Okay, so let’s consider this hypothetical situation. Let’s say your first choice school, School A, was a high reach. However, you have a close second choice, School B, that is only a low to mid-reach. What are your thoughts about this? Is it worth risking a rejection by both schools just for the slight chance of admittance into School A. Or is it better to maximize your chances by applying ED to School 2?
Wow, actually went through this decision in the past couple of days. I decided to apply ED to “school B” to optimize my chances. If you think you would be just as happy at B as you would be at A, and could afford both, I say maximize chances at B.
@student4692 Personally, I would say School A; its a low-mid reach, so generally you already have a nice/decent shot at it. You wouldn’t want to miraculously get into school A and realize you would rather go there than school B.
@ntk131998 I also see your point, this question has been bothering me for a while as well…but I settled with school A and hope for the best :)>-
It depends on how much of a bump you’d really get from applying ED at school B. Some examples: you’re a recruited athlete, and the coach will speak to the admissions office on your behalf if you apply ED. Or you’re a legacy at a school that will only consider legacy status if you apply ED. Or you are a full-pay student who is applying to a school with notably higher ED acceptance rates than their RD cycle. Or you’re applying to a school that has a dramatically high ED acceptance rate.
We went through this last year with D. She was choosing between Brown ED and Stanford REA. Stanford was a very long shot and Brown was a reach but not a crazy reach. She chose to apply to Stanford and probably should have applied to Brown instead. Applying early improves your chances but not as much as people think