Uchicago: EA vs. ED2

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Hi there,

I’m a high school senior this year who will be applying to another school (not UChicago) Early Decision. My plan has been to apply EA to UChicago concurrently (the ED program at the other school allows this), and then switch to ED2 if I get deferred or rejected from my first choice school. Is this wise, or would I be better off waiting until I get a decision from my first choice and then applying ED2? I guess the answer to this question really comes down to whether deferral from EA is pretty common (in which case I will hopefully be able to change my decision to ED2, having been deferred rather than rejected), or whether I’m more likely to get rejected right away, prohibiting me from switching to ED2.

For the record, I have a 4.0 unweighted, 1590 SAT, decent amounts of leadership and extracurricular activities, good AP scores, some awards, supplemental essays I’m happy with, yadda yadda yadda… In other words, I’m a reasonably competitive applicant, but not a shoo-in by any means.

Would love some input. Thank you!

2

who is your ED?

3

If deferred, you are able to switch to ED2, and ik someone last-year from my school accepted ED2 to UChicago (though idk if they applied EA or not.)

IIRC UChicago tends to defer most reasonably competitive applicants instead of rejecting them, and they’re big on demonstrated interest in the sense that their yield rate is 80%, which is as high as HYPSM: they’re looking for students who really LOVE the school, and applying ED2 does show that.

As long as you can afford UChicago and you really LOVE the school (if you still love your ED school more, then see below) then apply ED2 and widely to other schools (safeties, matches, and reaches) and hope for the best! :smile:

If you don’t like your ED2 school as much, then:

"My Advice on applying ED2 after deferral ED 1:

If you do get deferred from your top choice school, I DO NOT recommend that you apply ED2 if it’s not also a school you love. From my personal experience, I was deferred from Brown ED and was planning on applying to Vanderbilt ED2 (my 2nd top choice,) but I decided against this because I still wanted to go to Brown and this year, unlike the previous, Brown deferred ~25% of the ED applicant pool vs. ~60% last year, meaning I had a higher chance.) I ended up being accepted to both Brown and Vanderbilt RD, proof FOR ME (YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY :smile: ) that if I hadn’t waited, I would have always regretted not waiting for Brown RD. Also, I was admitted even though another student had been accepted ED already, so don’t feel discouraged that it’s not possible if that happens: you STILL have a chance, and make sure to reiterate your interest in the school (look-up what a letter of continued interest is for students deferred/waitlisted.)

HOWEVER, I was willing to wait and risk the lower chance that I wouldn’t get into either of my top choices because I had other options (safeties offering generous scholarships: APPLY TO SAFETY SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND OFFERS ADMISSIONS ON A ROLLING BASIS etc.) that I would have been happy to attend if not admitted anywhere RD. At the end of the day, every applicant’s admissions journey is their own, so it’s up to you to weight the pros vs. cons of applying ED2 or waiting for RD decisions to release.

Furthermore, applying ED2 shouldn’t be used just to increase your chances of getting into a “prestigious school.” If anything, the second early round is more competitive than ED 1 given that it includes students who applied early to HYPSM etc and weren’t admitted/deferred, and want to go to another school that’s a bit lower on their list. ONLY do this if you’re extremely confident that, like with your ED1 application, you can present an application that shows you’ve done your research and would fit well at the school.

Also, this year in particular, multiple students from my school (and from YouTube videos etc.) were deferred ED 1 and ultimately accepted RD. Even for schools like the Ivies that don’t consider demonstrated interest on paper according to their admissions websites/Common Data Sets, applying ED is THE ULTIMATE form of demonstrated interest: you’re essentially telling a school that if you admit me, I’ll go, and if you’re able to show through your application (essays, letters, interview etc.) that you’ve thoroughly researched the school and are confident that THIS school and its particular resources would make you a “good fit” here; the school is more likely to accept you, given that you’ve taken more time to show interest than a student applying with rushed essays 1 hour before the deadline.

TL;DR: IMO Only apply ED 2 if you LOVE the school as much as your ED 1, can afford the school (run applicable financial aid calculators,) and can present a well thought out application by the deadline."

Hope that helps! Good luck with admissions!

4

As it happens, my ED is Brown.

I know that UChicago and Brown are two very different schools, and my experiences would vary greatly, but I really like each school for its distinct offerings and personality (or at least, from the impressions I’ve gotten from visits, talking to alumni, and online research).

I actually don’t prefer Brown over UChicago, or vice versa—they’re my top two schools and I would be equally thrilled to go to either of them—but I figure it’s more strategic to apply ED to Brown since I can still apply early in some form to UChicago, but I can’t apply to Brown EA (no offering) if I apply to UChicago ED1.

5

@PikachuRocks15 gives good advice.

It’s fine to use ED2 strategically - that’s what it’s for. You are basically presenting yourself as a top candidate who was deferred in the early round at a peer institution (usually HYPS). If successful, you would not be the first person deferred ED from Brown who applied ED2 to Chicago and got in. But these two schools are very different from one another in terms of intellectual culture, workload and curricular choices. Both are top schools and both accept and graduate top kids. But they are distinct from one another and I’m betting that what helps one succeed at one will not help with the other (and vice versa). And so the admissions committees are going to be looking at your application with that fact in mind. So just be aware of that, and have a very GOOD reason for attending either.

Here’s another potential hurdle: this upcoming year might be very different from prior years in terms of numbers accepted. For the Class of '24 cycle, UChicago was one of two schools that didn’t see application numbers fall (sometimes notably) - and that was BEFORE Covid hit. It’s quite possible that RD becomes an even more viable option going forward due to Covid, the demographic cliff, and so forth. Just something to keep in mind.

EA is really for those who love UChicago but want to consider other choices. That doesn’t quite sound like your preference set as you’ve described it. Just make sure that you would indeed attend either school if admitted - ie, net cost isn’t a factor, you don’t wish to compare FA packages, etc. Another thing to realize is that ED2 at Chicago isn’t necessarily an easier admission chance than ED1; there are a LOT of great applicants in that ED2 pool. So definitely have backups and safeties lined up for the RD round.

Good luck!

6

@PikachuRocks15 @JBStillFlying Thank you both for your advice; this has been really helpful.

7

@owiheg No problem! Although it’s only my first semester at Brown, I’ve started to get a sense of what makes Brown, Brown (if that makes any sense lol,) so feel free to ask me any questions about applying to Brown or about the school itself! :smile:

8

Above advice is good. I would add that my impression is that applying EA to UChicago instead of ED1 is pretty much a waste of a shot. The main exception to that advice is if you are URM, City of Chicago high school student or first generation applicant. If none of these apply, then your plan to apply ED1 to Brown and to UChicago ED2 makes the most sense. Both are excellent schools, though there are many differences I hope you look into before making your final decision. If after all UChicago is really where you want to go, then apply there ED1 and not EA. Good luck!