Assuming you can afford it, you should REA or ED to your top choice, period. The stats on REA acceptances and deferrals tell you how the schools approach their process. Yale tries to do more — excuse the expression — “weeding out” in REA compared to Harvard. Both schools insist their standards for unhooked applicants are equally exacting for REA and EA. Keep your eyes on what you want, don’t get sidetracked.
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