<p>(Just to clarify, I'm a sophomore, I know EA admissions for this year passed a long time ago)</p>
<p>Would you rather apply EA to one school you have almost no chance getting into (HYP) or to many (nonrestrictive EA) safer options? Your chance of getting into a top school is slightly higher EA but it would be a huge relief to get into safeties and matches early.</p>
<p>Do you mean Early Decision which is binding as opposed to Early Action which is not binding? In many cases even EA increases your chances of being admitted. One of the problems with ED is that you are committed to that one school and if you need financial aid, you will have to take whatever if anything, that they offer. With EA as you will still know by Jan if not sooner with most schools and you can wait until May 1 to compare financial aid packages. EA turned out to be a good plan for my son who already knows he has been accepted into one of his top choices but he’s not pressured to commit immediately. </p>
<p>If the chance at the SCEA school is nil, it may be better to have more other EA applications.</p>
<p>But note that the SCEA schools often do have exceptions, so check their rules.</p>
<p>As “top/selective” universities have become increasingly competitive the chances of regular decision (“RD”) has dimished significantly (often single digit) over the past 5 years. To have a reasonable chance of acceptance at such universities the best strategy is to apply early decision, and, in some cases, early action. In my opinion it is wasteful to use your (typically one) ED choice on a safety.</p>
<p>@bksfan I’m talking about early action (nonbinding) and especially EA schools that allow you to apply to others EA.</p>
<p>Most top schools are SCEA, so you would only be able to apply to one top school with s low chance of getting in, or you could apply to many safeties with a very high chance of getting in.</p>
<p>I applied to several nonrestrictive EA schools and 1 ED school. I wanted to be done with the college application by December and enjoy my break. I also believe it is easier to be accepted when applying EA regardless of whether or not the early applicant pool is ‘stronger’. I never applied to HYP because those schools did not interest me. If they were EA and not SCEA, I would have considered it. Writing all those supplements is a pain, however.</p>
<p>As a sophomore, unless you have visited and have test scores in hand, you really have no idea where you WANT to go to school and could possibly get admitted. This is a very theoretical questions. Don’t go by name brand (HYPS), instead you should visit a range of colleges and make a list of schools that are a great fit for YOU. It is okay to have a couple of reaches, but then make sure you have matches and safeties that you would want to attend, and that at least some of them are truly affordable. Staring your search with speculating about SCEA is starting in the wrong spot. It is MUCH harder to find safeties you would really want to attend and can afford, and finding matches that truly fit you (as they are where you are most likely to end up) is also time consuming and can be challenging. </p>
<p>Spend your time now studying for standardized tests, getting the best grades you can, and doing ECs that interest and challenge you. Get a copy of Fiske and use that to pick out a few schools to visit near home to see what types of schools appeal to you. Stop focusing on the top few schools in the nation until you have some idea of whether they even make sense for you to try for, it is a waste of time for a sophomore (and honestly for most other people).</p>
<p>And if you really have no chance when the time comes (test scores under the 50% mark, no exceptional EC, GPA that isn’t quite up to snuff), then don’t waste an application on them.</p>
<p>For the SCEA schools really look at their early admit numbers. For some schools there is a “statistical but not competitive advantage to applying early,” meaning that a greater percentage of the early pool is admitted compared to the regular pool, but many of the early admits are athletes, legacy, etc… </p>
<p>@intparent Thanks for the reply, but I think you totally misunderstand my post…</p>
<p>First, let me comment on certain assumptions you seem to have of me as a student.</p>
<p>I have visited certain colleges (although not as many as I would like) just to get some bearing of what type of school I’d like to attend. Through visits/research I’ve figured out pretty much what kind of setting, size, etc that I’ll be looking for. I do by the way have a copy of Fiske. I’ve started running NPCs on some schools to get an idea of their cost. I’m well aware of the financial contribution my parents can give me. I have a good bearing of what kind of learning environment is best for me, so please don’t assume that all sophomores are blinded by prestige and have no idea what is actually a good fit for them.</p>
