Parents of Juniors: learn from us and ED if able

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple of posts say that ED1 gives more of a bump than ED2. For some reason this feels instinctually right to me. However, school counselors and even the schools themselves say there is no difference between ED1 and ED2. Anyone have facts to support that ED1 is better than ED2?

It’s just one school, but here’s a detailed article about Wesleyan’s ED cycles this year: http://wesleyanargus.com/2022/02/24/university-admits-473-students-into-class-of-2026-before-regular-decision/

ED1 acceptance rate was 44%; ED2 was 31%.

It is obvious. The strongest kids apply for HYPSM first so they are not in ED1. After they get deferred from HYPSM and other top10 they join ED2 crowd. So the competition becomes a lot more intense

I’m not sure that’s quite right. The kids applying early to top 10 schools and getting deferred (not rejected) are unlikely to apply to Wesleyan binding in ED2. I mean, I’m sure there’s some of that (particularly among Brown ED deferrals/rejections), but I think it’s more likely that they fill more of their ED pool in ED1 and then have fewer ED slots in ED2. The sooner they can lock students in, the better, from their perspective, so they lock as many as they can in in December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are able financially to ED, please don’t be like us and think “naaaah I’m just gonna see where all DC gets in and make a decision then.” Pick a reasonable target (maybe a low reach) where your kid would be happy and ED there. Because what’s left over in April when you’ll have all your options is … the next tier down.

People told us don’t do it, don’t pass on the chance to ED. We thought naaaahhh that doesn’t apply to DS. He has high stats and doesn’t have a clear favorite. DS does have choices, but not ones as good as he could have had if he had picked in November and EDd. There just aren’t many spots left for RD after the top colleges have filled up with ED.

Quite obvious you still don't have a grasp on the admissions process. Schools ranked a little lower aren't always easier to get into. For instance Notre Dame a top 20 has a 13% acceptance rate while Tufts a top 30 has a 9 % acceptance rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ED1 - Dream school with a reasonable chance.

ED2 - Target.

EA - everything else.

That is about the safest way to do it to maximize satisfaction.

Most schools do not have ED2 and the ones that do aren't Targets. Do Uchicago, Emory , Vanderbilt, WashU, CMU sound like targets? Maybe BC and Northeastern but DCUM would not be satisfied with those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ED1 - Dream school with a reasonable chance.

ED2 - Target.

EA - everything else.

That is about the safest way to do it to maximize satisfaction.

Which doesn't work for the vast majority of schools my Dc applied to because they only had ED and RD.

Lots of schools only offer ED/RD, not just the ones your DC is applying to. Both of my DCs did ED1. One had selected an ED2, if necessary. The other was thinking they would roll to RD. Both of them picked a range of schools, intentionally including some that offered EA. While both got in early decision, I think I would've suggested that both pick a rolling decision school if I had been more on it.

The other wrinkle is tht DC's first choice has only RD, so ED to anywhere else meant giving up the dream school if ED worked out.

So I would suggest that DC try to find one or two schools that offer EA, so DC goes into RD with the possibility of having one or two admissions. If your DC attends a school where the majority of students are already in somewhere through ED/EA, it can be fairly overwhelming going into RD with nothing. Happened to one of my DC's BFFs, who ended up WLed at reaches and yield protected rejected @ Emory, Tufts, Wash U, etc. Fortunately one came through, but it was nerve-wracking.

Yeild protected??! Lol some of you are so entitled. You're children just aren't that impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ED1 - Dream school with a reasonable chance.

ED2 - Target.

EA - everything else.

That is about the safest way to do it to maximize satisfaction.

Most schools do not have ED2 and the ones that do aren't Targets. Do Uchicago, Emory , Vanderbilt, WashU, CMU sound like targets? Maybe BC and Northeastern but DCUM would not be satisfied with those schools.

ED 2 schools are targets for many: https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/early-decision-ii/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are able financially to ED, please don’t be like us and think “naaaah I’m just gonna see where all DC gets in and make a decision then.” Pick a reasonable target (maybe a low reach) where your kid would be happy and ED there. Because what’s left over in April when you’ll have all your options is … the next tier down.

People told us don’t do it, don’t pass on the chance to ED. We thought naaaahhh that doesn’t apply to DS. He has high stats and doesn’t have a clear favorite. DS does have choices, but not ones as good as he could have had if he had picked in November and EDd. There just aren’t many spots left for RD after the top colleges have filled up with ED.

