<p>But ED II is binding, so why are we even talking about his decision to withdraw? Obviously ED II gives him a better chance than RD WUSTL so it was a strategic move that worked out and as a consequence, he has to withdraw his Yale app. I don’t think it’s really about the sour taste…</p>
<p>Yale.edu, crimsonbulldog and Byerly:</p>
<p>I am not so sure why you would try to hypothesize what were my psychological motives for withdrawing my application to Yale. While I understand that you are all die-hard supporters of Yale, I wouldn’t call Wash U a “lesser school” than Yale (but then again that is my opinion). And I wouldn’t say that I withdrew my application because “my ego was hurt”- it simply made me realize that I wanted to explore other schools. And very quickly, I realized that I would not be happy at Yale- Based on the conversations that I have viewed on this thread, I would not get along with many people at Yale- who either bought their way into Yale or believe that they are the smartest person alive. I do not mean to offend the many who also earned their placement into Yale, but I am speaking what I truly believe. </p>
<p>So crimsonbulldog, I wouldn’t say that my decision was “absurd and immature”. And I will promise you that I will not look back in twenty years and be upset about going to a “lesser” school. Every day I am more grateful that I withdrew my application and applied ED II to Wash U!!! Good luck for all the applicants at Yale- I really hope that you view Yale differently from me. </p>
<p>Also- thanks missmolly and zantedeschia for your support</p>
<p>crimsonbulldog, by “sour taste” I mean that you don’t have positive feelings for the place anymore. Nothing to do with bruised ego. Not like packing up one’s toys and storming out of the sandbox. Think about it in terms of the proposal analogy. How would you feel if you proposed to someone with whom you thought you were a good match, and that person responded with much less enthusiasm than you had. Would you still wanna marry her/him? I would not. I want the big commitments in my life to be mutual. I don’t think that is “immature”. “Immature” is being 40 years old and wondering if you could have gotten into Yale!!! In the end, this is not do or die. My parents have friends who went to Ivies and are not very successful and friends who commuted to state schools who are, so I have trouble believing this is so do-or-die.</p>
<p>Man, why are some people bad mouthing other schools? That is truly immature and arrogant. And snooty. Someday, one of those people who went to a “lesser” school will make decisions effecting your life. Many people choose not to go to an Ivy. CHOOSE not to.</p>
<p>But if offered a choice, most students will definitely choose the Ivy. I believe that of the 10 elites with a yield rate over 50% 8 are the eight Ivies, with the other two being MIT and Stanford. This is particularly notable since a large fraction of the “losses” any Ivy suffers from its admit pool go to other Ivies.</p>
<p>Being deferred is no reason to give up a dream! If College5812 had Washington University in St. Louis as his dream school, he would not have applied Single-Choice Early Action to Yale. He will do just fine at WUStl, but my point is that nearly everyone is deferred, and the odds are still improved for these people in the regular round. A deferral is probably not a good reason to give up and pre-maturely sign on to a school that was not the top choice.</p>
<p>Many people choose not to go to an Ivy. CHOOSE not to.</p>
<p>True… people like that exist. Yet this discussion is about people who CHOOSE to apply “early” to an Ivy.</p>
<p>My son got deferred from Harvard ED. He never felt the same about Harvard once he got the deferral letter. His heart was broken, but he had other options so he moved forward. I think he knew intuitively that Harvard would eventually reject him,and they did. He is at Wash U now and is loving it there. In fact he doesn’t want to come home this summer. He wants to get a job and go to summer school. Sometimes things work out perfectly!</p>
<p>nah man, don’t withdraw after a deferral. u know what they say, withdrawal is only 60% use effective…jk. whatever though, might as well give it a second shot, even though it sucks being deferred</p>
<p>I think the real issue here is that it is human nature to want to have total control over your own choices. A deferral from Yale is probably the first time in these students lives when they have ever not been #1 out of hundreds or thousands of people in the activities they have ever taken seriously. Some would rather not take the chance on rejection from Yale when they have still yet to ever be flat-out rejected in their lifetimes. They want to be able to honestly say “I chose (enter school name) over Yale” instead of “I chose (enter school name) after being dinged at Yale”.</p>
<p>To me, I would leave my application in at Yale until it was actually accepted or rejected, and <em>IF</em> it was rejected in the end then I would say “I chose (enter school name) over Yale” anyway. You could even tell everyone you withdrew your application while actually leaving it in for regular decision. Everyone would think you withdrew it and consciously chose your first-choice school (not Yale) unless you actually got into Yale, and then you could just say “I had changed my mind and asked Yale to consider it after all… surprise! I’m going to Yale.”</p>
<p>Many people apply EA Yale for the statistical advantage of having a higher accept rate in the RD round…it brings an RD app into line with the accept rates of other schools; many are strategic, not emotional, about their Ivy apps. Also, I second the opinion offered earlier that many people choose NOT to go to Ivies…I was just at a USC all-expense-paid weekend given for Trustee scholarship candidates (merit only, not financial aid)… I met merit scholars and other 1500+'ers who chose USC, not just for the $30,000 they are offering top students so they can up their US News position, but for the social climate. I, personally, was much more comfortable there, with people who were, like me, social in high school–AND achieving. I know for a FACT I would be happier there and, if given the choice in April, hope I have the courage to “just say no”. As for withdrawing, I can see that as a rational act for some. I know people who felt that way in the high school in which the 5 top GPA’s got deferred for a fotball player with very low SAT’s…it made people question the whole Ivy thing and the veracity of what they claim to stand for. Everyone approaches this on their own terms, and to criticize someone’s reaction is the “immature” act here…and especially to criticize other schools as “lesser”. Less is more for some. I know of many, many adults who roll their eyes about graduates of an unnamed Ivy because they notoriously must tell you they went there within the first 2 minutes of conversation…without fail…as if to validate themselves and demand the respect that their often-awkward personalities would not otherwise command. Everyone has his/her own path, even them, and if they need an Ivy degree to self-validate, so be it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call an ivy-degree self-validation. I seek a school that promotes a stimulating environment. If it is at an ivy so be it. If it is at a “lesser” school then it should all be the same. Honestly I applied EA to Yale because I love being there and it makes me feel comfortable. The students I have met who attend are in general a happy bunch. I was deferred EA and am having the similar apprehensions of do they really want me. The fact is that Yale actually uses both deferrment and rejection in EA. Some schools don’t reject many early but Yale does reject those it deems not qualified. IF you were deferred it means you are qualified and the admissions office is trying to see what sort of class they are shaping when you consider the RD people.</p>