SCEA/EA/ED : Harder to get in compared to RD?

p25india
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:08:56 +0000

@idream:
Yes, I have been to 2 summer programs. EPGY at Stanford and CTY at Johns Hopkins.
And I had excellent experience at both times. And Speachy is right, think about how that course will enrich you in addition to helping in admission.
It helps in the admission process only in that it shows your passion, curiosity and thirst for knowledge. And I think that does help in college admissions when scores and GPA are good.

SCEA/REA is not a strategy. Both EA and RD are equally competitive at Top universities. People say that REA/SCEA pool of applicants is more competitive because only students with strong resume usually apply for EA. So it has no added advantage over RD.
In Universities having Rolling admissions, it would definitely help to apply earlier.

About F1 visa - once you are admitted and you enroll in any one university, that university will send you I-20. After you receive that you will be able to apply for F1 visa.