<p>Stanford, CU, and MIT are my top choices right now. My only question right now is, how much more selective is stanford compared to CU or MIT. Right now, I can either early stanford, OR early columbia and MIT at the same time. From what i've seen, stanford is on the level of harvard in selectivity. My only fear is that i'll waste the early round on stanford (get deferred), and consequently, be rejected from CU or MIT because i didnt apply to them early. As opposed to showing my commitment to CU and getting in there with the help of the binding contract.</p>
<p>Considering i have: 2300+, 800/770/760 on SATII's, 2/150, strong EC's and strong essays</p>
<p>which way should i go? Pro's and Con's of all 3 schools would be appreciated as well. I understand stanford is more suburban/rural while CU/MIT are urban. I prefer urban, but i've been to stanford and i really love the campus. Im interested in classes in finance/economics/philosophy/maybe some pol sci. Thanks for the help</p>
<p>id say deferral at columbia is still quite possible, since, as impressive as your stats are, you are not far above the common admitted student. just apply early to your favorite.</p>
<p>ye i understand that too. So you think my chances at stanford and columbia are about the same, and i should just choose the one i prefer? I just don't want to apply to stanford with considerably less chance than if i had applied to CU. I've heard EA stanford doesn't give as much of a benefit as ED CU...is that true?</p>
<p>My advice to you is, do not pick something like colleges in this case based on what can maximize your chances (stanford ea vs Columbia ed). Consider what you want to do with your life and the merits of each school. For all objective measures, the average Stanford Graduate = Columbia Graduate. The differences are however, that Stanford is more Science/Technology leaning while Columbia grads are more humanities/social-sciences oriented, while Columbia does have an engineering school it's not as good as either MIT or Stanford's engineering. Columbia's placement on wall-street however, overshadows both schools given its location and huge prestige, and internship opportunities (which leads to jobs).</p>
<p>With all that said--- if you're not absolutely sure you want to go to Columbia and get in ED, you're bound to go. If your heart is with Stanford, just apply EA stanford and see how things go. Don't let a college define you in the end.</p>
<p>Strongly agree with above post. You have excellent credentials and will likely get into several top schools. You don't want to have to live with the possible future regret of committing prematurely. </p>
<p>This being said, I will tell you that Columbia and MIT are more likely to play by the rules, follow the numbers. Stanford admissions are historically much more unpredictable, possibly in an attempt to more finely "craft" a class.</p>