To ED or not to ED

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I am looking to major in Mechanical Engineering, and don't know if going early decision for Cornell and ruining early action chances at other schools is worth it. Can someone help?</p>

<p>--------My top schools--------</p>

<p>Cornell
Northwestern
USC
Carnegie Mellon
Johns Hopkins
Georgia Tech</p>

<p>--------Some basic demographic stuff--------</p>

<p>White
Male
Middle Class
Will start 12th grade in the fall
From a medium sized city in Oregon</p>

<p>--------Grades--------
Freshman:
Honors lit - B
Bio - A
Chem - first semester A second semester B
Advanced Alg - A
German 1 - A</p>

<p>Sophomore:
Honors lit - A
Physics - A
Precalc - A
Global Studies - A
German 2 - A</p>

<p>Junior:
Honors lit - First semester B second semester A
AP Physics - A
AP Calc AB - A
APUSH - A
German 3 - A</p>

<p>Right Now:
AP Calc BC through Johns Hopkins CTY</p>

<p>Prospective Senior Schedule:
AP Lit and Comp
AP Bio
AP Chem
AP Stats or German 4
AP Gov</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA ~ 3.95</p>

<p>--------Standardized Tests--------</p>

<p>SAT:
M 740
R 740
w 710</p>

<p>Subject Tests
Math 2 800
Physics 790</p>

<p>ACT
Composite 35
English 35
Math 34
Reading 36
Science 33</p>

<p>AP
Calc AB 5
Physics E&M 5
Physics Mechanics 4
APUSH 4</p>

<p>--------Sports--------</p>

<p>Lettered in Soccer, Track, Downhill Ski Racing
Competitive club soccer since elementary school</p>

<p>-------Leadership--------</p>

<p>Incoming Senior Class President
Eagle Scout
Captain of my club team for several years</p>

<p>-------Work Experience-------</p>

<p>Internship at a local research lab, sponsored by local university (summer after freshman year)
Hired back to the lab for part time employment the next summer
Currently back for my third year at the lab
Manage a leaf blowing business with my friend (3+ years)</p>

<p>-------Other-------
Member of the National Honor Society
Lots of volunteer hours through NHS and BSA (food drives, clean ups, event organization)
Exchange student in Germany
Won several awards at the Middle School FIRST State Lego Robotics Competition 7th, 8th
Won multiple first place medals at the middle school state Science Olympiad competition 7th, 8th</p>

2

<p>Don’t apply ED if you aren’t sure you want to go to the school. That said, you have only a slim chance of acceptance if you are put in the RD pool.</p>

3

<p>Early Action is not binding, correct? If you know Cornell is your number 1 & you can afford it, apply ED there & EA at the others.</p>

4

<p>Follow csdad’s advice- ED is binding, EA isn’t. You should apply EA to other schools just in case- Cornell will only ask you to withdraw the applications if you are accepted. It’s a win-win situation.</p>

5

<p>Although many schools say applying EA doesn’t help your chances, is it true that it actually does? Correct me on this: the schools need to fill a certain quota of students for EA/ED, and therefore admission occurs, to a degree, in a rolling basis?</p>

6

<p>I’m not sure… it seems to help a lot at some schools and at others it has no impact. My school uses naviance, and it shows the admit stats of students from previous years. I looked up UChicago a few days ago and was shocked that EA applicants actually have higher GPAs and SAT scores, and there is only a 2% increase in acceptance. Most kids are actually deferred, and there is a much smaller chance of being wait listed than there is for regular applicants. </p>

<p>ED, however, does help your chances because it is binding and therefore shows complete dedication to a school. Because of this, a bunch of schools have ED and not EA (like Cornell).</p>

7

<p>@Paintallthestuff, Do you mind checking U Michigan EA for me??</p>

8

<p>Sure. I’m assuming you mean Ann Arbor.</p>

<p>EA acceptance is 7% higher than RD (32% v. 39%). 60% of EA applicants were deferred, and only 3% of those students were accepted. 37% were waitlisted, none of which were accepted. So I guess EA helps a little here, though if you are deferred you might want to consider other colleges just in case.</p>

