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!