FWIW the class of 2025 had an unusually high number of students who took a gap year due to COVID, over 100 (College acceptance rate lowers to 8 percent for Class of 2025 – The Williams Record). IIRC the class has about 525 students.
Newbie question. With small school and small number of ED admissions, is the % of athlete admitted high comparing to larger school?
Given the numbers above, 255 kids admitted, with half of them are athletes, some % of are QB, small % of are legacy, then maybe ED is not a good option as the chances to get in are really slim?
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Varsity athletes comprise 36% of enrollment at D3 Williams, as opposed to 7% of enrollment at D1 Duke. Even weirder is how some of this D3 athletes believe that their mediocre lacrosse stick swinging skills make them really special. See here:
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You need to dive into each school, but generally ED does give an unhooked (ie, not athlete, not legacy, not URM, not donor child) a boost. It is kind of a quid pro quo to help a school with managing yield, and maybe swiping some kids from competitors. Remember also that within athletes, there is an overlap of legacies and URM’s (and other hooks).
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When it’s all said and done, it’s 27% ED acceptance can be so misleading to unhooked students.
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I agree. With these new information, maybe consider ED to some large school has this true advantage of higher acceptance rate. ED into LAC might not be a good idea for unhooked students.
36% of 255 = 92
~20% of 255 = 51 (rough estimation of legacies and URM)
so the really rate is 112/943 = 12% for unhooked students.
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Actually let me redo the math, 36% is including the RD. The ED rate for athletes are much higher.
50% of 255 = 128
~20% of 255 = 51 (rough estimation of legacies and URM)
244-128-51 = 76 unhooked kids
so the really rate is 76/943 = 8% for unhooked students. It is same as RD.
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There will be some overlap between athletes and other hooks. Also the 128 may be high as total athletic recruits (not all varsity athletes) but let’s use that number for now.
So 20% of 255 = 51 but less 20% of 128 athletes who are also legacies/URM/otherwise hooked, or 25 overlaps, making total hooked = 128 + 26 = 154 and unhooked equal to 101.
101/943 = 10.7%
8.5% is the total admit rate. The RD rate is 7.3% (1,048/14,305) without adjustments for deferred ED students or hooks in the RD round.
So there is likely an advantage, but just not as great as the unadjusted for athletes and other hooks ED rate is.
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This makes sense. I am just wondering how does comparing to other big schools like Princeton, Harvard etc.
The question I am pondering is which one has better advantages for unhooked students? ED to LAC or ED to big school.
Princeton and Harvard do not have ED, but REA. According to the Harvard litigation, there is/was an REA bump.
Personally, I would not drive my ED choice by which school has the most boost. Large schools vs LACs are very different animals in terms of the experience. Use your ED card on your first choice school based on fit and finance.
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Cross posting Yale’s number:
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I think the key for ED is to really shine on the essays so that you it very clear that Williams is the best college for you in particular, meaning you have to go deeper and reference interests that show you would thrive there, i.e. mix of creativity, sciences and writing skills, plus ECs that make sense such as dance/performing arts/music/outdoors club/winter sports, etc.
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No tennis? 
you are clearly a tennis parent…
Yes, tennis as well!
that makes me feel a bit better about my deferral…
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For those deferred, stay hopeful, a good number of deferrals are admitted eventually as the article mentions. Submit a letter of interest that can highlight some aspect of you that may have not been included in your original app.
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