<p>To amend your next point, while I have no official test scores in hand, I have done several full-length, proctored SATs. I got a 1980 without any prior studying, and after some light prepping in the math section and in essay writing I hover around the 2100 zone. I’m going by charts in books like Barron’s to establish my predicted SAT score, so I have some idea of where I could possibly get admitted.</p>
<p>(Just an addendum, I’m studying for the SAT early because I plan to take the current SAT in 2015 instead of the redesigned 2016 test. This means I have one less year to study.)</p>
<p>Next, you say this is “a very theoretical question.” I agree. That’s why I asked it–I’m a sophomore, all of this is obviously going to be theoretical.</p>
<p>Maybe I worded my question wrong, but I’m not at all going by name brand or ranking. If you want, you can completely disregard the small part of my post where I said “HYP”. That was just an example of “one school you have almost no chance of getting into” that I thought would be easy to understand. Depending on your scores, that might just as well be Bowdoin or Rutgers or Louisiana Tech…</p>
<p>My question, reformulated, is: “would you rather apply SCEA to one reach that you really want to go to OR apply EA to many safeties?”</p>
<p>Finally, I’m sure you posted with good intentions, but I think it’s a pretty narrow-minded reply. You never actually go close to my question and you choose to focus on irrelevancies that really have nothing to do with the question at hand.</p>
<p>I mentioned I was a soph because in every other thread here about EA/ED, OP is constantly bombarded with messages reminding him that EA deadlines have passed. I know that, and I was trying to be helpful, not waste the valuable time of other CC members and ensure that I only got on-topic replies.</p>
<p>I only talked about HYP because it is the classic, stereotypical example of the highly selective school almost no one has a sliver of a chance of getting into. I honestly don’t know where you get the idea that i’m “focusing on the top few schools in the nation” or why you think I have no idea about college applications, about where I want or can go. Really, I’m at a loss. I also don’t know why you adopted your condescending tone.</p>
<p>Again, let me clarify–I never said I was interested in top schools. I never said I was clueless about the admissions process. I never said I had no reaches or matches. I just asked a question, and you didn’t answer it.</p>
<p>All that being said, you sound very knowledgeable about college admissions, so I’ll ask you my original question again.</p>
<p>There are only a few schools with SCEA, so the question may not be relevant for most.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus if not SCEA, then what about with regular EA or ED?</p>
<p>“would you rather apply SCEA to one reach that you really want to go to OR apply EA to many safeties?”</p>
<p>Apply early to your top school. It’s very simple. That is the purpose of ED/EA. Your safeties can wait until RD. </p>
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<p>I don’t think I did. I think only a few schools (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton) have SCEA. So by asking the question you are by your posting limiting it to only the very top tier of schools. And… you have no real SAT scores (apparently not even a PSAT) to go by. A 2100 (which you don’t even have yet) isn’t an entree to any of those schools unless you are hooked. So you don’t have any idea what schools are realistic yet. This question is putting the cart before the horse, especially for a sophomore. </p>
<p>And now you are steering off into ED and regular EA. Totally different topics (and honestly, there are dozens of threads on these already out here if you search). There are pros and cons to each that have been hashed over many times. I would suggest you search and read up on those past discussions, and come back with more questions if you still have them.</p>
<p>Schools generally accept u early only if they are really impressed, and know you’d for sure get in RD. So if you’re iffy to begin with , then don’t apply early…u probably won’t get in.</p>
<p>IF a highly selective institution of choice (first-choice) provides an affordable estimate on their net price calculator, by all means apply ED.</p>
<p>It’s a bit of actuarial work, too. I (mistakenly) used my ED On WashU. WashU ED rate was about 33% last year, compared to its 17% regular decision rate. Tufts had a 40%ish rate for ED, and a 17% regular decision rate too. Rice, on the other hand, has a 15% regular decision acceptance rate and 20% early decision acceptance rate. ED does not give you bunch of a bump there, so for someone like me who just wants to get in somewhere, it would not be all that helpful for my goal. </p>
