<p>In January, I moved from NC to Canada, so in the second semester of my junior year, my usual straight As and occasional B took a little bit of a slip as I got adjusted, and I lost a lot of extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Of the schools I’m looking at, Penn, Columbia, and NYU have ED. </p>
<p>My question is, should I wait till first semester of my senior year is over to apply, so my grades can go back up and I can get more involved, or is it better to apply for ED and include an explanation of the dip? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>ED will give you a better chance of admission, though the amount varies per school (check common data sheets or CDS to find the numbers). I think that the financial commitment, along with your specific situation, makes ED a tough choice. If I were in your shoes, I would not apply ED unless there was a school where you’re sure you’d be happy at that had committed to making it affordable.</p>
<p>That said, waiting for mid-year reports could be a good option, along with an explanation about the 2nd semester grades. I’m not sure a real run at extracurriculars will make or break your application, but it definitely won’t hurt. From what guidance and admissions counselors have told me, one way colleges use extracurriculars to gauge what kinds of contributions a student will make to the campus if accepted. Some schools even use this as an essay topic. I think focusing on answering that question in a convincing way will be as valuable, given your situation, as making a last ditch effort first semester senior year.</p>