A few reminders for the vast majority of you who got rejected in Early from schools like Stanford yesterday:
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The process is subjective. Who read your application, their proclivities, who they read before you, how they pitched you at committee, who was on their committee … these are all factors outside your control that could have doomed your application.
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I know you think you appreciate how competitive it is, but you really don’t. If you’re feeling surprised or shocked right now, that’s irrational. Your expectation for schools with ultra-low acceptance rates should be that you will not get in.
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But 1. + 2. means you should not rethink your whole application. Just because you got denied by one school doesn’t mean there’s some fatal flaw in your app. Yes, re-examine it. Consider if you wrote about critical topics (what you want to study; authenticated impressive-sounding activities; etc.) But don’t go into a second-guessing tailspin.
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I’ve seen many students get rejected by a school Early, and get accepted at a better school in Regular.
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Despite the stats, Regular can be an easier way to get in. Because admission offices have high turnover (they don’t pay well). So every year you have new AOs who get trained to think students have to walk on water to get accepted. So in Early, new AOs can be harsher. As can returning readers who are just rusty. It’s only after Early that new readers, and the whole office, gets truly recalibrated as to what admits look like–that is, who makes it through committee. So by Regular, everyone is primed and less likely to be as harsh as Early.
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And, a reminder, the Early pool is much more competitive than Regular. So you’ll stand out more in Regular.
Bottom line: Don’t overthink an Early rejection.
–MCS