What is WashU trying to accomplish by adding EA?

[Anonymous]

They already fill half their class via ED. What new goals are they trying to accomplish? To attract kids who otherwise save their ED/SCEA for HYP/T10 schools? Is their plan to reject all the EAs then try to convince applicants to switch to ED2?

UChicago also has ED + EA this but I don't know what they tend to do with their EA applicants. Is it a harder or easier admit than RD?

[Anonymous]

Re capture declining market share, likely from a decline in yeild evidenced from waitlist desperation.

[Anonymous]

I’d assume it’s to increase apps and get apps from very strong students so they can take steps to recruit them. I know UVA has said that their EA pool is the strongest, because that’s where kids who are also applying to HYPSM apply, and I would expect the same will be true at Wash U.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d assume it’s to increase apps and get apps from very strong students so they can take steps to recruit them. I know UVA has said that their EA pool is the strongest, because that’s where kids who are also applying to HYPSM apply, and I would expect the same will be true at Wash U.

How is this different from the scholarship round? Doesn't that act as a defacto EA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re capture declining market share, likely from a decline in yeild evidenced from waitlist desperation.

Who said they have waitlist desperation? Why so dramatic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d assume it’s to increase apps and get apps from very strong students so they can take steps to recruit them. I know UVA has said that their EA pool is the strongest, because that’s where kids who are also applying to HYPSM apply, and I would expect the same will be true at Wash U.

How is this different from the scholarship round? Doesn't that act as a defacto EA?

What is the scholarship round? And also, if that’s a de facto EA maybe it makes sense from a marketing POV to make it a de jure EA.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they'll get a lot of applications from the MIT / Georgetown/ Public EA crowd.

Unless they DO pick up the Chicago norm of deferring (nearly) all EAs and then pushing them to ED2.

[Anonymous]

It helps them create an ED3 round (like UChicago before ED0)…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It helps them create an ED3 round (like UChicago before ED0)…

Not sure wtf you’re talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d assume it’s to increase apps and get apps from very strong students so they can take steps to recruit them. I know UVA has said that their EA pool is the strongest, because that’s where kids who are also applying to HYPSM apply, and I would expect the same will be true at Wash U.

The big difference is that unlike applying SCEA/REA at HYP, you can also apply to a public school EA. Here, you won't be able to apply both to HYP and WashU EA. I don't know what the strategy is. I am guessing since UChicago USC and some other privates offer both ED and EA they think it will be a good thing to do.

[Anonymous]

It’s a highly rejective and highly ranked school. It SHOULD do what it can to ensure it captures the best possible applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d assume it’s to increase apps and get apps from very strong students so they can take steps to recruit them. I know UVA has said that their EA pool is the strongest, because that’s where kids who are also applying to HYPSM apply, and I would expect the same will be true at Wash U.

The big difference is that unlike applying SCEA/REA at HYP, you can also apply to a public school EA. Here, you won't be able to apply both to HYP and WashU EA. I don't know what the strategy is. I am guessing since UChicago USC and some other privates offer both ED and EA they think it will be a good thing to do.

Good point. But some of this is also geography, I suspect. How many schools in the Midwest, admitting at least 1000 freshmen, have ED only, with no EA? At this point I think it’s only Northwestern.

[Anonymous]

Wake added it only for first gen so they could still compare merit offers and not be bound. Maybe that’s what Wash U is doing but it isn’t restricted to a certain population as it is at Wake Forest,

[Anonymous]

Vandy, Emory, Rice, and now Notre Dame have passed WashU in app numbers.
Vandy- 48k
Emory- 43K
Rice- 39k
ND- 36k
WashU- 32k

The only peer school with less apps is Georgetown which will move to the common app and likely pass WashU at minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vandy, Emory, Rice, and now Notre Dame have passed WashU in app numbers.
Vandy- 48k
Emory- 43K
Rice- 39k
ND- 36k
WashU- 32k

The only peer school with less apps is Georgetown which will move to the common app and likely pass WashU at minimum.

+1, pretty sure this is the reason.