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I think the answer to this, and similar questions should be something like: “In deciding where to apply early, I tried to think strategically. It wasn’t just about what school I like best, but also about whether I thought applying early might help me in admissions, whether I was willing to limit my choices that early in the process, and so on. I like Penn a lot, but if I had applied ED, and been accepted, I wouldn’t have been able to consider other options. In particular, some of the other schools I’ve applied to might offer me merit aid, which could make a difference.” In general, I would try to turn any such question around so the interviewer ends up defending his school.</p>