How do kids choose which elite to apply early action/decision (binding) to?

[Anonymous]

HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

[Anonymous]

Look at the numbers. university of Pennsylvania last year admitted 7.9 % of applicants. 3% of them were early admit and the rest were regular admit.

If your kid is likely to get an offer, no harm in putting early admit down for top choice. Otherwise go regular decision and save the early admit for a non-ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

like AVOIDING* big brand names

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

How about by visiting and looking for the best fit? I visited all four, but applied to only one of them (and was admitted/enrolled).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

How about by visiting and looking for the best fit? I visited all four, but applied to only one of them (and was admitted/enrolled).

If you could, please detail your thought process on how you chose a favorite amongst HYPS. We've visited all but Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Where does your kid feel most comfortable? Where did he/she feel like "Hey I could be a part of this tribe. I could live here for 4 years and enjoy this."

[Anonymous]

Quite simply, you apply early decision to your favorite. It's not a trick question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quite simply, you apply early decision to your favorite. It's not a trick question.

Well, not necessarily. My husband and I both went to the same HYP school for multiple degrees. That will make it easier for our son to be admitted, but applying early will also give him a boost. But, it's his third choice school of multiple schools that are very competitive. It is not that he doesn't like the school DH and I want to a lot, he does, he just likes to other is a bit better. So, he need to think through whether to apply as a legacy to one highly competitive school with an early action program ( with the leg up of being a legacy and the bump from applying early) or whether to apply early to his top choice school. Not a simple decision, but we are leaving it up to him.

[Anonymous]

Pp above. He should apply early to the legacy. Its a no brainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

How about by visiting and looking for the best fit? I visited all four, but applied to only one of them (and was admitted/enrolled).

If you could, please detail your thought process on how you chose a favorite amongst HYPS. We've visited all but Stanford.

Visited campus, stayed overnight with students, met with coaches, size of campus, city v. suburban, proximity to home, etc.

[Anonymous]

Do you want to live in a city or not? What major are you interested in? What extracurriculars? What type of social life? Do you want to live off campus at some point? Is independent work (ie, thesis) appealing to you. Would you like the option of double majoring?

If you have no preference and can't choose among four different schools, you haven't done enough research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you want to live in a city or not? What major are you interested in? What extracurriculars? What type of social life? Do you want to live off campus at some point? Is independent work (ie, thesis) appealing to you. Would you like the option of double majoring?

If you have no preference and can't choose among four different schools, you haven't done enough research.

Fwiw, I knew I wanted Princeton for the emphasis on undergrad education, strength of its humanities depts, small size, and suburban location. I was admitted early. Was also admitted reg decision to other HYS schools but revisits confirmed my impressions regarding fit.

Also, these schools are not "all perfect." (Sibs attended others). They are resource rich and offer some great opportunities, but like all institutions, they have flaws and some students will have an unhappy, tough experience. I knew kids who transferred out and others who were miserable. You need to know what it is you are looking for in your education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HYPS are all perfect. How are you supposed to choose a favorite? Is there strategy, like biggest brand name (Harvard) and target Princeton?

How about by visiting and looking for the best fit? I visited all four, but applied to only one of them (and was admitted/enrolled).

They're all very different schools. The only thing they have in common is the name brand. Clearly you have a lot to learn about finding the perfect fit for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at the numbers. university of Pennsylvania last year admitted 7.9 % of applicants. 3% of them were early admit and the rest were regular admit.

If your kid is likely to get an offer, no harm in putting early admit down for top choice. Otherwise go regular decision and save the early admit for a non-ivy.

I think you are mistaken with the 3% of admits coming early. I believe they admit most of their class early.

[Anonymous]

Yeah those numbers are way off; more than half of Penn's class is from early decision.