I don’t think anything will significantly change in my application between now and later. I don’t have a significant preference, but there’s that small part of me that wants to wait and see if I can even get in. If I applied RD to Bryn Mawr, do you think I have good chances? Or would applying ED significantly improve my chances, based on my profile?
Additionally, I’ve heard that colleges, especially need-aware colleges, are less likely to offer financial aid and merit scholarships to ED applicants. I’m worried about the financial aspect. I could apply ED to Smith because their Net Price calculator was within my family’s range.
Thank you for your advice! You’ve given me a lot to think about. Do you think I have a strong enough profile that applying RD or ED wouldn’t affect my chances? I’m apprehensive because I want to maximize my chances, but at the same time I want to weigh my options.
I’ve looked at Vassar and Barnard, and both of these colleges appear too competitive for my profile. I might take another look, but at the moment I want to focus on the colleges I’m currently applying to.
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In general, this is NOT true. These tend to be based on stats or formulae and do not differ by admisdion round.
I don’t think your odds at BMC will be so diminished by doing RD, but I think they may a little worse. It isn’t that the standards differ in each round, but to the extent that the AOs are building a class, by the time RD rolls around, what you offer – geography, preferred area of study, etc. – may no longer be a priority as those needs MAY have been met in prior rounds.
If you want to compare FA and merit offers, by all means, do RD. If you are comfortable with what an NPC shows and don’t care about doing better than that, ED can be a suitable option.
I appreciate your concern about the financial aspect. I have considered and applied to in-state public colleges, though none of them particularly interest me. However, if there are no other options, I’d be open to attending one of them.
I do plan on acquiring a PhD in Psychology and perhaps a masters in education, which I understand is competitive. I know I will have to dedicate my time in college to building up my resume and profile. I’ve head that good PhD programs generally don’t cost money.
What is your opinion on whether I should apply ED or RD, and why?
I’m really torn right now. On one hand, I know ED improves my chances, and on the other hand, I want to see Smith’s final results and weigh my options. Do you think Smith is likely to accept me in their RD round? And do you think my profile is strong enough to RD to Bryn Mawr, or would it make a significant impact?
If you were me, what decision would you make considering my profile? Do you think I’m a strong enough applicant to get into Smith, or to get into Bryn Mawr RD?
I’m not sure if they’ll be able to do this. My school is already in break and they were very clear that they would be unavailable during this time.
So unfortunately, none of us really knows the answer to your question.
But personally, if I still preferred Smith, I would just RD Bryn Mawr. I would know if I didn’t get admitted to either Smith or Bryn Mawr, I would possibly always wonder if ED II would have made the difference. But I would rather that than wondering if I could have gotten into Smith.
But I cannot stress enough this attitude would be informed by the fact that if, say, I ended up at Kenyon or Whitman, I would expect to not really care about any of this quite quickly.
You mentioned a possible PhD in Psychology, so I thought I would toss this out there:
This shouldn’t be taken as a definitive ranking, but if you look at the per capita version on the right side, it gives you an idea of which colleges places a decent percentage of their students into Psychology PhD programs.
OK, so Smith is #7 on this list, with 46 such people in this time frame. Good choice!
Bryn Mawr is #23, with 16. Also a good choice! But if for this and other reasons you preferred Smith, I would totally get that.
However, actually just ahead of Bryn Mawr were Whitman, at #19 with 19, and Kenyon, at # 20 with 22 (Kenyon is a bit bigger, which is why Whitman is ahead per capita).
Again, you shouldn’t take this as a strict ranking, but it illustrates my point. Bryn Mawr is great, but Kenyon and Whitman are also great.
So this sort of thing is why I would go ahead and just stick with Smith as Plan A. Or you could switch to Bryn Mawr, it is totally up to you. I just would personally not do that, not if I still preferred Smith.
Edit: Oh, and while cost issues are very personal, it wouldn’t hurt that you could potentially get merit offers from some of these places. That, to me, is another reason not to commit to Bryn Mawr, because what if you get a really great merit offer from one of these other really great choices? I’d want to be able to consider those.
Edit #2: Sorry to keep flooding you, but it occurred to me it made sense to check the Education section of that PhD feeders list.
#5 Smith (31)
#8 Bryn Mawr (16)
#27 Whitman (12)
#29 Kenyon (14)
So again, all goods choices. But also again, Smith stands out a bit. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but Smith is in fact a really notably strong choice for your interests.
OK, this time Bryn Mawr is higher, which is good to know, but not that much higher really–it is mostly being boosted by being a bit smaller. Again, I am by no means trying to suggest you should not prefer Bryn Mawr, I just think for your particular purposes, it maybe stands out less versus some of your alternatives than Smith does.
Again, all just food for thought.