Quite obvious you still don't have a grasp on the admissions process. Schools ranked a little lower aren't always easier to get into. For instance Notre Dame a top 20 has a 13% acceptance rate while Tufts a top 30 has a 9 % acceptance rate.

Overall acceptance rate doesn't tell you as much about how hard it is for a particular student with a particular set of stats to get into a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are able financially to ED, please don’t be like us and think “naaaah I’m just gonna see where all DC gets in and make a decision then.” Pick a reasonable target (maybe a low reach) where your kid would be happy and ED there. Because what’s left over in April when you’ll have all your options is … the next tier down.

People told us don’t do it, don’t pass on the chance to ED. We thought naaaahhh that doesn’t apply to DS. He has high stats and doesn’t have a clear favorite. DS does have choices, but not ones as good as he could have had if he had picked in November and EDd. There just aren’t many spots left for RD after the top colleges have filled up with ED.

Quite obvious you still don't have a grasp on the admissions process. Schools ranked a little lower aren't always easier to get into. For instance Notre Dame a top 20 has a 13% acceptance rate while Tufts a top 30 has a 9 % acceptance rate. [/q]

Glass houses, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is an unhooked, no sport, no legacy, white male who applied ED and got in. I know ED and full pay helped him.

How do you know that?

His stats were below the midlines in the CDS.

I’m guessing he wasn’t applying for engineering or CS. Males applying to humanities or schools of arts and sciences, etc, have an enormous advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is an unhooked, no sport, no legacy, white male who applied ED and got in. I know ED and full pay helped him.

How do you know that?

His stats were below the midlines in the CDS.

I’m guessing he wasn’t applying for engineering or CS. Males applying to humanities or schools of arts and sciences, etc, have an enormous advantage.

Business. Zero interest in anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are able financially to ED, please don’t be like us and think “naaaah I’m just gonna see where all DC gets in and make a decision then.” Pick a reasonable target (maybe a low reach) where your kid would be happy and ED there. Because what’s left over in April when you’ll have all your options is … the next tier down.

People told us don’t do it, don’t pass on the chance to ED. We thought naaaahhh that doesn’t apply to DS. He has high stats and doesn’t have a clear favorite. DS does have choices, but not ones as good as he could have had if he had picked in November and EDd. There just aren’t many spots left for RD after the top colleges have filled up with ED.

Thanks for your post. To sum it up, you have to be financially loaded and unconcerned about aid and your kid will have the best shot in college application selection.

We're not loaded. If the numbers don't work, they'll go elsewhere.

We're not loaded, just middle class (100k HHI in NoVA, family of 4) and the Net Price Calculator for our ED1 school was accurate and so we knew that it would be affordable with financial aid. Our kid had a list of schools, we looked up the NPC for each, and we also looked at potential merit aid offers at each school (most schools list the possibilities and how many are offered and we knew our kids rough standing vs their usual applicants etc) and made a financially informed decision that DS would prefer to go to his top choice-- and we could afford what the NPC told us--over going to the schools that might have offered more merit. In the end, DS also got some merit at his ED1 school which meant he took out less in loans.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the concept of ED at your favorite high target, not a true reach with a slim chance of admission, as long as you’re full pay. If you kid is hoping for Amherst/Williams then has targets of bowdoin, middlebury, tufts, Hamilton…. ed at tufts or Hamilton - your kid will be happy there and the rest of their senior year will be more enjoyable and you don’t be dealing with all the stress and mental breakdowns for the second half of the year. Not ED may mean your kid ends up at a bates/Colby or god forbid trinity/conn coll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ED1 - Dream school with a reasonable chance.

ED2 - Target.

EA - everything else.

That is about the safest way to do it to maximize satisfaction.

Which doesn't work for the vast majority of schools my Dc applied to because they only had ED and RD.

Lots of schools only offer ED/RD, not just the ones your DC is applying to. Both of my DCs did ED1. One had selected an ED2, if necessary. The other was thinking they would roll to RD. Both of them picked a range of schools, intentionally including some that offered EA. While both got in early decision, I think I would've suggested that both pick a rolling decision school if I had been more on it.

The other wrinkle is tht DC's first choice has only RD, so ED to anywhere else meant giving up the dream school if ED worked out.

So I would suggest that DC try to find one or two schools that offer EA, so DC goes into RD with the possibility of having one or two admissions. If your DC attends a school where the majority of students are already in somewhere through ED/EA, it can be fairly overwhelming going into RD with nothing. Happened to one of my DC's BFFs, who ended up WLed at reaches and yield protected rejected @ Emory, Tufts, Wash U, etc. Fortunately one came through, but it was nerve-wracking.

