<p>It’s hard for me to believe that applying ED won’t improve your chances.</p>
<p>The admissions people are always looking for a way to improve yield numbers, so showing some level excitement about coming here is a big plus. ED is the easiest way to do this.</p>
<p>@geekmom: The ED numbers in the CDS refer to to Fall ED. Winter ED is new this year. I’d expect them to be a little more conservative in Fall ED than in Winter since the Fall ED decisions are made without any knowledge of the RD pool.</p>
<p>Of course, if you haven’t visited, ED probably isn’t a good idea. Have you visited both schools? For me, the campus visits to Mudd and MIT gave completely different vibes, so I wasn’t that worried about giving up a chance to go to MIT when I applied ED.</p>