<p>I’m someone who does not really mind where I go all that much - I just want to go to an excellent university that will be affordable to us, and has a physics program. If you are not sure where you want to go and really want to go to a good fit, don’t do ED. If you and your family agree that the net price presented is affordable, you do not necessarily need to “compare financial aid packages” from other schools. If it is affordable and you’d be willing to pay that amount to go to that school, then you do not need to. Sure, it may be helpful, but it is not necessary by any means. And if they don’t meet the NPC results and it’s unaffordable, just tell them and move onto the other colleges.</p>
<p>@intparent Thanks for the reply. Still, though, you’re assuming things… I do in fact have a PSAT, my school requires sophomores to take it. I got the results last week. 210 PSAT, which is on par with my practice full-length SATs. If that helps you answer my question, you’ve got it. I’m unhooked, by the way, since you seem to want to know that too.</p>
<p>Also… everyone in this post keeps talking about SCEA, but it’s not even mentioned in my original post. All I did in my thread opener was precise, in parentheses, that if I were to choose to apply EA to safeties, they would NOT be SCEA schools. In my first post, in my question, I absolutely never mention SCEA. I did specifically mention it when I reworded my post in reply #8, but if it’s misleading, then I’ll simplify the question even more and take all that out (I ask the most basic version of my question at the bottom of the post, in case you want to skip).</p>
<p>In fact, you’re the one steering the subject towards HYPS. I have mentioned them only once, in passing, and I never said I wanted to apply to them (I don’t, for the record.)</p>
<p>I don’t get your posts. How am I steering into ED/EA if that was the topic of my original post in the first place? I’m not veering off topic in any way. You’re the one misunderstanding my question.</p>
<p>So, to sum up: I never said I was interested in applying to HYP. Judging by your responses, I may have mis-worded my OP, and I will now amend it to reflect that. To clarify, citing HYP was just a common example of a selective school. Everything is relative–I’m just talking about “one school you have almost no chance of getting into”. That place might as well be Loyola Marymount, it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Please understand that the schools I have in mind, whether they be HYP or not, DO NOT MATTER for the purposes of this question, as it is purely theoretical. I’m not giving you a list of schools and asking which ones I should apply to EA. I’m asking a general question about the admissions process that can be answered even if you don’t know any of my stats or any of the colleges I’m interested in.</p>
<p>If you want, you can think of me as a Tanzanian-American junior with a 1400 SAT and a 3.2 GPA who makes macarons in his free time. It shouldn’t change anything to the outcome of the question.</p>
<p>I do believe you misunderstood my post; and I should know, I wrote it. I’m not asking about what schools are realistic for me, I’m not asking about my test scores or what schools have SCEA. I’m asking this. </p>
<p>Regardless of stats or colleges, would you rather apply EA to a reach or a safety, and why?</p>
<p>Stop sounding pretentious and condescending and you will get answers to your question. If you continue to pout on this online forum, not a single person will care enough to even consider an answer to your question. Also, you can do both. Look up the guidelines and in the future, act mature. </p>
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<p>Um… your original post essentially asks if it is better to apply SCEA to one school you have minimal chances of getting into (which is by definition those top schools), or to other schools EA that you have a better chance of getting into. I have no idea why you think you didn’t mention it in your original post. You didn’t use the acronym, but you did refer to being able to apply to only one school EA (and that is what SCEA is).</p>
<p>Re: #10</p>
<p>If all of the EA schools are non restrictive, then why not apply to all early? You do not have to choose between them in terms of which to apply EA in this case. (But HYP are SCEA.)</p>
<p>ED schools tend not to restrict EA applications, but some EA schools restrict ED applications.</p>
I can only offer anecdote, but I applied under Princeton’s single-choice EA option and got in; it definitely holds some advantage to apply SCEA, as there are less apps for the committees to read, meaning you get a more in-depth analysis. That being said, if you aren’t reasonably qualified (2150+, 3.8UW+, good subjectives), it would certainly be more advantageous to spread your options around to many EA schools, or even ED if financial aid is no issue. If you are qualified, feel free to follow whatever dream school you want.