Should I apply ED II or RD? EDII actually harder?

So I’m applying to a different school ED1. I LOVE Emory, but the flexibility and location of the other school edged it out MARGINALLY; however, I probably won’t get in. Emory honestly was a super close second. I had a really hard time deciding which school to apply EDI. I would DEFINITELY take Emory over the other schools I am applying RD ( Cornell, Georgetown, ect. )

However, when I asked about ED to an admissions rep at Emory they made it very clear that both ED1 AND ED2 were for students who had Emory has a 110% first choice - ED 2 is for applicants who want Emory as a first choice but simply wanted more time to finish their applications and think about things.

I’m scared that they’ll see that I applied ED1 to a different school, realize that Emory wasn’t my definite top choice, and just ding me. It doesn’t help that the ED2 acceptance rate is only 17.7% … Quite a bit lower than Emory RD’s 22.7% acceptance rate - and the acceptance rates for Emory are dropping FAST each year. The ED 2 results thread also scares me as most people who were accepted had really high GPA’s and cool EC’s AND didn’t apply to another school EDI ( although my SAT score is higher than most of the people in that thread ) http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1741402-emory-class-of-2019-ed-2-result-thread-p1.html

However, I worked pretty damn hard on my Emory supplement and common app essays and I’m applying as an IDS/Philosophy Major. Maybe ED2 will help me stand out as they’ll probably spend more time on my app? But damn, that acceptance rate doe. As much as I love Emory, does it make sense to apply to something that has a lower acceptance rate AND binds me to that school? I’m just not sure.

If you’re interested, here are my stats : Clearly, Emory is a reach so this decision is critical.

Stats
UW GPA- 3.7 (Huge upward trend - effed up freshman year )
Ranked 84/806 ( Top 10.4% )

W GPA- 4.7250
SAT - 2230 Superscore ( 720 CR 770 M 740 W )
ACT - 32 Composite ( 32 E, 35 M , 33 R , 29 S )
SAT Subject Tests - REALLY BAD ( 690 US History, Around 690-710 for Math 1/Literature, 650 for Math II )

AP SCORES: APUSH ( 5 ) Psych ( 4 ) English Lang ( 5 ) World History ( 3 )

Senior Schedule:
AP Stats, AP Environmental Science, Calculus AB/BC, AP English Lit, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics

*Will graduate with 13 AP courses.

Intended Major(s): Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture and Philosophy

Extracurricular:
Debate Captain ( LD )
President and Founding Member of Philosophical Inquiry Club
Founding Member and Leader of a Church-Based Organization ( Distributes Flowers and Cards to Elderly Homes )
Head Activities Director for Church
Tech Solutions Club ( Nerd Herd )

No Major Awards

Community Service: ( About 120 hrs )
Volunteered at Special Education Facility
Service Trip to Fix Poverty-Ridden Homes and Communities in West Memphis
Homeless Ministry

Essays: Common app and supplement are both VERY good.

Teacher Recommendation Letters: Semi-decent, nothing outstanding or special

Thank you!!

lol well since no one is replying I decided to make the decision on my own.

I’m applying EDII. If I change my mind before January 15th I’m allowed to switch to RD as long as I send them a written request so I still have time to think about it with no repercussions. I heard ED2 is a generally weaker pool. We’ll see lol hopefully ed2 helps

Thanks all

Definitely apply ED2 vs. RD. The acceptance rate is only lower in ED2 (vs. ED1) because the pool isn’t as strong. ED2 will increase your chances of admittance.

I wonder if that is true. I’m thinking the pools are actually very similar.