<p>I'm checking in order of my chances of getting rejected. That way there's a good chance that an acceptance at the end will cheer me up and cover for any rejections. </p>
<p>I'm checking Princeton first :(</p>
<p>im not checking princeton at all :)
that way, there's no way i can be disappointed</p>
<p>I'm checking Princeton first. I figure, start harder...</p>
<p>Then Cornell, then Berkeley.</p>
<p>j07, do it in the order of HYP... which is how the Wikipedia entry for the "Big Three" (colleges) lists them. And besides... you were such an avid poster in the Pton ED thread despite not even doing ED. Speaking of which, ED pools are actually usually weaker than the RD pools. It is the EA pools that are stronger.</p>
<p>I used to think the same thing, that EA people were stronger than EDers, but looking around, the Harvard/Yale/Stanford/MIT EAers were comparable to the Princeton EDer(s). I'll agree that the top block of RD is stronger than the top of ED because you're going to have those who get in everywhere who want to keep their options open, but RD also has a lot of "spontaneous" applications whereas ED tends to be solely those who actually think that they have a good chance.</p>
<p>diehldun - that's the same order I'm doing it as well, well sans Cornell. Maybe UCLA as well if they come out early.</p>
<p>I've already got my order figured out!</p>
<ol>
<li>Brown, since I'm not gonna go there anyways (already in Duke, and Duke pwns Brown IMO)</li>
<li>Dartmouth, since I have a good feeling about it</li>
<li>Yale, since I have no hope for it (deferred EA) and want to get it out of the way</li>
<li>Penn (Wharton), since if I get in there and not at HYP, I'll be as happy as can be anyways so the rejections to follow won't matter</li>
<li>Princeton</li>
<li>Harvard (last only because the chances of them taking me after taking 3 kids EA from my small MA public school are next to zero)</li>
</ol>
<p>I think if I check Princeton last and I get rejected from Harvard and Yale it will be too much of a build-up. Then again, if I check Princeton first and get rejected, I'll be riding way too much on Harvard and Yale.</p>
<p>And then Stanford is on a different day!
They should just play your decision to you over a tape recording while you're asleep and you can absorb it through osmosis and then gradually figure out why you wake up elated/upset. Low-impact.</p>
<p>j07, interesting idea, but psychologically, that does not work. :D</p>
<p>K I'm gonna go Cornell, Brown, Penn, Yale, Princeton. Save the best for last. </p>
<p>But I doubt that they will all be available at the exact same time, so if one comes up out of that order first, I'll look at it.</p>
<p>Haha I know BD89. I was kind of borrowing from Brave New World/that one episode of Boy Meets World where Eric learns to ice-skate by listening to a tape while he's sleeping.</p>
<p>An interesting combination.</p>
<p>SQL - yes, there are many spontaneous RDs. However, they don't really matter b/c they get siphoned out so quickly. There's prolly a lot less of these substandard spontaneous apps at Ivy schools b/c you have to take the SAT II and get more recs than a less selective school would commonly ask for. </p>
<p>There are actually a lot of kids in ED who do ED simply because it enhances their numerical chances manifold. Oftentimes schools will take slightly weaker ED-ers b/c they need to fill seats (case in point, Pton fills up around 40-45% of its class with ED). They may not get the "best" quality this way, but at least they can be assured of you coming to Pton. Some savvy kids who are desperate to get into a famed Ivy will often choose the ED ploy just to get in. This is why admissions reps are always telling you that ED is "extremely competitive" and saying that you should only do it if you TRULY love their school. </p>
<p>Comparatively, the #s of Harvard/Yale/Stanford/MIT EAers are indeed similar to Pton EDers. However, those EAers are accepted at lower rates (2010: 21%, 17%, 19%, 12%, respectively) than Pton EDers (27%).</p>