<p>I am trying to decide whether I should apply to MIT Early Action
Pro:
Its non-binding
Con:
Its very competitive, a sure thing for no one</p>
<p>My other early action choice is Cooper Union
Pro:
My college guidance counselor says I have a good chance for admission.
Con:
Its Binding, so it means MIT won’t be an option</p>
<p>I think I’d rather go to MIT, but my chances of admission, like everyone else’s is very low (11% ?)</p>
<p>I feel like I have to strategize my college applications, because I am in a very competitive class in a very competitive school, applying to college in what promises the be the most competitive year (2008, for the class of 2012) ever.</p>
<p>“Early action” and “binding” don’t usually go together in the same sentence. Do you mean Cooper Union is restricted early action or early decision?</p>
<p>If it is the latter, than of course you would not want to apply early to CU if you would much prefer MIT; you would instead apply MIT EA, no, as getting into CU early would require you to matriculate there? Of course, although applying EA to MIT demonstrates interest, it doesn’t confer nearly the same advantage many other earlies do (where even the admission rates of Ivy League can reach 30%).</p>
<p>And even if Cooper Union was only REA, do you think your chances at getting in would be significantly diminished if you applied regular? I admit I know practically nothing about CU, but if it is (as you portray it) at worst a safe match, wouldn’t you want to put your early to good use with MIT? Earlies were designed for people to use at the school they really really -really- want to attend. And suffice it to say that MIT only rejects early applicants who really do not fit the bill at all (straight Cs and 1500 SATs).</p>
<p>No, not really. The only advantage there is is that you will find out earlier whether or not you got in. I believe the acceptance rate for the early applicant pool for MIT is lower than the acceptance rate for the regular applicant pool! I have also seen extremely strong students apply EA from my high school and get deferred and rejected (and these are students who ended up getting into Harvard and Princeton RD). There is absolutely no advantage, don’t do it. Wait for regular decision.</p>
<p>I think the only real advantage is that you have 2 chances to get in.
And, from what I’ve heard, MIT likes to fill up on girls EA (since EA has a much higher yield - virtually guaranteeing at least a certain percentage of females for MIT), so if you’re a boy, there’s even less of an incentive to apply EA.</p>
<p>If that’s true, another interpretation could be that females and URMs who apply early are more qualified than females and URMs who apply regular. This wouldn’t be terribly surprising, as early pools are often more competitive than regular pools in general.</p>
<p>No hard data of course. It’s kinda hard to get when MIT blatantly refuses to realese it. ;)</p>
<p>But besides that, yes they may be more qualified than RD applicants, but there’s no reason why this would be any more true for girls or URM’s than for boys/non-URM’s, so there’s no justification as to why girls/URM’s should be accepted at a greater ratio compared to boys EA than the same RD.</p>
<p>Just another anecdotal observation here. I noticed there was a fairly even gender split on the accepted student site when my son was admitted EA. I realize not all students post their information though. He is an MIT’10, so this was not the most recent admissions cycle. FWIW.</p>
<p>The Cooper Union has an ED program, not EA. Their application deadline for ED is Dec 1 (while MIT’s deadline for EA is Nov 1). MIT EA decisions are usually released around Dec 15, so you would not know the result before applying to The Cooper Union. You have some time this summer to consider whether your heart is in NYC or Cambridge.</p>
<p>Note that with a 13% ED and RD acceptance rate last year, The Cooper Union isn’t really a school that could be considered a “safe match” for anyone. ;)</p>
<p>I’d say go with MIT EA. How would you feel if you ED at Cooper Union and got in, but also got in MIT as well? Never ED at a school that is not your top choice, because that’s exactly what ED means.</p>