Is he dead set on EDing somewhere? He’s got some really great schools on his list, might he want to see who offers him the sweetest deal and who he’s most excited about once the acceptances come through? My daughter is a few weeks into her freshman year at William & Mary as a chem major, and her stats are similar to your son’s. W&M was not her top choice going into application season, but she liked it enough to still want to apply. Didn’t think she’d end up there. She was accepted as a Monroe Scholar, which is not like a full honors college but does come with some merit aid and nice perks. She had great schools to choose from but when we went for accepted students’ weekend, her decision was clear. She absolutely loves it. She has found her people, and they are everywhere. I absolutely love it, and can’t wait to go down for family weekend. Any of the schools on his list could be perfect for him, yet there’s no way to know whether any one school will be the perfect one for him. If he’s dead set on applying ED, have him look at the curricula at both schools, what classes are offered in chem and other subjects, and what research the professors are working on. Look at the academic calendars; semester vs trimester didn’t seem like a major differentiator when we were first looking, but it does have a real world effect once you’re a student. Hope you and he are enjoying senior year!
Thank you so much for this! I really wish he would just do RD and, as you suggest, see what choices he ends up with among the great schools on his list. I love hearing that your daughter is finding W&M to be such a wonderful fit. It felt like a happy, vibrant, intellectually stimulating place when we visited.
Unfortunately, my son does seem pretty set on EDing. I think the counselor at his school is strongly advising that students ED in order to boost their chances. Right now he thinks he’ll ED to either Brown or Bowdoin. Since acceptance rates are so low at those schools, maybe he will end up having the chance to see what choices materialize with the remaining schools on the list. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences with me!
To me this is an issue. He started Carleton. Now Brown. At 17 why lock them in ? When you look at what % get in RD it’s very different than % of class. People think - half was from ED so a similar amount gets in RD.
NO
Many more get in RD. A similar amount enroll.
ED is ok but when someone is 17, their mind changes as your son’s already has. He’s not shut out by not EDing. Brown itself says -
Please do not assume that your admission chances are improved by applying under the Early Decision plan. The Board of Admission makes the same decisions under Early Decision that it would under the Regular Decision plan.
Just FYI, Brown explicitly states that there is no advantage to ED. The acceptance rate might be a little higher because of hooked candidates (including athletes), but they state that a candidate who doesn’t get in ED would be just as likely to be denied in RD.
ED can reduce stress in senior year though. If successful! Has he visited both Bowdoin and Brown? The locations are quite different. My son went to Brown and loved it. My uncle taught at Bowdoin. I would think this choice might come down to “vibe.”
I’ve been following along because my D26 has a lot of crossover in her interests and list of schools, and there have been some great suggestions on this thread. My D23 ED’d to Brown as a non-URM, unhooked kid and is currently there and loves it. He’s trying to convince his sister to ED to her top choice because he said it makes senior year a lot more enjoyable and less stressful, but she’s stuck on RD to have options. Brown honestly seems like a great fit for your son. My kid took an intro music theory class last year and was blown away at the talent among his classmates, most of whom were non-music majors. Many of his friends are very accomplished musicians who aren’t music majors, but they all attend concerts and are involved in music outside of class. Your son can always ED1 to Brown, and ED2 to Bowdoin (or vice versa). Best of luck- I’m certain he will thrive no matter where he ends up!
I don’t think Brown offers ED2 but the OP can check. It sounds like (as of now) Brown will be the ED1 choice anyway.
My history major daughter went to a flagship, but only 10k students. Most of her history classes were limited to 24 students. She knew all of her professors. She went to the wedding of 2 of them and invited all of them to her wedding. Some majors just are designed for small classes.
Sure she had big classes (and even taught them when she was a TA), but she knew the teachers and students that she made it a priority to know.
Other daughter went to an engineering school of about 4000. She, too, knew all her professors (worked for one) and got referrals for jobs when she needed them. She is NOT a social person (other daughter is very social) but she made it work.
They both wanted smaller schools and we looked at some. They weren’t right for our budget and in the end both wished they’d gone to bigger schools to have more selection in courses and other opportunities (clubs, events, majors, sports). It all worked out.
