<p>FYI: the composite ACT of matriculating Freshmen is 28. Your 2100 SAT converts to roughly 31. This is in your favor.</p>

<p>My kid’s test scores are equivalent to yours but with a higher GPA at a top ten ranked HS. She’ll be dropping in a Purdue app early – we feel confident she’ll make it in first cut. They really wowed her with when we visited campus. It’s currently 1 or 2 on her list.</p>

<p>First of all, Purdue has merit aid deadline the same as EA, although your score is not likely to get you anything major. Second, Purdue is relatively easy to get admission and your score is in the range, but they have a very high drop out rate. I did see someone rejected with 2090 in SAT and 3.59 GPA though.</p>