<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>I would try REA. The acceptance for Harvard/other ivies is not 20%, its actually only .1% higher than stanford, with stanford being 5.69ish%. So its a crapshoot anywhere. If you want to go to stanford, applying REA is a great way to show that.</p>
<p>Agree with neggs. If you are competitive for Stanford and it is your first choice, take a shot and write great essays.</p>
<p>I was white and unhooked, with no outstanding ECs. I got in regular, but I think that it was my essays that did it. If you need extra time to develop outstanding essays, apply RD.</p>
<p>I think that the early admission rates are at least somewhat deceiving. Generally, more legacies apply early, and the overall admission pool is more qualified as well.</p>
<p>A lot of people apply to the top-priority choices regular because they have the extra money and the “what if I get in” attitude.</p>
<p>I think I’m applying early because Stanford isn’t my absolute #1 choice. I would rather be disappointed later rather than sooner :D</p>