<p>You have nothing to lose by applying EA, unless you have your heart set on another school with a SCEA policy. The acceptance rate for Chicago’s EA round last year was higher than that of the RD round by around 7%, but as with other top schools with EA(esque) options, this could be due more to a stronger applicant pool in the EA round than the RD round (not sure how much this argument holds up with U Chicago though, considering that absolute top students might be more tempted to apply to ED/SCEA schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, etc.). Either way, expect a drop in both acceptance rates this year. The university has over enrolled the last two years so they will, or at least SHOULD, make up for this by aiming for a smaller class this year, so they’re probably already planning to accept less applicants. Moreover, the number of applications has been rising over the past few years, and if U Chicago manages to stay in the top 5-7 this year in the 2013 US News rankings then you will probably see even more of an increase (I suspect the number will plateau around the next two to three years) in applications. It would also be reasonable to predict a slight rise in 2012’s 47% in yield rate if this happens, which would provide more incentive for the university to accept less students. </p>
<p>So what does this all mean for you? Well, as I said before, you have nothing to lose by applying EA to U Chicago if your absolute #1 choice doesn’t have a SCEA/ED policy (in which case you might be better of applying to that school early). Your EC’s certainly are extraordinary and your class rank is excellent as well. I’m not very familiar with the A Levels system, but U Chicago likes to see its candidates challenge themselves with a rigorous curriculum so you also have that working in your favor. SAT scores are not amazing, so in that sense you might be better off applying RD after having re-taken the test in the first semester, but I see no reason for the university to deny you admission based on that. I don’t feel comfortable giving percentages or throwing around terms like “low-reach/high-match”, because frankly no random poster on an internet site is going to know for sure how the adcomm will see your application. To ME (a naive incoming freshman) it seems like you have enough to be a competitive candidate. Work hard on those essays and make sure to pick professors that know you well inside and outside of the classroom for the letters of recommendation. Don’t stress out too much and have fun with whatever prompt you pick. Good luck!</p>