<p>I think college admissions folks will tell you that applying ED at most programs does give a student a slight admissions advantage, for a simple reason: the college knows that if the student is accepted, the student is definitely coming there. In other words, the student who is accepted is then sure to accept the school. (Of course, if you don’t have the “goods” – in this case, the talent and the grades/academic record – to get in, then this won’t matter. :))</p>
<p>However (and this is a big “however”) one should only apply ED at any college or university (for MT or for, say, engineering or history or chemistry!) if you are absolutely, positively sure/certain that this is the school to which you want to/are willing to go, and you can afford it. </p>
<p>That means that if your financial aid package is a consideration, applying ED for a program as expensive as is NYU might not be in your best interests, because you essentially have to take whatever they give you, moneywise, and then cannot compare offers from various schools.</p>