Hello!
I’m trying to decide, as the title would suggest, to apply ED to Columbia or REA to Yale. What would maximize the chance of admission?
Yale’s early acceptance rate was 11.4% last year while Columbia’s was 10.1%
Yale’s first-gen student population is about 19% while Columbia’s is about 17%
Yale has preferred my preferred major that isn’t offered at Columbia (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) but I wonder if that’s negligible because of the Core Curriculum.
I like Manhatten more than New Haven.
Columbia seems more diverse, but maybe that’s just reputation.
Overall, I think I would fit in more at Columbia, by the nth percentile I slightly prefer Columbia. I like how non-REA is nonbinding so you can see other offers, Yale’s stats are like 2% better, and I like Yale’s curriculum more. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Columbia ED is a significantly easier admit for most candidates than Yale SCEA.
If overall you prefer Columbia anyway, this is a no-brainer. Best wishes for success!
I would not put much stock in the small differences in first generation percentages or acceptance rates. There are various ways to make those numbers look better than they actually are. Maybe Yale accepted more athletes early. Maybe Yale included some of their international students in the first generation numbers.
Apply where you think you would fit in better.
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I am concerned you are making a choice between schools that are quite disparate in curricular requirements, culture and location. You should be well advise to pick on fit and not two percentage points difference…
If your application can be stronger (higher GPA, better test scores, pending awards/publications/recognition, better crafted essays) by the RD deadline, don’t apply early to Yale, as there is not an admissions bump to apply there early. The higher rates are because of recruited athletes, kids of major donors/famous or powerful people and a generally stronger applicant pool, although the Harvard litigation suggested that there was a bump for Harvard. There is a bump for Columbia ED, so you need to balance that against the marginal improvement in your app between the ED and RD deadlines.
If you get in ED to Columbia, you would be stuck with the Columbia and its FA. You wouldn’t be able to compare schools and FA packages. Yale is more likely to be more generous, and its FA will not differ between SCEA and RD admits. Also your matches and safeties that you apply to early that offer aid, including merit would also be off the table.
Even more importantly, be realistic about which schools will ultimately accept you and be affordable. Nothing wrong with aspiring to these reaches, but temper your expectations and make sure you have matches and safeties.
Saw on your other thread that you are planning to apply 21 other colleges. IMO that is way too many unless the vast majority of them don’t require supplemental essays. College admissions is not a lottery where your chances increase with each app. Quality essays tailored to each college matters. I think having a list of 21 is OK to begin with. Choose an REA or ED school where you are within the top 50th percentile based on GPA and test scores, apply EA to your state or other state’s flagship(s)/honor colleges, finish apps for a couple of reaches, a couple of matches and one safety by the REA/ED decision date. If you get in your REA or ED school, you are done unless you want to shoot for a couple of more reaches if you get in the REA school. If you get rejected or deferred but get in an EA state school, you can take off any matches or safeties on your list you ranked below the acceptance(s). Further if you are rejected, you might want to apply to less reaches and more matches and safeties (and you might want to reconsider your essays).
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