Your stats are already about as strong as they are going to get, and you don’t expect any new major accomplishments to appear on your resume in the next few months.
You can save admission fees to other schools if you get in.</p>
<p>Bad reasons:
You think there is some advantage in terms of getting in (but see question below).
Your stats aren’t strong and you think this will give you two chances.</p>
<p>Questionable reason:
You are a legacy. Some people think that legacy advantage is more likely to count if you apply early–showing that the school is really your first choice. On the other hand, some people think that early applicants who are highly likely to matriculate if accepted in RD might be deferred to make room for others who need to be wooed. Who knows?</p>
<p>My son and I had this thought as another reason to apply SCEA. The application pool is smaller (although stronger) and it allows your application to get more face time (we where just guessing)</p>
<p>Also, you get looked at first. I would hate to be at the end and the AD com says, we only have a couple more slots and we already have enough …(whatever, kids from texas, etc). There are only so many seats. Alot of very qualified don’t get in because there aren’t enough slots for all those great students.</p>
<p>I think getting looked at first could go either way-if you’re not super-qualified, it might make them defer you to see if somebody like you, but better, comes along.</p>
<p>I remember reading something in another school’s threads about how sometimes SCEA is disadvantageous because schools want to protect their yield and outstanding students are more likely to cross-apply to the Ivies…or something…</p>
<p>Would you say having low test scores and feeling unprepared are good reasons to not apply early? :\ I made the decision to not a few weeks ago, but I still feel really unsure…</p>
<p>People in this forum haves previously said that that is not true – Yale’s yield needs no defense and will remain the same. But that is irrelevant, really, because Yale AO’s have stated that they will only accept SCEA applicants who they know would be accepted in the regular applicant pool.</p>
<p>I know what your saying but if Yale follows the “rule” that they only accept students that they would have accepted in RD, then a marginal (for their standards) student will not get in anyways. I’ve heard comments from Admin Officers that they could have filled another class with the defered/denied stutents. I guess my point is that my son would rather be looked at when there are alot of seats available. It will depend upon your percieved strength. We thought he was good enought to be in the top 4,000 kids and after that it starts to be a crapshoot based upon what the school wants.</p>
<p>Another good reason is the fact that having to complete all of the aspects of the Yale application means having to complete the Common App, teacher recs, counselor recs, etc. Having all of this done and ready to be sent out to RD schools in December when the supplements are done saves a lot of time and hassle. Of course, finding out in December is a good reason as well.</p>
I think this is fine, as long as his application package is already as good as it’s likely to get. If by the time of RD, he may have better grades or scores, or some other accomplishment, you might want to wait–if he is rejected in SCEA, those things won’t ever be considered.</p>
<p>While reading this I thought of a bad reason (maybe) to apply SCEA. What if you were denied on Dec. 15? I imagine that the psychological effect on you would be devastating (self-doubt and increased anxiety until April) versus applying to BC or the like EA and getting accepted.</p>
<p>High risk high reward. Yes, the most probable result is a deferral/rejection (and I will hate life for a bit) but I like knowing that I gave it my all, and got it over with.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the psychological impact of EA rejection. Last year, a CCer (Anonymous93) had virtually flawless credentials: huge scores, great ECs, rigorous courseload. You name it, her application had it. She applied Stanford REA, and got rejected. She panicked (her choice of words) and applied about 30 places RD. It must have been a brutal couple of weeks between getting the Stanford rejection and Jan 1. She got into absolutely everywhere she applied: most, if not all, Ivies, U Chicago, Duke, and on and on. Had I been in her shoes, I would have done a similar “apply to everyone” freakout because the Stanford rejection (not even deferred to RD) must have contradicted everything she had been led to expect. Surely she thought “What is wrong with me/my application that I don’t understand? Maybe I am not the slam dunk like everyone says.”</p>
<p>But I think Yale SCEA is better than Stanford REA in this regard: Stanford rejects about 60% of REA applicants, and defers about 20%, and the Yale ratio is roughly the opposite.</p>
<p>What Anonymous93 accomplished was impressive–and I can’t be sure how I would’ve felt in her position.</p>
<p>But I think it’s a bit unfair to recall the most extreme case in recent memory. Most students who don’t get good news Yale SCEA do not panic and apply to 30 schools. Most students also are not as qualified as she was, and probably have lower expectations.</p>
<p>If i get deferred/rejected in December, I won’t assume that there was a huge hole in my application. I know that roughly 9/10 applicants are getting rejected. (Of course, I won’t be thinking this the night of decisions, but I also won’t go nuts with anxiety until April.)</p>
<p>It is without a doubt an extreme case. But I know of no better illustration how an adverse EA decision can affect one’s psyche. On one hand we try to be very clinical and detached about application strategy. But in the end, it is hard to get away from the feeling “I was rejected” as opposed to “My application was rejected.”</p>
<p>I’m not expecting an acceptance (anyone who is expecting one is deluded or insane) I will DEFINITELY have a freak-out session if I get rejected, and a mini-freakout session if I get deferred. While I won’t take measures as drastic as Anonymous93, I will be definitely adding 4-6 schools - along the lines of Cornell, Darty, Duke and UPenn - to my list if I get rejected.</p>