<p>So I applied to these schools and recently found these startling figures:</p>
<p>Stanford: 36,744
Stanford</a> Sets Record With Almost 37,000 Freshman Applications</p>
<p>Duke: 31,565
Duke</a> sees 6 percent spike in applications | The Chronicle</p>
<p>Penn: 31,127
The</a> Daily Pennsylvanian :: Applications to Penn drop by nearly 2 percent</p>
<p>Northwestern: 31,991
Applications</a> Hit New High : Northwestern University Newscenter</p>
<p>I'm screwed :|</p>
<p>Penn’s apps actually dropped. Less applicants were accepted ED which gives you a higher chance of getting in than last year actually.</p>
<p>Well you’ve got to figure that at least a good portion of those apps weren’t qualified for the schools. I know a lot of people who apply just for fun to top schools. Plus a good deal of those would’ve been rejected EA/ED, so your competition pool right now isn’t a whole 37000 or anything.</p>
<p>well since NU filled up 40% of its class of 2016 with early admissions… RD peeps are kinda screwed.</p>
<p>In general a higher percent of more qualified people apply early than regular. But yeah, we all know you’ve got better chances early, that’s why schools let people apply early (so they’ll apply to their top choice early). Stanford took 700 something out of 1700 early. But not everyone who got accepted will go, so the % of its class accepted early who actually go is lower than the percentage accepted.</p>
<p>University of Michigan told me that they are nearing 40,000 applications this year</p>