<p>Oh, and GPA and SAT is higher in EA applicants. This is data over ten years. It really doesn’t look too promising…</p>

9

<p>Correct me if im wrong. Cornell RD: 18%. Cornell ED: 33%. Clearly ED helps</p>

10

<p>If you’re 100% certain about a first choice, go for it ED. All my kids did that and it paid off. My son looks like you on paper and his college counselor strongly suggested he go ED. We are also full-payers, and I think she said that would help for ED as well. My son did go ED, and he’s very happy at Cornell. If you’re not 100% certain - you do mention you’d “ruin chances at EA schools”, then don’t do it…Your list looks really good and very realistic. You’ve picked some “good matches” for you. If you don’t just want to see where you can get in, go ED…</p>

<p>I think you’re a perfect ED candidate if you can communicate why you want Cornell in an effective essay.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>…I’ve seen many students mention this in their “chance me” bios & believe it to be a misconception. Cornell has stated on numerous occasions that there is absolutely no interaction between the financial aid & admissions offices regarding admit decisions.</p>

12

<p>I know that, however, I’ve also heard that most schools get a lot of full-payers during ED and EA. Someone needs to pay, and this is one way to get a definite group of those people. They may not communicate with FA directly, but it must be in the back of their minds.</p>

<p>Again, SOMEONE needs to pay…</p>

13

<p>…agreed, because Cornell does not give merit aid they know that a certain % of their admits will be full payers & if willing to apply ED, that % goes up. An article in NY Times the other day had Cornell ranked as one of colleges is the “most selective” category with the highest % of students who receive Pell Grants. Really speaks to the diversity of the student body. I do see your point, that just the fact you have applied ED implies that the chances you are a full payer is increased, just didn’t want people to think that on a student-by-student basis they base their admit decision on amount of aid, which seems to be a prevalent theory.</p>

14

<p>I completely agree…we’ve loved Cornell, by the way. Weren’t too sure as our other 2 went to Vanderbilt and we’re southerners. I see what my S saw in it 5 years ago. It’s really, really tough in the engineering school, but well worth it. I also am so impressed by the personal attention each students gets. My S has always been satisfied with solutions to any problem or issue he’s had. He’s in great hands!</p>

15

<p>Last year, the Cornell RD admit rate was lower than 14%, while the ED admit rate was 29%.</p>

16

<p>^That’s true of most schools. Cornell, like every other school, wants kids who want to be there. Cornell doesn’t want to be the back-up to other Ivy League schools…When you apply ED, they know that’s not the case.</p>

17

<p>We too couldn’t be happier with our D’s experience at Cornell. She fell in love with the school when attending a swim camp there as a 14 year old. Initially admission looked out of reach, however, after having an honest conversation with her regarding what it would take to just have a shot of being admitted, she really rose to the challenge. She was still a “long shot” for admission but went there feeling very fortunate for the opportunity. There were some early academic struggles, but she has loved it, thrived, gotten involved in many different things, & has really figured out just what she needs to do to get the grades she wants. Only a rising Junior, she is already lamenting about when she “has to” graduate!</p>

18

<p>Question: What if u apply ED yet require alot of aid? Yes, u are let free of ur bind. But financial packages are released march? What if u cant afford it? Then what? Is it better to apply RD? Many says Cornell will meet whatever needs.</p>

19

<p>You are given your financial aid package when you are admitted (within days of the ED notification). The fine details may come later, but the numbers are given with acceptance. If it isn’t enough, you can have a conversation with the financial aid department. If it still isn’t enough (though Cornell feels they have given you enough), you are free to decline, even if you applied ED.</p>

20

<p>Cornell is my top choice. I would drop all other school admits to go there. I think I am going to apply ED. Right now, I’m a very generic kid on paper. Academically and athletically talented white kid with good work experience. That describes a lot of people applying to Cornell. I think Swimmer726 is right in saying that applying ED can set you apart from others. I know the group is self selecting and more competitive, but I think it’s a good way to say “hey, you guys are my top choice, I really want to go here.”</p>