Yeild protected??! Lol some of you are so entitled. You're children just aren't that impressive.

+1. Your DC’s BFF was rejected at those schools not because of yield protection, but because he’s not qualified. Those are top notch schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ED1 - Dream school with a reasonable chance.

ED2 - Target.

EA - everything else.

That is about the safest way to do it to maximize satisfaction.

Which doesn't work for the vast majority of schools my Dc applied to because they only had ED and RD.

Lots of schools only offer ED/RD, not just the ones your DC is applying to. Both of my DCs did ED1. One had selected an ED2, if necessary. The other was thinking they would roll to RD. Both of them picked a range of schools, intentionally including some that offered EA. While both got in early decision, I think I would've suggested that both pick a rolling decision school if I had been more on it.

The other wrinkle is tht DC's first choice has only RD, so ED to anywhere else meant giving up the dream school if ED worked out.

So I would suggest that DC try to find one or two schools that offer EA, so DC goes into RD with the possibility of having one or two admissions. If your DC attends a school where the majority of students are already in somewhere through ED/EA, it can be fairly overwhelming going into RD with nothing. Happened to one of my DC's BFFs, who ended up WLed at reaches and yield protected rejected @ Emory, Tufts, Wash U, etc. Fortunately one came through, but it was nerve-wracking.

Yeild protected??! Lol some of you are so entitled. You're children just aren't that impressive.

Learn to read the posts you reply to, and if possible, to spell and use "your" when that is what you mean. And you are mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that ED is worth a shot, if merit aid isn't a deciding factor.

However, it is far from a sure thing. If you pull recruited athletes and legacies out of the ED numbers, acceptance rates are better than RD, but not nearly as good as the raw numbers look.

One interesting example was that Vanderbilt accidentally published their ED1 numbers separately from ED2 (they usually combine them), and, if you did the math with the final numbers, you could see that the ED2 acceptance rate wasn't much, if any, better than RD.

Recruited athletes aren’t considered ED. They are in their own category.

Recruitment itself is a separate process, but at every school I’m aware of, recruited athletes apply ED.

https://www.collegezoom.com/early/early-decision-early-action/

Which matters A LOT at SLACS where varsity athletes make up 25-30% of the student body. But at mid sized schools like Vanderbilt and BC (just to name 2 that are mentioned above), varsity athletes make up, what, 6-7% of students. Even if the entire population of athletes are admitted early, it wouldn’t account for their disparate in ED vs RD acceptance rates.

But the question is not what % of the overall student body are athletes, it's what % of the ED pool are athletes? It doesn't make up for the disparate rates completely (and no one is claiming that). However, it does mean the disparate rates aren't as good as they may look.

Because Vandy released the EDI numbers separately, it's an interesting case study.

The overall Vandy ED acceptance rate was 17.6%
For RD, the acceptance rate was 4.7% (1,964 accepted out of 41,610 applicants)

That's a big difference.

However:

For EDI, Vandy had 2,700 applications and accepted 650 for a 24.1% admissions rate.
For ED2, Vandy accepted 250 students for a 10.3% acceptance rate

There's a bigger difference between the EDI and EDII admissions rate than there is between the overall ED and RD rates.

Vandy has about 400 varsity athletes in all sports. Assume they admit 100 a year (although that's probably low, since some athletes drop out of their sports as time goes on).
According to Vandy, the ED ##s also include Questbridge students, and it looks like there were 30 this year.
Vandy also admits about 55 students a year to the Blair Music school, which is by audition.

So, if you remove 185 students from the numbers for EDI, you have 2,515 students applying and 465 accepted. For those students, the acceptance rate was 18.5%.

That doesn't account for legacies. The best data I can find is that about 15% of Vanderbilt students are legacies. Vanderbilt admitted 2,865 students for the class of 2026, and 15% of that number would be 429. Of course, not every admitted legacy will attend, so the actual legacy admitted number would be higher. But how many apply ED? Who knows? However, if only half of the number of legacies that attend were accepted ED, that would make the non-hooked ED1 number 2300 applying and 250 accepted, which is 10.8%, which is almost exactly the ED2 acceptance rate. And that doesn't account for major donors, or any of the other "hooks" that are out there.

The ED rate is still better than RD, but not as much better as it looks, and for all we know, the ED pool may be better qualified, as a group, than the RD pool (and that would be my guess). So, it's worth a shot, but it's not a magic bullet if you're not "hooked."

[Anonymous]

Or check ROTC box. Can get in easily.