<p>So as my junior year comes to a close and I begin receiving test scores and the like, I have started to think about my options for applying next year and, more specifically, the early decision option. With many schools (mostly small LAC on the East coast) admitting almost 50% of their class early decision I can't decide whether it would be best to throw my name in ED at a high reach school or to apply ED at a school I know I would enjoy attending that is a high match. Two years ago, my brother threw his name in ED at Cornell and was deferred and later rejected. Although he ended up at a great college (Trinity College), he was also waitlisted by his second choice Bucknell after applying RD. The fact that he was waitlisted and that Bucknell takes a good portion of their class ED makes me wonder whether he should have given up on his Cornell dream to apply ED at Bucknell.
In my case, I would also like to apply to Cornell and I have legacy there; however, my grades/scores/EC's are just on the fringe of what they should be for applying to Cornell. I am wondering if I should use the ED option for another school that I would like to attend (Franklin and Marshall-legacy, or Bucknell) with the reasoning that I would have a better shot and may not get in RD. So based on the below info, what is my best option? Sorry but my school doesn't really have college guidance counselors like I hear some do, so your advice is much appreciated.</p>
<p>Some General info:
unweighted GPA: 3.6 weighted: 4.2
SAT: 1950
SAT II (US History): 720 SATII (Literature): 650
2 years head sports editor of school newspaper, 3 years total on staff
AP Euro History- 4
took 3 AP courses this year (US History, Macro Econ, English Language) waiting on scores
taking 4 AP senior year (Biology, Government- We the People, Literature, Statistics)
1 Semester internship in Orthopedics department at local hospital
1 semester peer tutoring English second language students
1 summer work experience
also, I live in Nevada which probably helps a little in applying to East Coast schools</p>
<p>I would apply where you most want to go ED. If another school is your clear first choice after a rejection, let them know that. Maybe, your brother did not demonstrate much interest at Bucknell, or, more likely, he did not do the Why Bucknell essay. Do that essay, even if it is optional, for every school.</p>
<p>ED won’t make up for stats that are weak for a given school. So you might consider using your ED (or ED2) shot at a school that you are at least at or above the 25% line - in that case, ED might just push you over the acceptance line. Of course, you really have to want to go to that school and can afford it.</p>
<p>Both Bucknell and F&M offer ED2. So you could try for Cornell, though it’s a real long-shot with your stats, then pick one to do ED2. Or you could pick your favorite among the more likely schools, and then have ED2 as a backup. Either is a viable strategy.</p>
<p>If you are going to ED, you should ED to the school you most want to go and is affordable. Don’t ED a school simply for the name. Remember ED is binding. You may ED a reach school, but you may not get a higher chance and end up wasting your money and an ED chance. It may make sense to ED a low reach school if it is also your top choice. Anyway, if it is your top choice school, it does not matter if it is a low reach, a match, or a safety.
Lastly, you don’t have to ED a school. You should first check the admission stat and the ED rejection rate of the school before applying. When your credential is weak comparing to the stat, you should improve your credential and apply RD instead of seeking for early rejection.</p>
<p>I know alum who interview for Cornell. They all say the same thing- it is incredibly hard to get accepted, most of their applicants don’t, and they don’t think their own kids have a chance. If you don’t have minimal stats, legacy will not help. (one exception would be if your name appears on a building)
Do not waste your ED on Cornell unless you can’t imagine yourself anywhere else.</p>
<p>The problem with playing this ED game of yours, is that you are then giving yourself close to a zero chance of getting accepted to your true first choice school since clearly if you get accepted to a second less selective school ED, there is that chance that you just might have gotten into Cornell had you tried. Even if you are not accepted to that school, there is always the chance that Cornell might have taken you ED as a legacy. I believe Cornell does take legacy consideration more heavily during the ED round, by the way. Do check that. </p>
<p>Playing this game has cost some kids their first choice schools Most of the time, it’s not such a big deal because the fact of the matter is that most kids end up perfectly happy, at least initially, at the school that ends up being the destination. The festivities and momentum of going away to college really do heal some of the sores of rejections and lost expectations. Also, few kids really have a clear first choice. There are usually a bunch of schools that they’d be thrilled to grab if offered a sure shot to get accepted and forego this gauntlet that is the admissions process. I see kids and parents mulling over which school to apply ED because the kid would be equally happy at either and have no regrets; just a matter of which one is more likely to pan out.</p>
<p>So it depends on how YOU feel about all of this. </p>
<p>Incidently, you got to see first hand how heavily (or not) that Cornell takes the legacy card ED with your brother in that he was not accepted even going that route there. No telling if Bucknell would have taken if early or not. Even if it meant the overall odds for him would have been greater for him at Bucknell, which I think is the case, still doesn’t mean he specifically would have gotten in. I’ve lost with the odds in my favor even heavily so many times in my life. People get shocked when they see deferrals and denials for MATCH schools when really, Match category pretty much starts at about 51% (more than half) chance. That means if all your match schools are at that range, if the odds hold true, you don’t get accepted by half your matches. If you are unlucky, it isn’t that incredible to get rejected from all of the, especially when we are talking about a small sampling, like just 3 or 4 schools in that range. So you brother could have been rejected from Bucknell even with it being a full match for him. And if he looks at the reject rate of the ED for Bucknell, it 's not as though it was so unlikely he may not have gotten in even going that route. </p>
<p>Look into some ED schools. Don’t know if Bucknell has that, but some schools do and that would allow a regular ED to a school like Cornell, then an ED2 app to go out if the news is not good from them. </p>
<p>Thanks for replying with helpful info everyone. I think I’m going to visit Bucknell and interview at F&M later this summer and see if I fall in love with either school. If I I don’t fall in love with either of those I might as well throw my name in ED at Cornell and and apply ED2 to one of my next choices if rejected. I’ll also see how my second go of the SAT turns out and factor that into my decision.</p>
<p>As others said ED should only be used for your top choice. Although Cornell might be a longshot, would you be happy if you didn’t try? And yes, many schools do offer the option to apply ED2.</p>
<p>The middle 50th % of SAT scores of students who enrolled at Cornell last fall was 1330-1490. Assuming your three sub-scores were equal, a CR & M score of 1300 leaves you below the 25th%. Keep in mind that these figures are for enrolled students and that the accepted students probably had slightly higher average scores. If I were you, I would really try to get those scores up to 2100 at least. </p>
<p>Additionally, do as others have suggested above: ED I to Cornell, then ED II to F&M or Bucknell. I sense, but am not absolutely certain, that a fair # of the ED admits to Bucknell are recruited athletes. They have to fill 27 teams in the DI Patriot League. The trouble with the ED II app is that you will still need to file all of your RD apps.</p>