Where to apply ED

<p>I’m trying to decide where to apply ED at the moment. My main choices are Cornell, Datmouth, and UVA. I’m a NY resident and the state college price would be tempting at Cornell as would the price of UVA. However I’m thinking Cornell could be too much work and that I’d rather go to Dartmouth. Would I have a good chance of getting into Dartmouth ED? If I don’t do you think it would be wise to apply ED to Dartmouth and waste an ED chance at Cornell or UVA? And do you think I would probably get into Cornell or UVA RD?</p>

<p>I am fairly confident about my grades and scores but feel like I might not have enough EC's. I also am questioning what school to apply to ED; I wish to be a biology major, with possibly a double major or minor in history. My ultimate goal is to become a surgeon. I also want to have a good balance of academics and fun. My stats are...</p>

<p>SAT I: 760-Crit, 710-Math, 710-Writing, (I've taken the test twice, this is my best composite).
Any thoughts on whether to take it again in the hopes of raising my math score 30 points and breaking 2200 and 1500; would this make a difference and do colleges frown on taking the test three times?</p>

<p>SAT II's: World History-770, U.S. History-800, Math IIC-770</p>

<p>GPA: Not sure on the 4.0 scale exactly but probably around a 3.8. It's a 93 with a 98 being the conversion for an A+ at my school. I attend a top public high school that has no grade inflation, etc. My grades are also on an upward trend. I slacked off a bit fresh and sophmore years, being happy with A-'s. Junior year I had about a 94. </p>

<p>Classes: AP Euro-5, AP American-probably 5, AP Chemistry-probably 4,
Will be taking AP Bio, AP Econ, AP Literature, AP Calc BC. I have taken honors courses in all of the solids, except for Spanish, (I am in regular Spanish) which I will have taken 5 years of when I graduate, ( I had a bad freshman Spanish experience).</p>

<p>Extracuriculars: Varsity ski racing, 9-12, will be captain as a Senior and have been All county since 10th grade
JV skiing - 8th grade.
Varsity tennis-11th grade.
JV tennis - 8th, 9th
150 hours Comunity Service
Elected Class Secetary for the senior class
NHS
Two internships with a thoracic surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon the summers before my Junior and Senior years… (possible essay topic?)</p>

<p>anyone have an opinion for me?</p>

<p>I say apply to Dartmouth early just cuz I'm going there! ;)</p>

<p>IMO, if you have to ask this question, you shouldn't apply anywhere ED. ED is binding, and should be used only if you have a clear first choice. Otherwise, the "what ifs" and the potential regrets could be overwhelming come April.</p>

<p>essay on ur internship especially if the surgeons are famous in their fields. but don't mention it if you actually did not do any hardcore work. (If you merely were a "secretary" for the surgeons, don't mention it.)</p>

<p>Don't think Dartmouth doesn't have the equivalent amount of "work" as you call it, as Cornell. Sure, I know Cornell is infamous as the ivy easiest to get into but hardest to get OUT of, but I know many people who are struggling to keep their workload down at Dartmouth. </p>

<p>ED should be for a school you really treasure. If you have three schools however, I don't think you should apply ED at all... your stats are good for any one of those schools, so why not apply RD and see where you get in, weigh your scholarship/grant/finaid offers, and then make a decision?</p>

<p>I'm just not sure I'd get into any of them RD, then I'd be screwed. I guess Cornell ED would probably be the best bet....</p>

<p>Well first of all, if money is an issue at all then you def shouldnt apply ed. If you apply rd then you can compare fin aid offers, etc.</p>

<p>At Cornell, you have a bit of a problem.</p>

<p>You could major in biology either in the ag college (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or CALS) or the arts college (College of Arts and Sciences or CAS). CALS charges the lower statutory college tuition. CAS charges the higher endowed college tuition.</p>

<p>BUT, you cannot double major in history in CALS because CALS doesn't have a history major. If you want the double major, you have to be in CAS, which charges the higher tuition rate. (You can't minor in history in either school because Cornell does not have minors.)</p>

<p>So if you're looking to both save money and double major in biology and history, UVA might be your best bet.</p>

<p>The whole double majoring thing isnt that important to me, I just thought it might be interesting to do. I've heard that you can take classes across schools though and somehow get a double major if you're not in CAS, is that true? And what about Human Ecology, would that be easier to get into because it's 75% women?</p>

<p>yeah judging from marian's post...try looking at other schools rather than cornell</p>

<p>on 2nd thought, you're in-state, is it cheaper?</p>

<p>Fairly confident? Why? Your SATs are below Dartmouth's average. You don't tell us rank but slacking off a bit for 2 years would suggest you're probably not top 5%. Add very average ECs and Dartmouth looks like a real reach. I'd go with Cornell or UVA if you're in state.</p>

<p>When I say I am fairly confident in my grades I mean compared to my EC's. And yes I am aware that Dartmouth is a real reach, I am not confident about any aspect of my application if I apply there. I believe Cornell is slightly easier to get into and therefore I am more confident in regards to applying there. I would think, correct me if I'm wrong, that getting into Dartmouth ED would be only slightly harder than getting into Cornell RD. When I said slacking off I meant my GPA was only about a point less on a 100 point scale, it wasn't like I was getting B's all over the place, I only got one B+ in 9th and 10th grade, I just was more happy with A-'s than I should have been. And I believe I am still top 5%, although that is hard to determine because my school does not give out weighted grades and doesn't rank students.</p>

<p>You probably shouldnt apply ED anywhere if you dont already know where you want to. ED is a terrible concept if you ask me...you sign away your freedom to choose your college, what if you change your mind by december? It's really a dumb concept if you ask me...</p>