Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:12     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:My DC was very similar unhooked high stats kid but with stronger EC's (leadership, couple of national awards). He did not want to ED, had a pretty allergic reaction to it. The discussions around this with him were the most interesting of the college process. Turns out my kid has a totally different risk profile (at least at this age) than his parents. He valued regret minimization (i.e. never knowing what could have been and feeling that he settled) over risk minimization of ED and getting in to say UChicago.
I think the kid has to make the final call but have a serious discussion with them using the negative outcomes of each path, i.e. you get in to your ED but then your friend with lower stats gets in RD to your real dream school or you don't ED and then everyone else gets in and is done, your spend 4 more months in limbo and end up at a school no better than where you probably could have gotten in ED?


NP - nearly every unhooked good stats kids from regular to decent public or private schools (ie not T20 feeders) end up in scenario 2 the PP described above. They all wished they ED (or ED to a more attainable Ivy if they overshot to HYP) or wish they had ED2. These kids don’t typically end up with a miracle T10 accept in RD. The ones who do really well in RD with T10 colleges are the top 5% kids from feeder high schools (private or public like TJ or Stuyvesant).
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:09     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm the high stats poster from a few posts down. I'd also like to know the answer to this question. Does ED matter for UVA or other in-state flagships when student is at the top of scattergram stats?


Yes, it matters a lot for UVA. Likely to be even more important this year with no supplemental essays and an expected uptick in EA and RD applications.


100%
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:07     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:this is why i want them to ed, we will be full pay no matter what, and due to this why not use to our advantage


There is also a clear full pay advantage on the waitlist(I understand the torture of having it go on even longer but I know a kid who was going to UCSD and ended up at Stanford off the WL this year) and possibly in RD as well.
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:05     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:I'm the high stats poster from a few posts down. I'd also like to know the answer to this question. Does ED matter for UVA or other in-state flagships when student is at the top of scattergram stats?


Yes, it matters a lot for UVA. Likely to be even more important this year with no supplemental essays and an expected uptick in EA and RD applications.
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:04     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:My DC was very similar unhooked high stats kid but with stronger EC's (leadership, couple of national awards). He did not want to ED, had a pretty allergic reaction to it. The discussions around this with him were the most interesting of the college process. Turns out my kid has a totally different risk profile (at least at this age) than his parents. He valued regret minimization (i.e. never knowing what could have been and feeling that he settled) over risk minimization of ED and getting in to say UChicago.
I think the kid has to make the final call but have a serious discussion with them using the negative outcomes of each path, i.e. you get in to your ED but then your friend with lower stats gets in RD to your real dream school or you don't ED and then everyone else gets in and is done, your spend 4 more months in limbo and end up at a school no better than where you probably could have gotten in ED?


spot on!--you are absolutely right regret vs maximization--where did he end up? ps kid is president of two stem clubs that are very active, but no national awards
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:03     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:this is why i want them to ed, we will be full pay no matter what, and due to this why not use to our advantage


then you should. its a huge miss on your part.

RD is a bloodbath for oversubscribed majors at T20 (engineering, CS, business, and increasingly some majors like math/bio/pre-med).
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:02     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Smart kid. Better to choose from options than commit to full pay somewhere.
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:01     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
My DC was very similar unhooked high stats kid but with stronger EC's (leadership, couple of national awards). He did not want to ED, had a pretty allergic reaction to it. The discussions around this with him were the most interesting of the college process. Turns out my kid has a totally different risk profile (at least at this age) than his parents. He valued regret minimization (i.e. never knowing what could have been and feeling that he settled) over risk minimization of ED and getting in to say UChicago.
I think the kid has to make the final call but have a serious discussion with them using the negative outcomes of each path, i.e. you get in to your ED but then your friend with lower stats gets in RD to your real dream school or you don't ED and then everyone else gets in and is done, your spend 4 more months in limbo and end up at a school no better than where you probably could have gotten in ED?
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 11:00     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not push a kid to commit/ ED when he is not on board.

The only reason to do so would be to maximize the chances that the kid is accepted at the highest prestige place possible.

Is prestige really your most valued outcome?


i dont but my kid does lol


If that's really your kid's goal, make it clear to him that you (and many others) think that ED could maximize the chances of meeting that goal.

Then let him decide accordingly.
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:59     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
this is why i want them to ed, we will be full pay no matter what, and due to this why not use to our advantage
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:58     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
I feel like you are asking the wrong question. Does the student have one school they absolutely love more than all the others? And do your (or your dc) have the ability to be full pay?

If they do (and you can pay), sure, ED. But if it's just a strategy to get into a T20 that the kid doesn't even like that much, then don't.

Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:56     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Anonymous wrote:I would not push a kid to commit/ ED when he is not on board.

The only reason to do so would be to maximize the chances that the kid is accepted at the highest prestige place possible.

Is prestige really your most valued outcome?


i dont but my kid does lol
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:53     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
I would not push a kid to commit/ ED when he is not on board.

The only reason to do so would be to maximize the chances that the kid is accepted at the highest prestige place possible.

Is prestige really your most valued outcome?
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:51     Subject: Re:high stats-doesnt want to ed
I'm the high stats poster from a few posts down. I'd also like to know the answer to this question. Does ED matter for UVA or other in-state flagships when student is at the top of scattergram stats?
Anonymous
Post 09/30/2025 10:49     Subject: high stats-doesnt want to ed
Im urging kid to ed somewhere but they dont want to--1550/5s in all aps done so far spanish/calcBC/compA/history, 4 in freshman year ap. 4,0 UW, public. IB candidate, no awards . strong leadership in school, no research, no arts/no hooks-wf
does a kid like this need to ED for best option and ED where? wants math/maybe engineering