I can definitely see the advantages of not having to stress about college stuff after mid-November–if ED is successful. I also see the advantages of having some choices if applying RD–and that waiting a bit longer can allow for more evolution of clarity about fit (as tbsna44 suggests above). So great that your son loved Brown! We have a family member who’s there now and loving it. My son is going to go to class and hang out with him in a couple of weeks. We’ve visited Bowdoin. They’re definitely different, but my son also really feels he could be happy at a variety of schools.
To throw another wrinkle in…today my son was singing the praises of Tufts’ chemistry program.
Thank you for this! I can totally see him loving the music-related experiences your son has at Brown. Wishing your daughter the very best with her process!
Part of me wishes there were just one deadline for applications. There are so many decisions to make!
Every time ED comes up, there is a chorus of “just RD if you are struggling “. There is validity in that - you’ll get to compare financial offers, you’ll get to visit for admitted student days, etc.
On the flip side, you’re still going to choose just one - either now in the fall or later in the spring. For the student who’s attracted to several schools, there is always going to be the path not chosen, as well as being quite happy where you land. The key is the latter.
Just throwing that out there for perspective.
Good wisdom! Thank you!
Tufts has a very active music department (for all majors). My kid applied to 4 schools and Tufts and Brown were two of tthem.
That’s great to hear!
Wanted to give an update: After a fabulous visit with a relative who’s there now, my son decided to apply ED to Brown and has submitted his application. He’s also applied EA to Oberlin, Macalester, and St. Olaf. The rest of the schools on the list will be RD. He still really likes Bowdoin, but after visiting Brown, he thought Bowdoin might feel a bit too small. He really liked the “buzz” of a medium sized university and the sense of so much going on. He liked the sense of intellectual aliveness, with students discussing ideas on their way to class (which of course is in no way limited to Brown!). He also just got a sense of why Brown is sometimes called the “Happy Ivy”. The students he interacted with were friendly, welcoming, and seemed to be loving their Brown experience. Chances are slim, but we’ll see! And he has a good, balanced list with many schools he can see himself being happy attending.
Will he still apply to Bowdoin RD ?
If he likes the mid size, will he look at schools like Rochester and Tufts / Emory / Vandy etc?
The LACs mentioned are a tad bigger but not big.
Congrats to him on finding a clear favorite.
Yes! He’ll apply RD to Bowdoin, Carleton, Vassar, Tufts, University of Rochester, and William & Mary. He already applied (rolling decision) to Pitt but hasn’t heard back yet.
Even though he is leaning toward medium-sized, he can still see himself at an LAC. He goes to a small high school, so even a college of 1800 will feel big to him, at least at first. Thanks for all your thoughts and encouragement!
Since he really likes Brown, I think that you might find this linked article helpful, “Schools Similar to Brown University”. Some like Rochester are already on your list. Given that he seemed to respond to the buzz of a medium size university, I want to highlight that Wesleyan which is described in the article as “essentially like Brown’s slightly smaller identical twin”, at 3000 students + a few hundred grad students, is large for a liberal arts college and might be closer to bringing that buzz than smaller LACs which are sub-2000 in enrollment.
Happy to hear this! In August I posted this:
I really hope he can visit Brown. My son did an overnight there and ended up attending and was spectacularly happy there (STEM). He still lives and works with Brown folks: strong alumni network. Beautiful campus, love Thayer Street, quirky and cooperative vibe, academics excellent without required core, strong advising. Music department is small but vibrant.
So glad your son liked it and fingers crossed for him. Music will help!
Now that DC has decided on their ED choice, I’m wondering whether it would be a good time to reconsider Wesleyan for RD? Things appear to have shifted since last August and we’re no longer comparing Middletown, CT to a small town in Maine or even Oberlin, OH, but to Providence, the state capital of Rhode Island. It’s smaller and certainly quieter, but on the “How Many Times a Day Do You Hear a Siren?“ scale, it ranks right up there 
(Wesleyan is three blocks from the county hospital.) Add 3,000 students heading to and from classes, studying in unexpected nooks and crannies, and occupying the side streets in the form of university-owned, wood-frame houses - and I think you will find plenty of buzz.