US Citizen
California
Affluent public high school. Sends lots of kids to T20 every year
Female, white
Hooks for Ivies, but I’m wondering about these state schools in particular
Undecided humanities
4.0 UW, 4.5 W - school doesn’t rank
34 ACT
Heavy schedule, lots of APs and Honors
Your average academically talented kid, but introverted and not out curing cancer and not one to pad their ECs. 2 varsity sports, editor school newspaper, debate, mock trial, mission trips, a couple of random clubs on campus
No financial aid is necessary. Really a flexible kid who can see themselves happy in a lot of places, so where to ED, ED 2, or EA is the question? Will apply to UCLA, Berkeley, but the UC admissions are mercurial…
Safety (certain admission and affordability) UC Merced, Oregon, Arizona
Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable) BU, Fordham
Match Tulane, Boston College, Villanova, WashU, Tufts
Your stats will be good for the schools you are applying to.
You say you can see yourself happy in a lot of places and that financial aid isn’t necessary. You can’t go wrong with any of your options. Whichever school you get accepted to, you will do great but don’t feel down if you get rejected from schools with low acceptance rates. Some ultimately decided to go to other schools other than the Ivy and they are successful now.
There is no need to do this at all, unless you have a strong favorite or strong favorites. Especially be careful with a binding ED, unless you are 100% certain that a school is your top choice and no other acceptance would be as exciting to you. If you want to see what your options are, avoid EDing anywhere. EA is often nonbinding, so that is fine if you want. Just be sure to check that.
I’d also mention that some of your “matches” are actually probably reaches. Tulane is a pretty hard admit these days, as are Boston College and Tufts. I would re-categorize those. Boston University is also hard to call a likely - at best it’s a match, but also might be a reach. Fordham is a solid match.
(On a side note, you list managed to hit all three of my almae matres, which is a rare feat, and certainly makes me root for you ).
I would also categorize BU, Tufts, WashU, Tulane, and BC as reaches because all have below 20% acceptance rates. I defer to your D’s counselor though for categorizing schools.
It’s tough to discern what kind of school your D is looking for as the list is somewhat disparate. That’s ok of course, but I would not recommend applying to 10-12 reaches. It’s a lot of work to do those essays well, your D should try to get as much written as possible this summer. Has she visited these schools?
As for ED, she should only apply if a school becomes her clear first choice. For schools that have EA she should make those deadlines…for example, Tulane RD acceptance rate is extremely low.
Based on the presence of several Jesuit schools on your list, I would also look at Santa Clara for a match and University of San Francisco as a likely.
So assuming you truly don’t care about comparing financial offers, if one of the schools on your list really emerges as your clear favorite and has ED, great, go ahead. If it only has EA (including REA/SCEA), that’s also fine. If you don’t have a clear favorite by the time of the ED I/EA 1/REA/SCEA deadlines and are still exploring, I’d just do whatever packet of EAs and REA/SCEAs is most convenient. If you end up having a college that emerges as a remaining favorite (after learning early outcomes) by the time of ED II, then go ahead.
You have experience with the process, having gone through this before. What is your own take away?
My own observation learned from S24, is recommendation letters play important role. Being different (without trying too hard) also helps.
With D27, we will not be applying to any schools just because, without having some intimate knowledge of the program.
IMO, legacy thing is not helpful unless you have been a ongoing donor and have made some secret list. Otherwise the big thing with legacy is being ale to share some obscure facts about the school which makes you seem more interested.
You listed many schools. How much do you know about them to be able to write the “why us” and “why you” essays? And that brings the last but most important piece: the essays. That is probably why many high stat kids get rejected. We have no way to know what those kids wrote unless they post them. Most parents also don’t get to read their kids’ essays.
Your kid has good stats.
Essays
rec letters
research more about each of the schools
These line items should keep her busy for the summer.
By the way, I agree some of your matches look more like more reaches to me, and Tufts and Tulane are also frequently (and somewhat plausibly) accused of yield protection, meaning they will reject non-binding kids with really high numbers their yield models predict are very likely to choose somewhere else.
Up to you, but I think if you like the Ivy-type mid-size strong-humanities colleges, like Yale, Brown, Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, WUSTL, and Georgetown, there are some less reachy versions of that model which are popular applications among such kids in our feederish HS. Notable options would include Rochester, William & Mary, and Wake Forest.
Basically these sorts of colleges are not quite as overwhelmed with applications as their otherwise peers in more popular locations like Boston, New York, Chicago, California, or so on, which means you have to have good academic qualifications but then your odds if you meet those standards can be significantly better. And while they may want some demonstrated interest, they don’t seem to yield protect as much. Indeed, they might try to win you instead by offering merit and such (Rochester in particular has a quite robust merit program).
Just a thought, but I think it can pay to look outside the most popular few locations for schools like this.
California public universities do not have EA or ED.
In general, when non-restrictive EA is offered, apply EA, since some colleges fill up their classes or popular majors early. The same goes for rolling admission schools.
When restrictive EA (with restrictions against other EA applications) exists, you must consider whether giving up EA at those restricted against schools is worth EA at the restrictive EA school.
ED is only if you have a clear top choice that is realistic in terms of possibility of admission and is likely to be affordable. Applying ED typically means not applying EA to restrictive EA schools (a typical restriction is no ED if you apply restrictive EA), but does not limit non-restrictive EA or rolling applications.
Agreeing with @Mwfan1921 in post 3 on not spreading your D too thin on apps. In your shoes, I would SCEA Yale and EA the state schools (EA for state schools allowed by Yale) on her list that offer it. This hopefully will let her cut back significantly in RD applications. At the very least you will get some intelligence on the strength of your D’s apps based on the results (accepts, defers, denies). With Yale limiting the numbers of deferrals, a deferral means she is a strong candidate and maybe the RD list can shade reachy (but still with some safety/matches.) If there are a number of rejections, she probably should be less reach heavy.
Didn’t read the other responses - but where to ED - no where that you haven’t visited, no where that shows as unaffordable in the NPC, and no where that isn’t your top choice.
ED is not a game - you will be on campus four years, day after day after day.
And most college students, the far majority, don’t ED anywhere.
If you have a true favorite, it’s affordable, and you’re 100% going even if you get into another school that costs less money, then it’s ok to ED.
Otherwise - not.
I don’t think TUlane, BC, Nova, WUSTL and Tufts are matches - although I can see you getting in to some.
Those are all smaller schools as are your reachs. Are you ok with big schools (your safety) - if not, there are many mid size schools where you have a better chance - from safety Denver to semi-reach William & Mary - and others as well.
for any thoughts you can give!!
).
Will push on essays this summer!