Does applying early action to Princeton help your chances at all? Thanks!
If you are a recruited athlete the answer is yes. If you are a legacy, child of faculty, staff, major donor or dignitary the answer is probably. If you are an unhooked applicant the answer is unknown. There has been a great deal of conversation on CC around how much applying EA contributes toward acceptance but without knowing exactly how many applicants are otherwise “hooked” it’s not really possible to ascertain any real difference between EA and RD admission rates for unhooked applicants.
Having said all of that, if Princeton is really your first choice and you are a viable applicant, I would apply early anyway.