Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:but EA, just throw the app in since you aren't bound by it.

This. EA does not increase chances by much, but what have you got to lose?
EA applicant can also be deferred to regular admission, so she won't necessarily get her answer sooner.

University of MD told our touring group that 75% of their freshman class comes from EA applicants.

EA is nice since she will hear early. DD applied EA to oos publics (10 in all) She heard from one in Nov, one in Dec, one in Jan, and so on. It was lovely really. Merit money at some schools, a lot at one, none at several. I think applying early mattered for the merit aid. She chose the U offering her a 1/2 scholarship for 4yrs. The had not visited before applying. We went in January (cool,lots of snow) Wanted to make sure she would handle the snow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:but EA, just throw the app in since you aren't bound by it.

This. EA does not increase chances by much, but what have you got to lose?
EA applicant can also be deferred to regular admission, so she won't necessarily get her answer sooner.

Whoa, Nellie. You may have something to lose. You need to do your research. BC, for example, made it clear in their info session that in their Early Action round they do not usually defer, they deny. The kids accepted EA are the most qualified. Some students who would be competitive in the regular decision round, end up being denied at EA and cannot reply that year. They were very clear about this.

Anonymous wrote:EA does very much increase the chance of admittance to many schools...you can look at some of those big college books at a bookstore to get percentages and you can get some free data off off US News' online website. Also, check with your school counselor and don't rely on incorrect DCUM information by previous poster.

Georgetown's EA rates are lower than RD because their EA isn't binding

ED helps because they want to accept applicants who will definitely attend, and applicants commit to attending with ED. The downside is that you have to commit but if you really are certain, its nice to get it out of the way and to have that edge. EA doesn't have that benefit for the schools but it is nice to have a school in the bag. There's no downside to applying EA.

Elon and Va Tech, for example have very high ED acceptance rates (70%+),whereas u Miami, for example, has a much lower that regular decision rate (23% vs 35%). This dada is all available for each school.

Anonymous wrote:EA does very much increase the chance of admittance to many schools...you can look at some of those big college books at a bookstore to get percentages and you can get some free data off off US News' online website. Also, check with your school counselor and don't rely on incorrect DCUM information by previous poster.

EA doesn't, ED does. Single choice EA might be a hook but we were told at least at Georgetown that it is not. You need to be careful with the stats if it's a school with recruited athletes as they will mostly be required to apply ED/EA and because they are already guaranteed admission it will skew the stats. At least that's what we were told at a couple of info sessions. That will impact smaller schools more than large schools since athletes will be a bigger part of the pool at smaller schools.

We love EA. Applied to one school. ONE. DC got in early December - no more fuss! no more essays! Christmas wasn't ruined! Do it. But if you apply to only one and that is your top choice, be sure to say it in the essay and have your letters say it also. The schools want to increase their "yield" numbers for U.S. New & World Report.

As far as I can tell, EA (rather than ED or single choice EA) lets in pretty much the same students it would in regular decision. If an applicant is borderline, they will usually be deferred to the regular admission pool anyway. The main advantage I see to applying EA is that if you know you got in somewhere early on, it relieves some of the anxiety that comes with waiting until the spring. A lot of kids have the fear that they will be rejected everywhere they apply, and just knowing they have somewhere to go, even if it's not their first choice, can be reassuring.

EA does very much increase the chance of admittance to many schools...you can look at some of those big college books at a bookstore to get percentages and you can get some free data off off US News' online website. Also, check with your school counselor and don't rely on incorrect DCUM information by previous poster.

Anonymous wrote:but EA, just throw the app in since you aren't bound by it.

This. EA does not increase chances by much, but what have you got to lose?
EA applicant can also be deferred to regular admission, so she won't necessarily get her answer sooner.

OP again. She's not going to be applying to very top schools. I meant 50th percentile for that school's acceptance stats.

You can find a chart that lists acceptance rates at each phase of the application process. Colleges vary. I've reviewed it many times but I don't have it just now to post. It's very interesting.

if she's a white girl that's unhooked, forget about getting in at a very top school if she's at the 50th percentile.

the percentile breakdowns for stats are USELESS for the most part because those stats are for the whole class and include URM data, recruited athletes, and other hooked students.

but EA, just throw the app in since you aren't bound by it.

My DD is a junior, so we're just wading into the college application process. I'm looking toward next fall at this time. Is she any more likely to be accepted if she applies EA to schools where she may be teetering on the border of their average GPA and scores? I don't think we want to be tied to ED, but does that offer any advantage in acceptance rates?