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

[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.

We visited all but Stanford too. My child is looking for a very specific major (chemical engineering). We met with several professors, some students from the very same program that my child is interested and now in the process of meeting with some of the alumnies. That really helped the child to narrow down to one favorite college.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe not one person has mentioned SCEA (Selective Choice Early Action).

[Anonymous]

The hardest college to get into in the US is Stanford with an overall admission rate of 4.6%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Pennsylvania had the most competitive applications this year out of ALL US colleges

Not for ED. That school has clear bias to certain students.

What do you mean by this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The person is using what might be % of applicants accepted out of the total applying pool (ie. they take half of the class early, and they took the admittance rate & cut in half for this number...) Ie. as a Penn grad, just using that critical thinking. Anyway, also as a Penn grad, I applied and got in early - being swayed that I would have such higher odds of getting in early (which I'm sure I did)... but I honestly feel like I lost for winning, since the school wasn't a great fit for me (great school is many ways, overall did well there, etc, but definitely not the best fit for me). So, advice would be think about what types of school are a good fit as well as trying to improve your odds if you go with any early "strategy."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Pennsylvania had the most competitive applications this year out of ALL US colleges

Why? That was the joke of the Ivies not that long ago.

By 'not that long ago,' you mean 1989. Like when Taylor Swift was born.