<p>I have the objective stats to get in, but I'm not as confident in the subjective part of my application. Would applying SCEA help me or should I just apply EA to a ton of schools and apply to Princeton RD. Princeton is not my first choice (MIT is), but it's probably my number 2 or 3.</p>
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<p>You literally answered your own question</p>
<p>No… Princeton is my second choice, and MIT only has EA which doesn’t boost admissions chances. I also don’t think I could make as strong as an application for MIT early.</p>
<p>I am in the exact same situation as you are. Can’t tell if I want Princeton SCEA or MIT + other schools EA. Princeton is a close 2nd to MIT.</p>
<p>I’m currently leaning towards EA at a couple schools because it increases the number of times that your application is read, and the odds of admission are still higher (though perhaps marginally). Also keep in mind that some schools that do SCEA admit a lot of their athletes in that process, inflating the odds of admission.</p>
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<p>Exactly. You should apply to the school that is your top choice (it will be much easier to write passionate essays about the school you really truly care about).</p>
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<p>That’s what MIT claims, but if you’re a strong applicant who is clearly a hardcore science/math/engineering stud, your chances are higher SCEA than RD. MIT places less emphasis on athletic recruits and URMs compared to Ivies, and little if any care about legacies. The EA pool is much smaller than the RD pool, and the RD pool is already much smaller than those of the Ivies.</p>
<p>OP: It seems you are one of those smart applicants who may benefit most by applying to MIT, Chicago, Caltech (all three non-restrictive non-binding EA) in the early round to get at least one admission from a top school…then depending on which school you get into decide which of the SCEA schools (Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Harvard) to apply in the regular round…</p>
<p>…students who have MIT, Chicago, or Caltech as one of their top choices seem to benefit most from this statistically advantageous plan…</p>
<p>…moreover, it may only be a matter of time before MIT and Chicago starts using SCEA in the future since their application numbers and acceptance rates are getting outrageous…</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Good luck.</p>
<p>shoot i meant *higher EA than RD</p>
<p>@gravitas2 you must be operating on the same frequency as me, because that is exactly what I was planning on doing. OP I would recommend you do that, but then you’d be hurting my chances :). Just kidding though, I think it’s a good plan.</p>
<p>^^Many of the top students from the wealthy top high school districts around the country and STEM focused private schools seem to be utilizing this plan very effectively in the past few years somewhat to “their” advantage…especially those students from California who have their eyes on Caltech.</p>
<p>My problem is that I don’t like either UChicago or CalTech.</p>
<p>Princeton. You won’t regret choosing Princeton over MIT but you may regret MIT over Princeton. Either way you’ll become a decent engineer but Princeton produces leaders…</p>
<p>As someone with no hooks and several “anti-hooks,” I honestly don’t think I would’ve gotten in if I did not apply SCEA. If you love Princeton, go for Princeton. If you love MIT, go for MIT.</p>
<p>Go for it! What do you have to lose? </p>