<p>Not sure if this is the right place, but could someone help me?</p>
<p>I've recently been told to not ED to Amherst because EDing doesn't actually raise your chances of getting in. My counselor told me that those who ED have had their eye on a specific school for a long time, and have stats way above above-average at that school. </p>
<p>My issue is that I haven't had my eye on Amherst for a long time, but I'd love to go there. But I'd also love to Brown, Amherst, or Wellesley; my only issue is that I don't know if I can get into those schools or not. </p>
<p>So should I ED or not? And does ED help or not help? </p>
<p>Your counselor’s realllly wrong here… Take Columbia for example, the acceptance rate that steps REALLY close to single digit numbers becomes around 20% for ED, and 44% of its last freshman class was from Early Decision. It significantly increases ur chances.</p>
<p>Actually u seem like the perfect candidate for ED. Ur uncertain, and u really want to go to Amhearst besides other colleges. Now ur chances of getting in at Amherst go high, but its not in stone if ur not above average there, so u might or might not get in, and that leaves the others open, so u dont have to worry much about the ED agreement… </p>
<p>I say ED by all means… It’ll really help ur chances.</p>
<p>Your counselor is right, especially for Amherst; the higher the popularity, the lower the ED edge. The ED and RD applicant pools are quite different. The ED pool is highly self-selecting, with a high percentage of applicants who would have been admitted RD. The RD pool includes many more “reach” apps because so many can be sent to many schools, but only one “reach” app can be sent at ED time, making the ED acceptance rate appear higher for such apps.</p>
<p>My advice would be to stop worrying about what your relative chances would be ED vs RD. If you really love the school, know about it, and could see yourself there, then go for it! They like to see enthusiasm for the school. However, if you feel like you would still wonder about whether you would’ve gotten into Brown or Wellesley, and if you would’ve liked those more, then maybe do all of them on RD. Don’t apply ED to Amherst if you won’t be 100% happy if they accept you.</p>
<p>Plus, it’s a looooong time from November to September to make such a commitment to a school that you don’t love above all others; there’s plenty of time to regret the decision. Decide in late April instead, if you’re fortunate to be admitted to these schools.</p>