<p>Hi!
Stanford is my first choice school, but I'm unhooked, so not a shoo-in for admission. Basically, my GPA and SAT are well within the average range, but my ECs do not seem to be as outstanding as some of the posts on here. My essays will probably either make or break my application. Now that you know my situation, would it be wise for me to apply to Stanford EA, where only 10% are accepted and many denied, or use my EA card for Harvard/Princeton with 20% acceptance rates and high deferral rates and apply RD to Stanford?</p>
<p>Acceptance doesn’t work like that.
The higher acceptance rate of EA is based on the how many super highly qualified people apply then. Colleges don’t have a lower bar for EA acceptance (which a higher acceptance rate may incorrectly apply). In fact, it may be slightly higher since they can always defer people.</p>
<p>Generally if you are good enough to get RD then you are good enough to get in EA.</p>
<p>Harvard and Princeton have higher SCEA acceptance rates than Stanford because their pools are smaller: 4,856 at Harvard and 3,810 at Princeton vs. 6,103 at Stanford. They all accept a similar number early: 895 for Harvard, 697 for Princeton, and 725 for Stanford. See these articles:</p>
<p>[Princeton</a> University - Princeton offers early action admission to 697 students for Class of 2017](<a href=“Princeton offers early action admission to 697 students for Class of 2017”>Princeton offers early action admission to 697 students for Class of 2017)
[895</a> admitted through Early Action | Harvard Gazette](<a href=“http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/12/895-admitted-through-early-action/]895”>895 admitted through Early Action – Harvard Gazette)
[Stanford</a> Daily | Stanford admits 725 early applicants from record-breaking pool](<a href=“http://www.stanforddaily.com/2012/12/14/stanford-admits-725-early-applicants-from-record-breaking-pool/]Stanford”>Stanford admits 725 early applicants from record-breaking pool)</p>
<p>Also, you must remember that a vast majority of applicants who get deferred by Harvard and Princeton are ultimately rejected. Stanford just likes to get the rejecting out of the way so as not to torture applicants with the ambivalence of a deferral. </p>
<p>Stop trying to strategize! You have no possible way of knowing your chances at any of these schools until you get your decision, as they’re all extremely selective. Apply early to the one that is your first choice.</p>
<p>You’re right. I like Stanford best, so I should just give it a shot. If I’m rejected EA, it’s unlikely I would have made it through RD either</p>
<p>Good move trackandhp7. One benefit to applying early is if you have a lot of equally good candidates applying from your school or even candidates with stronger hooks. While you don’t get any tangible points for applying early, you can use it to reinforce the perception that you are truly passionate about the school and why it is a good fit for you, so long as you mention these implicitly in your essays. Like you said, the essays are make or break.</p>