<p>Hey guys, so I'm thinking of applying EA to MIT and I read somewhere that applying EA actually hurts your chances because they usually defer most students unless they're like super extraordinary. Is this true that EA can actually hurt your chances?</p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt your chance of ever being accepted. But you are less likely to be accepted EA than RD. They accept only the very strong applicants early.</p>
<p>^ Is that true for all EA or just MIT? For example, Yale?</p>
<p>It may be slightly less true for SCEA schools (i.e., Yale and Stanford) because you are indicating that that school might be your top choice.</p>
<p>It certainly doesn’t hurt but it doesn’t help nearly as much as ED does. However, if you are accepted, you have an acceptance in your pocket by Christmas. If you don’t, you have another app done and the same chance getting in RD. If your grades and scores don’t need any improvement, EA is definitely a great option if you are good enough at managing your time to get some apps done by the EA deadline.</p>