Stats: Connecticut resident
1440 SAT
Asian
4.0 GPA, 13 AP classes taken including senior year, 5s on all AP exams
Intended major: Computer Science (1st), Aerospace Engineering (2nd), Computer Engineering (3rd, if AE is not offered).
Question: Which of the following schools should I EA to given my stats and the fact that I’m going for some of the most competitive majors? Here’s my admission plan to far:
MIT - RD
CMU - RD
Johns Hopkins - RD
UConn - EA
Rutgers - EA
Purdue - EA
UMD - EA
Georgia Tech - EA
UMass Amherst - EA
RPI - EA
Virginia Tech - EA
UIUC - EA
Is it necessary to EA to Virginia Tech, RPI, UIUC, or Georgia Tech given the info above?
I would recommend applying EA whenever it is possible with the following exceptions:
-An applicant feels his/her application will become stronger over time (ex. the applicant expects a significant award or achievement between the EA and RD application due dates, wants to show grade improvement, the applicant wants to improve standardized test scores and can’t retake until EA deadline is past, etc.);
-The he applicant will not have sufficient time to thoughtfully complete an application by the EA deadline;
-It is not allowed under the terms of a REA application to another school.
Agree that it is generally best to apply EA where possible (which includes MIT).
Some schools fill up most of their class or popular majors in EA, resulting in RD becoming significantly more selective. The same may also apply to merit scholarships at some schools.
Also, EA admissions that are affordable may allow you to eliminate some RD applications to schools that you will not choose over those affordable EA admissions. But if you get shut out of EA applications, that may be a warning to shift your RD applications to include some less selective schools.
I meant for those schools, where must I EA due to the selectivity of the program?
I know for Purdue, UMD, I must EA or else I’m not getting the program of my choice.
MIT, CMU, and JHU don’t really care about ED vs. RD. For CMU, JHU, and Brown, they only offer ED and RD, no EA. So I kind of have to RD to those places as I’m EDing to Cornell.
But for the schools listed above, where must I EA given the selectivity of my programs? Also want thoughts on UW-Madison
This is also true for CS at UIUC (7% CS acceptance rate, likely lower for OOS students), GA tech (not sure CS acceptance rates), and Va Tech. I would expect RPI to be a highly likely for you, but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t get that app in EA…your common app will be done and RPI has no supplemental essays for CS AFAIK (same goes for any of your EA schools that don’t have supplemental essays.)
So Hopkins gives a bigger “bump,” even in the aggregate… and if you’re considering applying to CS at CMU, that acceptance rate is quite a bit lower.
Plus, it sounded like your financial aid forecast at JHU was notably better than at CMU, so Hopkins looks like the winner all around unless you truly don’t like it as well.
No it won’t. The essays can be different for schools…but often can be tweaked. Our kids decided to do all of their applications at the same time…rather than put off doing some. They were both grateful to have this all done by mid-October!
You’ll want to apply EA to UMass especially for CS. Umass allows selecting a First choice major and a backup in case for ex. You’re not accepted to CS but admitted to the engineering college. Best of luck you should have some great options to choose from.