<p>So, the ultimate question (for me, at least):</p>
<p>How beneficial is EA to getting accepted?</p>
<p>I’m applying to EA at Yale because I really LOVE that school (it’s atmosphere, opportunities, location, and it’s just my type of place to be). But… on the admissions side:</p>
<li><p>I’ve heard from all the admissions officers that EA doesn’t help an application, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be trying to lie to me…</p></li>
<li><p>But the percentages that get in EA ARE higher than those of the RD batch.
– On the other hand, adcom’s do argue that the only reason they’re higher is because more qualified/legacy/etc. students are interested in EA, so there is the higher percentage because more people are qualified</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Ergo:</p>
<li>Does it mean that applying EA will help someone like me, who is probably the “maybe” type get in? Or would it be the same as applying RD?</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m asking because right now I’m contemplating on dropping my EA apps to Yale in fear that I am not the most ready I can be at this point in time. But I really want to show my interest to Yale…</p>
<p>Well…EA can only work to your advantage if, firstly, your application is a good as it can possible be. Applying EA won’t compensate for hastily-written essays, for example. If you think you can significantly improve your application by waiting to apply RD, then that may be something you’ll want to consider.</p>
<p>Of course, a MUCH larger percentage of EA appicants are accepted, which probably to some degree has something to do with your level of interest. We don’t know how much this plays into the decision-making; probably very little now that a large chunk of EA applicants are Harvard/Princeton-minded kids.</p>
<p>Applying EA also means that, unless you are outright rejected, you’ll have two chances for acceptance. If you are deferred after EA, you have a couple weeks to think about the things you can do to help yourself stand out more or otherwise improve the image you are presenting to the university.</p>
<p>Then there is the argument that by applying EA, you will be competing against the more highly qualified applicants and legacies/athletes/etc. (which inflates the acceptance rate, of course) as opposed to the “oh-might-as-well-give-it-a-shot” applicants that make a last-minute choice to apply.</p>