<p>Which choice do you think would give me a better shot? I like all of them in terms of school so I really want the one that would give me an acceptance so I don't have to stress as much during regular rounds.</p>
<p>Asian male interested in chemical engineering.
Low income ~35k
First Gen college student</p>
<p>3.97 uw, 4.54 weighted total, UC GPA 10-12 uncapped 4.71</p>
<p>36 ACT all sections
800 on Chemistry and Math II, 740 World History, 790 Korean Language</p>
<p>I will have taken every AP offered at my school by end of senior year for a total of 17.</p>
<p>Founder of Tutoring Club
Varsity Academic Team (League Champs 2 years)
President of regional chapter of national volunteer service group and hosted a sleeping bag fundraising event 2 years in a row
President of a school of children with mental disabilities
Captain of science bowl
Founder of a company that connects high school tutors with elementary/middle school children.</p>
<p>I did research with a professor at a local university last summer and I will be attending Garcia Program this summer</p>
<p>Also, if I were to do MIT/Cal Tech, what other non restrictive early choices are there to add on?</p>
<p>Do you have a preference order between the schools?</p>
<p>Honestly I would probably rather go to Stanford but I’ve heard that kids like me (high stat but sciencey Asian male) would have a better shot at MIT so I’m willing to do whatever is “safer”</p>
<p>MIT + Caltech gives you to EA chances versus one at Stanford – although it is not necessarily the case that the value of EA at each school (in terms of either changes in admission chance or value to you if you get admitted) is the same.</p>
<p>Is there a significant difference in any of the 3 schools? Which seem to offer the most advantage for early applications? I’ve realized early acceptance rates are distorted by legacy/athletes and self selective pool so that’s not a very good measure.</p>
<p>MIT and Caltech tend to defer rather than reject, while Stanford mostly rejects applicants that don’t get in during the SCEA phase. MIT’s EA rate is 9-10% (regular is 9%). Caltech’s EA vs. RD admit rate is around the same as well.</p>
<p>Stanford is the only one with a significant bump- 11% vs. 6%. However keep in mind that’s because Stanford’s pool is more self-selecting than MIT and Caltech’s EA pool is- since it’s single-choice EA and because a lot of people don’t apply since deferral to RD is unlikely.</p>
<p>I don’t think either one is a more strategic move. If you feel like you’ll be an attractive-enough candidate during the EA phase (or, better put, won’t make significant strides between November and January), go for Stanford. If not, and you’re willing to take the risk and send updates (about significant things) to MIT/Caltech between December and March, then MIT/Caltech EA.</p>
<p>Also, it’s a bad strategy to throw as many EA applications as you can- stick with two, because you’ll be applying to public schools/etc. around the same time period too. And you want these to be ridiculously high-quality because otherwise your odds are zero.</p>
<p>Based on other posts, the OP probably has the stats to sign up for UCR’s guaranteed admission program (see <a href=“http://admissions.ucr.edu/whyucr/ourguarantee”>http://admissions.ucr.edu/whyucr/ourguarantee</a> ) during June or July for a safety, so the safety can be locked down early.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus yes I’ll definitely be doing that. So do you think since I have my safety down I should apply to Stanford and just risk it? </p>
<p>I think the real question here is how much advantage does EA to Stanford actually get? If the advantage is marginal or non existent I think it may be better to apply to MIT/Cal Tech so I have an acceptance before I go into regular rounds.</p>
<p>@kei04086 None of those schools give you a real edge as an EA applicant. Don’t count on the MIT/Caltech acceptance if you apply earlier, either.</p>
<p>@dividerofzero I don’t know about MIT but basically no one from my school with my stats has ever been rejected from Cal Tech. This year we had 11 acceptances</p>
<p>@kei04086 Were they all EA?</p>
<p>Stanford is one school where your chances of early or regular might not change. Their admit rate in SCEA is some what exaggerated by sports and legacy admits and when they are excluded, the rate becomes about the same.</p>
<p>Why are you not trying questbridge? It is perfect for low income first gen students. I wouldn’t categorize you with the Asian males since low income and first gen set you apart from typical asian male applicant. I am sure that if you can write good essays, there is not a single school out there which will reject you outright.</p>
<p>@dividerofzero no most of them were regular decision.
@texaspg well I did apply to QB CPS and I was rejected (which was kind of surprising to be honest) and now I’m contemplating whether I should even apply for NCM. I’ve heard applying through questbridge can actually be a disadvantage since even need blind colleges now know that if they were to accept me, they would have to give lots of aid.</p>
<p>The schools are quite specific these days in bragging about first generation student percentage which is at 10% or greater in those schools which choose to provide the number. Most of the students in this category require full financial aid. </p>
<p>It is a given that those who read your app will know automatically that you need financial aid. So assuming that it is a disadvantage will be very detrimental to your application. You need to put all your cards out there in order to show how much you had to overcome in order to do so well in school.</p>
<p>@texaspg makes sense… alright I will look into it. If early action offers no advantage at Stanford at all, I think MIT/Cal Tech would be the correct choice.</p>
<p>@texaspg I don’t know whether need financial aid will be a disadvantage, given the massive endowment per student of these three schools. Statistically, they also have a much higher URM, first gen, and low income percentage and it doesn’t seem like they’re that worried about cash compared to other private schools.</p>
<p>Is it necessary/advisable that I point out or at least mention my financial situation in my essay, or can I just ignore it?</p>
<p>If you feel like it’s a major/meaningful part of your life to <em>overcome</em> that obstacle, then sure. It’s up to you and depends on how important it is for your story.</p>
<p>Alright I see. Thanks</p>