<p>Sorry for the delay in replying, it’s been pretty hectic (in a good way) since I got back to school.</p>
<p>I don’t know too many kids who go to Brown, but your description of Stanford students is a pretty accurate, concise summary. When I visited (man…three? four years ago now? Weird…) I came away with a similar perception. More so than anywhere else I was considering, Stanford seemed like a place where everyone was eager and energetic to tell me about all the opportunities it had to offer, to help me out, to make me welcome. That’s not to say none of the other schools were like that–I found that just about everywhere, students went out of their way to make me feel at home–but at Stanford it just seemed like it was in the air or something; it was natural. I’m happy to say that three years later I can say with confidence that my initial impression was correct.</p>
<p>From all of your comments, I’m getting the sense that if I were in your position, I would not apply ED to Brown. Admittedly, there’s probably some bias thrown in here, but you’ve stated on numerous occasions that you’re leaning Stanford, or you love other schools, etc. As others have said, while most likely you’ll fall in love with wherever you go, starting college with that glimmer of regret could have negative repercussions. If you do decide to ED Brown, try to fully accept beforehand the opportunities you may be passing up.</p>
<p>In terms of percentages, I looked up a Stanford Daily article from last year. Here are some statistics:
EA: 5566 apply, 753 accept = 13.5%
Overall = 7.2%</p>
<p>So you’re right, percentages work out in EA’s favor. Most likely, there is some boost from EA. But it’s smaller than it seems. Now, take this with a grain of salt as it’s based on pretty anecdotal information, but it does come from an Admissions Officer. The EA pool is stronger. That’s true, and while there’s no measure of how much stronger, it’s enough to play a role in any individual’s admissions chances. Is it enough to compensate for the higher acceptance rate? Probably not. In that case, I’d recommend applying EA. But keep in mind that the number itself is deceiving.</p>