<p>“So basically I think that the students who think they have to apply ED because it improves their “chances” are buying into a myth.”</p>
<p>During an info session we were actually told,point blank to our faces, that it does clearly improve one’s chances, by an admissions officer at another selective LAC. The experience of my own family leads me to the opinion that this holds equally true at Barnard. My D1, with 2310 & other stuff, applied RD there & was waitlisted, while D2, a less outstanding candidate (though still quite great), applied ED and got in. This is of course just anecdotal, without really reading all the applications to judge their true character one does not have sufficient inside insight to say for sure. But when an adcom, who does read all those applications and has that insight, point blank tells me something that takes it out of “myth” realm, as for that school anyway, to me at least.</p>
<p>There are a number of schools where the published admitted % numbers tilt very strongly towards ED candidates, vs. RD. There are all sorts of rationalizations one might use to explain away this discrepancy, if you are really on a mission to maintain one’s “myth” thesis, despite the %s. But the %s are not myths.</p>
<p>This does not of course mean anyone “has” to apply ED. It just may increase the odds of admission.You may well still get in anyway, in RD. My own speculation is that D1 would have been accepted, not waitlisted, had she applied ED. But of course we’ll never know.</p>
<p>However, if FA is going to be part of your decision, ED is simply not a great option. In which case you will probably need to forego any potential admissions bump via ED. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any.</p>
<p>BTW D2 <em>did</em> think Barnard would provide her with a qualitatively somewhat different experience than dozens of other schools would, in ways that she felt were important to her. At the time she wanted to mix liberal arts with the best available dance program. She was not equally interested in dozens of other colleges. While hardly “dream school” status, she did have a clear preference that made ED reasonable for her, at the time. As it happens, things have changed since then. But back then, there was no place else that she felt was an equal or better choice for her. </p>
<p>Most schools have their own unique features, that can make them not completely interchangable with dozens of others to particular applicants. If money is an issue, holding on to these particular aspects may be luxuries that one cannot afford. But that’s a different issue.</p>