<p>How competitive is applying for ED compare to other good schools/ivy league schools?</p>
<p>IMO, early decision at top tier, however not Ivy League, colleges gives more of an advantage to its applicants, simply because schools like Northwestern and Emory and Georgetown commonly get the "Ivy-Reject" stereotype, and applying early to one of those schools lets the college know that you are serious about attending--regardless of if you get into Harvard or not.</p>