<p>I don’t know that anybody really knows the answer to that, but I’d believe the counselor.</p>
<p>If you are 100% set on VT and financial aid isn’t really an issue I’d apply VT (that’s what I did, actually, although it was 6 years ago.) That way you’ll either know that you’re in, know that you’re not in, or know that you’re on the edge. It could save you some time applying to other schools or it could show you than you need to spend time applying to them.</p>
<p>Also, and this is completely my opinion, I always thought having two people that could say ‘yes’ (early admissions and then regular admissions if you’re deferred) can only help your odds.</p>