Parents of Juniors: learn from us and ED if able

[Anonymous]

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.

Not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you can only ED at one school?
What if you ED at a reach and get waitlisted there?

Right. ED is binding. If you get waitlisted, pick an ED2 school
threats ranked a little lower.

But then what happens to your ED1 choice if they finally decide to admit you? Does the waitlist/deferred status cancel the obligation to attend the first school?

If the ED school defers you, you move to the RD pool so there is no longer a binding agreement. If they reject you in the ED round well you have your answer sooner and can focus on other options. Also while you can only apply to one school ED, you need to check if that school allows you to apply to early action and rolling admission schools as well (not only RD) so you have a backup plan if you get deferred or rejected. You would not want to delay getting in your UMD application by the Nov 1 EA deadline (where they fill 90% of their class) by waiting to find out in mid-December if you were admitted to your ED choice.

I give the same advice as the OP to parents of juniors, if you run the Net Price Calculator for that low-reach college that your child really wants to attend (and they are sure) and you are okay with paying that price, have them apply ED and get that admissions boost.

Not sure if that statement is accurate. I don't think there are any restrictions on applying to other schools non-ED. However, once you get admitted ED, you will have to withdraw those applications.

There are no restrictions with applying. Just that anyone admitted ED must immediately remove all other applications (ED2, EA, RD, etc)

Big restriction is you can only do it at one school.

[Anonymous]

Our plan for kid #1 was ED1 to his dream school (an Ivy). He was denied ED1, so we did ED2 at a reach and EA at his favorite match. He was denied at the ED2 school and accepted for EA at his match. He then did several RD applications for reaches, which were a mix of denials and acceptances. He ultimately decided to go with his EA school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our plan for kid #1 was ED1 to his dream school (an Ivy). He was denied ED1, so we did ED2 at a reach and EA at his favorite match. He was denied at the ED2 school and accepted for EA at his match. He then did several RD applications for reaches, which were a mix of denials and acceptances. He ultimately decided to go with his EA school.

I think OP is suggesting that you should have foreseen the denial from your ED1 ivy and instead of ED2 to the reach ED1 there while the strongest competition is tied up applying for Ivys.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our plan for kid #1 was ED1 to his dream school (an Ivy). He was denied ED1, so we did ED2 at a reach and EA at his favorite match. He was denied at the ED2 school and accepted for EA at his match. He then did several RD applications for reaches, which were a mix of denials and acceptances. He ultimately decided to go with his EA school.

I think OP is suggesting that you should have foreseen the denial from your ED1 ivy and instead of ED2 to the reach ED1 there while the strongest competition is tied up applying for Ivys.

That's a good strategy. He really, really wanted to apply ED1 to the Ivy, though.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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%.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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?

Not the PP, but a full pay male is a desirable applicant at schools that struggle to achieve a 50/50 m/f balance. Think this is particularly the case at a number of LACs.

[Anonymous]

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.

Is this true about recruited athletes? I've always thought they are included in the ED numbers which means they are not as good as they seem for non athletes.

[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.

You bring up an interesting point - college office says ED long shot no longer works. I took that to mean don’t bother if you are below the stats 25%. However, others took it to mean ED doesn’t help much if you are at schools with less than 5% admit rate. And others went another way, and thought it could still help if you were marginal ( say had lower test score but string GPA or higher stats but standard ECs).

Seems like this board has thoughts and experience on this. FWIW, my kid is high stats (top 5% of class, I would guess, and 35 ACT but pretty standard ECs - president of lower-known club, varsity athlete with all conference and some very minor award). So I figure Yale, his self-identified dream school, is out but wondering about the next level down, which he is still exploring.

[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.

What is the penalty, if any, if you refuse to accept an acceptance at a ED and go elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the penalty, if any, if you refuse to accept an acceptance at a ED and go elsewhere?

None