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I have four teenaged daughter and if one of my daughters was in the same situation, meaning this unsure, and then she came and told me she decided to ED2 at Bryn Mawr, I would probably spend some time exploring that with her because I would wonder if it were the right choice.
If she came to me and said she is doing RD at Bryn Mawr in order to explore Smith outcome AND the outcomes of the other schools on her list, I would probably just say GREAT that sounds like it aligns with what you are feeling.
In other words: I am hearing from you that you want to wait for Smith, but that you are afraid to lose the tiny bump of ED over RD at Bryn Mawr. If you didn’t have a bunch of other great schools on your list you were excited about, then I would say ED2 all the way since Smith is marginally preferred over Bryn Mawr.
But I’m hearing something different.
I’m hearing you wanting to RD.
I think that sounds like a very reasonable plan.
ps. I just realized I kind of DO have a daughter in your same shoes – she loved a few schools a ton, but just honestly wasn’t 100% for any of them. So, she did EA/RD only, foregoing the bump at one school in order to explore the many others. She has only heard from her likely schools so far but honestly she is LOVING them, and might end up at one of them, even if she gets into more selective schools over the next few months. :).
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I’m adding:
remember that ED is intended to be for when you are SURE a school is your first choice. Truly, it’s not intended to be used out of fear of not getting in RD. I guess I would ask yourself: truly are you SURE Bryn Mawr is where you want to be? and if the answer is no, then I would not recommend ED-ing.
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Academ8c psych phds are funded, but not clin8cal. Masters in ed are not funded.
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Thank you so much for providing the information about PhD percentage rates. This is extremely helpful, and has provided me with significant insight into how the college can assist with my graduate school and career prospects. I can’t express how much I appreciate you providing me with this information. I also agree with your insight that I could receive merit offers, and that would definitely impact my decision. Given that I do very slightly prefer Smith simply due to cost and graduate school/career prospects, and that these are all great schools, I’ve decided that I will RD to Bryn Mawr and consider all my options. Thank you so much for your help!!
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I think you are exactly right in that a lot of my motivation for considering Bryn Mawr for ED2 stems from fear that I couldn’t get in RD. I understand that it’s not healthy or helpful to make decisions based on “just-in-case” or fearful emotions. You’re also right that I’m not 100% committed to Bryn Mawr, and that I probably should not ED if I’m not certain. You perfectly vocalized how I felt; I just didn’t know that was how I felt. I just didn’t fully realize this until you pointed out what you were hearing. I’ve decided I will RD to Bryn Mawr and wait to hear from Smith. After this discussion, I’m feeling reassured that any school I choose from my list will benefit me. Thank you!!
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Keep us posting! I’m cheering you on from the sidelines! Your thoughtful way of considering all sides will serve you well as you make decisions going forward. Any of those schools will be lucky to have you.
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And if you get into neither - guess what - then you’ll go somewhere else.
There’s far more than two schools where you can have a fantastic four years.
I rarely do ‘chance me’ posts, but I’m a BMC lover and you inspired me.
I like your chances. If you were deferred ED to Smith, my non-expert opinion is that you have a decent shot at BMC. But, yes, talk to your counselor if you can. Maybe try and track them down given the time sensitivity. Is the person really not reachable by e-mail? Boarding schools are insanely expensive, and you should rightly expect services such as this. If not that counselor, then isn’t there another with whom you could speak? It’s a short and straight-forward question you’re asking.
As merely one person’s opinion, though Smith College is ranked higher and has more money and has a great physical campus with great traditions, BMC has the campus and enough money and the name and 7S tradition to make it a comparable place to get an education. Nobody says, “well, she went to BMC; it’s not like she went to Smith.” Both highly reputable and recognized and wonderful in their own right. I think BMC’s consortium is better than Smith’s, and depending on your preference, BMC is in a better place. As much as I like the Pioneer Valley and Northampton, I absolutely love where BMC is situated and think it among the most beautiful campuses anywhere. They’re also better at some things as compared to Smith.
If I were choosing a women’s college, and I love them all, BMC would be way up there on my rank order list. If it were me, I’d apply EDII to BMC. But that’s me.
Awww thank you! I plan on deleting this post for privacy reasons, because it reveals a couple personal details that can identify me.
I would love it if you could dm me, though!
Thank you so much for your help. I plan on deleting this post for privacy reasons, because it reveals a couple personal details that can identify me.
I would love it if you could dm me, though!
Thank you for your insight! I definitely agree that Bryn Mawr has so much to offer, especially the location and consortium. However, given that I’m not 100% dedicated to Bryn Mawr, I will probably apply RD and weigh my options. I appreciate your comment, though!
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You’re unable to delete a post after a short window that, in this instance, has closed.
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