MIT or Cornell Early Decision

LeagueofLegends · 08-16-2012, 04:19 PM

Hey so I want to apply to both MIT and Cornell, but I am not sure if I should apply to Cornell Early Decision because I might not get into MIT. Do you think I should take the chance and just apply Regular Decision to Cornell in hopes of getting into MIT because it has been my dream school for so long or should I not take the chance and apply to Cornell Early Decision?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

mathman96 · 08-16-2012, 04:26 PM

I would say it depends on your stats...if you have a decent chance of getting into MIT then you should apply early there

iceui2 · 08-16-2012, 07:05 PM

Applying to Cornell ED would be a pretty big mistake - if you get in you cannot apply anywhere else and you are FORCED to go to Cornell.

On the other hand, you can apply to MIT early. If you get in, congrats. You can still apply to any other school you want to and you are not obliged to matriculate to MIT. If you don't get in, you can still apply to any school you want. No harm done.

So I think the choice is obvious. Only apply to Cornell ED if it is your DREAM SCHOOL (aka if you can go to ANY school in the world, you would choose Cornell). Frankly, I doubt anyone would choose Cornell over MIT.

LeagueofLegends · 08-16-2012, 09:03 PM

Does it make a huge difference in terms of my chances of getting into Cornell if I apply Early Decision?

fourtops · 08-16-2012, 11:34 PM

My S chose Cornell Engineering over MIT. He initially had a strong interest in both schools and was admitted to both, but ultimately felt Cornell was a better fit for him. He has been very happy with his decision.

WongTongTong · 08-16-2012, 11:37 PM

^^ Yeah, it does. Not huge, but considerable difference.

Quote:

Applying to Cornell ED would be a pretty big mistake - if you get in you cannot apply anywhere else and you are FORCED to go to Cornell.

On the other hand, you can apply to MIT early. If you get in, congrats. You can still apply to any other school you want to and you are not obliged to matriculate to MIT. If you don't get in, you can still apply to any school you want. No harm done.

So I think the choice is obvious. Only apply to Cornell ED if it is your DREAM SCHOOL (aka if you can go to ANY school in the world, you would choose Cornell). Frankly, I doubt anyone would choose Cornell over MIT.

I agree with this.

LeagueofLegends · 08-20-2012, 01:00 PM

Thanks guys! Any other opinions?

desk123 · 08-22-2012, 03:08 PM

In case there is a financial reason, most students will choose MIT over Cornell. Several students in our school got admitted by Cornell, but none of them chose to go, all chose instate public schools.

We have one kid chose Duke over Harvard mainly because of full scholarship at Duke and non from Harvard

GES175 · 10-09-2012, 08:38 PM

I am applying to Cornell and MIT early as well. If your dream school is MIT, then you shouldn't apply to Cornell early. In my case, Cornell is my dream school and I would choose it over MIT if I got into both. MIT is very competitive and almost completely focused on engineering, while Cornell is very friendly, diverse, and has a beautiful campus.

molliebatmit · 10-09-2012, 09:31 PM

Quote:

MIT is very competitive and almost completely focused on engineering

You're entitled to whatever preferences you want to have, but I feel compelled to point out that neither of these two things is true.

cursingmonk · 10-09-2012, 09:44 PM

^ MIT's admissions aren't very competitive?

molliebatmit · 10-10-2012, 06:47 AM

Admission is competitive. MIT, the school, is not.

dirkslam41 · 10-10-2012, 06:58 AM

wow I've never heard that before,lol. How can Cornell MAKE you go to its school if you do ED.

WiseGuy · 10-10-2012, 04:15 PM

dirkslam, the early decision application is a binding commitment, so you are required to attend if accepted under ED.

Early Decision | Undergraduate Admissions Office

dirkslam41 · 10-11-2012, 06:41 AM

well many kids apply for early descision from ivy leagues. Like what if you get accepted ED from Harvard, MIT, and Yale?