<p>fairburn, you're absolutely right. The USNews figures show how careful one has to be with statistics (I wasn't :)). Here are full recent figures, which are far less flattering:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Early-decision acceptance rate: 74%
Early-action acceptance rate: 53%
Acceptance rate (excluding early-action and early-decision students): 45%
% class filled by early decision/early action: 62%
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's almost 30% difference in admit rates between ED/RD! It's the EA round (which virtually none of their overlaps have) that conceals the real difference in ED/RD admit rates in the USNews figures.</p>
<p>nice catch MarathonMan88! where did you find that breakdown of the stats? so many of these colleges are playing games. it is quite aggravating.</p>
<p>dickinson is an excellent college, but admissions seems a bit weird... especially, for a school which has made a big deal about no longer cooperating with US News (a move that i applaud)... why not go the rest of the way and stop playing games with admissions all together?</p>
<p>the figures came from the on-line version of USNews "Best Colleges." I guess that the EA round is a two-edged sword: it also means that the %-of-class-admitted-ED that really compares to peer schools is less than the statospheric 62% that they have to report (since that number includes the EA-round admits). </p>
<p>But when you factor all of that out, I suspect it still means that Dickinson is among the ED "worst offenders" (i.e., without its atypical EA round, it would be near the top of the USNews "Where to Apply Early" list by virtue of having a large difference between ED/RD admit rates). Interestingly, there's a cluster of northeast schools that draw similar applicant pools academically (F&M, Gettysburg, Conn, Wheaton) that seem to have similar "let's-admit-em-ED" policies, at least judging from the stats in the USNews "Where to Apply Early" list.</p>
<p>i think that the bottomline on all of this is that those schools who abide by the "let's admit em ED" policy are, in fact, good schools without the name recognition or cache of some of their overlap/competing schools. they absolutely need to have the best student body possible to have any chance of competing in the future and further building their reputations. they obviously feel that if they don't "admit 'em ED" then they will lose too many capable students to the competition... of course, all this goes back to the fact that the colleges themselves have stirred up a frenzy where students feel like they have to apply to 8, 10, or more colleges in order to assure themselves a spot at a good school... this results in the students rejecting too many colleges in the RD round. it's a vicious circle... if things were more calm, then students would only be applying to 3 or 4 schools where they really wanted to go, then they would choose between the 2 or so where they were admitted (ah, the good old days!)</p>
<p>Here's a link from a recent Parents Forum thread: a Wall St. Journal article about colleges that have retained or even strengthened ED programs. It includes a brief quote from the DOA at Dickinson that confirms what you were saying, fairburn: Dickinson feels it needs to have a "lock-em or loose-em" type policy. It doesn't take too much reading between the lines to surmize that this is because of low RD yield:</p>
<p>My son applied EA, so I don't think he is going to get a decision until February. ED1 decisions should be out. At least a kid at my son's hs was accepted ED.</p>
<p>A couple of friends from different places applied EA to Dickinson because of financial aid considerations. They all love the college, but are worried about aid and merit money. </p>
<p>114rmr, sorry - don't know the stats of admitted student. My son applied EA because he wants to apply to other schools as well as Dickinson, and I want to explore various financial options.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's also must boost campus culture to have a freshman class where a majority arrives in September looking around, heaving a sigh, and thinking "this is exactly where I wanted to be!"
[/quote]
I do get the sense that that Dickinson was the first choice (or at least a good/happy choice) for a lot of people here.</p>
<p>Our daughter applied to Dickinson EA to have a school in the bag. Getting that acceptance in February, with merit money, was a huge boost: she felt much more relaxed about the RD cycle at her match schools after that. While her record was strong for Dickinson (she got into Bates, Colby, Colgate) she felt totally comfortable with Dickinson as a safety she could love and would happily go to. She also got into F&M and Gettysburg, but those didn't click the same way. </p>
<p>We were all tremendously impressed with Dickinson and in particular its international focus - her interest. US News potential retribution or not, that school is going great places!</p>
<p>Hmm, anyone knows when will Dickinson notify EA decisions? They say they'll send out decisions in late January, I just want to know the exact day people received their EA decisions last year? And 1 more thing, do they send out decisions in regular mails or e-mails ('cause I'm an inte'l and it would be much longer for me to wait for the result if they use U.S. postal mail)?
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I don't remember the date exactly, but it was in late January. Our daughter got the big envelope, bright red, the perfect fat envelope. In it were her acceptance letter and a letter about her merit scholarship.</p>