<p>I'm not a recruited athlete, legacy, USAMO team member, child of faculty/donor, or URM.
I do, however, have top-level stats (2380 SAT, 4.0 at a competitive public school, 800s on several subject tests, 5s on all APs). I also have one particular passion, music, which has taken up much of my life and has landed me many national and international awards, an international performance schedule, a recording contract, mentions in many newspapers, and some great opportunities to raise thousands of dollars for charity. I've also done scientific research involving music and the brain. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't take leadership in other extracurriculars, but I'd say that's my main one. I've been told that people accepted EA are often super-geniuses or hooked applicants. Do you think I should give it a go based on my well-developed passion for music, or should I wait it out and try a more mid-level choice for EA?</p>
<p>Go for it and when you get in “settle” for Harvard and let the rest of us mere mortals have a shot at other schools. I hate when I hear a Harvard admit applies to MIT too just for chuckles.</p>
<p>“I’ve been told that people accepted EA are often super-geniuses or hooked applicants.”</p>
<p>While many accepted SCEA applicants are often recruited athletes, legacy applicants or URM’s, other students who are accepted are just plain good all-arounders that the Admissions Committee feels are great candidates. If you feel secure in your recommendations and essays, then apply early. The worst that can happen is that you will be deferred to the RD round. (I take it back. The worst that can happen is that you will be rejected, but then at least you will have an answer by mid-December and be done with it.)</p>
<p>“Do you think I should give it a go based on my well-developed passion for music, or should I wait it out and try a more mid-level choice for EA?”</p>
<p>I can’t remember where I read this before, but at Harvard, music is the absolute number one EC sited by most applicants. And like you, it’s music at a high level – performances at Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Philharmonic, Boston Pops etc. So, bottom line: think Yo Yo Ma and take your music accomplishments as a neutral (not necessarily a plus). Think academics; Harvard is after all an academic institution.</p>
<p>I went to an informative session. Several admissions officers were there. One told me that the odds of getting into Harvard are the same for regular and early applicants. Why? Because Harvard assumes that everyone that applies will attend once accepted while reading applications. The reason the early action admit rate is higher is because of recruited athletes who need to know their status early (and although he didn’t mention it, but i’m sure legacies and URM’s are included in this mix). </p>
<p>So I’m going to against the grain here and say that applying early can’t help, but taking time to work on your application can.</p>
<p>I’ve already written a couple drafts of my essays and downloaded last year’s supplement, so I don’t think having extra time to work on my app would help much. Thanks for the advice though - there’s no other school I like better with EA, so I suppose I’m going to take the plunge. One of my unhooked friends got in early, and he was just really smart.</p>