Struggling to decide if and where I should ED. I am leaning towards EDing to Northeastern.

College Search & Selection
1

Demographics: Male, Asian, upper class, good public high school in Massachusetts

Intended Major: Computer Science

Academics: 3.6 UW GPA, 4.2 W, 36 ACT

Extracurriculars: Swim team captain, one-time Hackathon winner, programmed virtual reality racing game with 5 other people, president of game design club, NHS member, small amount of volunteering at local library

So I’m a comp sci guy with an interest in game design. I honestly have no idea what type of school I would like. I’d like to go to CMU if I could, but obviously I don’t think I have a chance there.

So with about a week left until the ED deadline, I’m leaning towards EDing to Northeastern. It seems to be a good CS school, is close to home, is in a good city, and has a co-op program, which sounds very helpful to my major. That being said, I’m not ecstatic about it. All colleges seem the same to me, and Northeastern seems to be a school that I would be comfortable with.

Plus I am worried Northeastern admissions have gotten a lot more competitive these last few years. I think it dropped like from 40% to 18% or something. I don’t know if its yield protection or not, but both my brother and his friend, who go to the University of Rochester and Tufts, got deferred and waitlisted from Northeastern. And it’s co-op program alone makes it seem like a not-so-hidden-anymore gem.

The problem is a lot of people are telling me I’m aiming too low for my ED school. But I really don’t know where else I would ED. All the “better” schools are either schools that don’t have a particularly strong CS program, or are Ivy-league level. The other ED schools I’ve been considering are NYU, CMU, Rice but the latter two I feel like my chances are thin, and honestly even though NYU is ranked better, I like Northeastern better. It’s not crazy expensive like NYU, is closer to home, and seems to have better CS. My parents have been saving for college since day one, so I’m not TOO concerned with finances, although obviously cheaper is better if I’m not giving up too much in saving that money. My brother is currently a sophomore in college.

Guys, I really am stuck. I don’t know if EDing to Northeastern is a mistake, but I don’t see any better options.

2

Northeastern has ED II. If you’re not so sure about committing to Northeastern, don’t apply ED I, apply ED II. For CS, apply to some good state schools EA, like UIUC, Georgia Tech so you may have more options and you can find out about them before you apply ED II to Northeastern.

3

You don’t have to and should not play the ED card unless you’re super stoked on the school, especially with a school as different as Northeastern.

If you want to ED at all pick your #1. But if you’re really happy in multiple places, don’t do ED at all IMO. Remember that doing ED limits the amount of choice you have when it comes to finances as well, even if that isn’t a big factor. You can withdraw if you can’t afford, but if you can afford but have a better offer you’re out of luck essentially.

This is a great option if you know Northeastern is your #2 school only.

4

I think you are aiming low. Why not ED to CMU if it is your top choice? You can always apply to Northeastern in the regular round.

5

Yield protection is not an issue for ED since by definition accepted students are committed to attend. Agree with above that ED should only be used for #1 choice and FA not a concern.

6

So you guys think I have a chance at CMU? I feel like CMU for CS is as difficult as Harvard. How about a place like Rice or Vanderbilt? Would you think I would have a higher chance of getting in?

7

I don’t think you’re hearing the point here: Trying to play the “which school would I get the most increase from ED + likely acceptance” game is not worth it with so many good schools out there. With a 36ACT you’ll have a chance anywhere, but for competitive programs that’s simply not enough and no one can predict those outcomes. It doesn’t sound like you should do ED at all here IMO.