<p>There is an ongoing debate as to wether a student should use the early application to strategically apply to a school to boost there odds, even if it may not be there dream school. Others say a student should reach for their dream, even if it means not getting in early and falling to an even worse school then they would have ended up with. So your opinion: shoudl someone shoot for there dream or apply realistically to a school they actually have a shot at</p>
<p>Never apply ED to a school you wouldn't want to go to. If the dream school is unrealistic, then maybe find a new 1st choice. But the only way I would apply to a non-1st choice school early would be under EA.</p>
<p>Huge variance there.........if you want to use the ED bump then pick which school on your list gives the most bump, some give little if any and choose the school you like best that gives the best bump for ED.</p>
<p>It depends how realistic their dream is :)</p>
<p>I'd say... don't apply early to a school if you have no chance getting in regular (because EDing won't improve your chances THAT much). Past that, though, you may as well apply to your favorite school (whether it be a reach or a match or a safety), because if you don't, you'll always be asking yourself "what if...?"</p>
<p>"An even worse school"? What does that mean?</p>
<p>I think that OP is referring to the boost of ED versus difficulty of acceptance inc reasing in RD pool. Restated: success in RD is more difficult and thus student accepted into a fallen choice, a lesser school, down farther on his/her list of choices. Some schools fill half the class ED and the stats for RD dramatically affected. So the boost is ED/Legacy admits and all others.</p>
<p>Do you think there is anything morally wrong applying somewhere SCEA knowing you will apply somewhere else regular even if you get in?</p>
<p>collegecanwait
1. First rule, only apply ED if the college is truly your first choice. The collary is that if you will devastated if you don't get in, and IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO TAKE A RISK ON YOUR FINANCIAL AID PACKAGE, then yes, by all means apply ED.</p>
<ol>
<li>Using ED as a strategy works best when you have a reasonable chance of acceptance. It can be a longshot, but shouldn't be into another solar system. You know can evaluate the odds based on the school's ED acceptance rate and your position in their admit pool. If you're not even in the same state as the ballpark (to mix metaphors) then you're better off calibrating down a level for your ED choice.</li>
</ol>
<p>However if you're going to forever kick yourself because you didn't give Harvard or Swarthmore or MIT or some other ridiculously selective school your best shot, then go for ED or SCEA. Just have a strong RD back up plan.</p>
<ol>
<li>SCEA is tailor made for people who haven't made up their minds. There is nothing ethically (or morally) wrong with applying to a SCEA school that you may not attend. As far as applying to a SCEA school that you have no intention of ever attending if it were the last college on earth . . . again, not exactly ethically wrong, but pretty darn strange.</li>
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