<p>Early Decision 1 vs Early Decision 2</p>
<p>The ED II deadline is usually around Dec. 15, compared to Nov. 15, so that all those rejected ED I at one school can apply ED II at another school.</p>
<p>ED 1 deadline (for Pomona) is Nov 15th, ED 2 is later (late Dec. I believe?) Both programs are binding. The only real difference is the date the app is due. ED 2 gives you more time to think about whether or not the school is really your first choice, whether ED is right for you, etc. It also gives you the time to apply to your first choice (another school) ED 1 and if rejected apply to your second choice school through a binding ED 2 option.</p>
<p>I thought it also has something to do with the applicant pool? I thought those who are very very confident that they will get in apply for ED 1.</p>
<p>no, not necessarily. ED actually (for most schools) slightly increases your odds of acceptance. Applying ED gives you the benefit of clearly showing that school that they are your first choice. The % of the incoming class selected from the ED pool varies (for Pomona I believe it's ~28%) Some schools take as much as 50% of their freshman class just from ED applications.</p>