Would it be a waste to apply ED to Brown?

My son is in the top 5% of a highly competitive high school. He has a 4.7 GPA and a 34 on his ACT. However, his extracurricular activities are only average (Key Club, multiple Honor societies, volunteering in nursing home, etc) with no leadership roles. He wants to apply early decision to a college and Brown is his dream school. However, he doesn’t want to waste his early decision on a school if there is little chance he will be accepted. Would it be better if he used his early decision on his second choice school, which is excellent but less competitive?

ECs are overrated.

Yes, it would be better to use it on the second choice school. ED admits are usually top students or hooked students. Don’t fall into the ivy ED trap if your son is just an “average excellent student” with no hooks.

I have trouble with your phrasing it as “using his early decision.” Just because early decision exists as an option, does not mean you have to use it!

Early decision should ONLY be used by students who know that that school is their number one choice. For your child, it sounds like he should wait and apply to the schools he is interested in regular decision and then make a choice to enroll once he has offers in hand.

Please do not treat college admission as a game. It will make the process much less stressful and you will be happier with the outcome in the end.

He is solidly in the academic zone for Brown ED. He should use ED as he see’s fit and using it at Brown is good decision if it is indeed his first choice. Make sure he visits if he can to solidify that it is his dream school.

If Brown is his top choice and financially doable for your family then apply ED. I’m not sure I would make a commitment to another school that wasn’t his top choice. I do agree that the ED stats are tainted due to athletic recruiting and other hooks. I’m not sure it gives a tremendous edge but it does show demonstrated interest.

IMO If Brown is his top choice and he his academics suggest that he an succeed there, then apply ED. I was recently admitted to the class of 2021, so if you want to look at my previous posts to see my ecs/scores/hooks, go for it. I didn’t apply ED however, but I know that the ED acceptance rate is much higher. The logic that ED should be used as tool to ensure, or at least nearly insure, admission to a second choice institution is poor to me.