Should I apply Early Decision?

tliu526
Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:45:59 +0000

Hello all,

I’m new to the College Confidential community, and I just wanted a bit of your input one whether I should ED Williams. Williams has become my top choice for a number a reasons: the atmosphere, the attention to undergrads they give, the relative seclusion of the campus, etc…I can go on. Williams feels like a perfect fit for me.

I also think I have a good shot of being accepted. Here is a quick overview of my stats:



Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian

SAT: 770 Reading/ 800 Writing/ 740 Math (superscored)
SAT 2: 800 Math 2/ 790 Chemistry/ 780 U.S. History
GPA: 4.0/4.67
Class Rank: top 10%

Past APs (1 sophomore year, 5 junior year):
World History (10th grade)
Computer Science A
U.S. History
Chemistry 2
AB Calculus
Language and Composition

I’ve gotten 5s on all the exams except for Computer Science which was a 4.

My current senior year schedule:
AP Literature
AP Physics B
AP Biology 2
AP BC Calculus
AP Government
AP Psychology
Hon French 4
Jazz Band



In terms on my extracurriculars, I’m the Vice President of my school’s Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, head of math tutoring, and a member of numerous other honor societies. I play alto saxophone in the jazz band which performs at a very high level, as we finished 2nd place in state competition last year. I’m also the leader of my school’s student-run saxophone ensemble.

My most significant extracurricular is golf; I began playing golf through the First Tee and have advanced through the “ranks”, if you will, of the program, culminating with playing in the First Tee Open in California on national TV twice. I’m now a student coach working for the First Tee. In terms of my individual ability, I’ve been playing competitively since middle school and have had great success in tournaments locally and regionally. I’ve been in contact with the Williams golf coach and he has interest in me joining the team.

With Williams being my top choice, I really want to ED to perhaps increase my chances and finalize my college plans for the year. However, my family is in a poor financial situation. My dad has been unemployed for a few years now, and our family of four (my brother is 7) is supported by my mom who works as a lab technician at UVA making less than 50000 a year. In addition, all of my grandparents back in China are very ill and we need to help support them.

So, my biggest worry is that if I do get in to Williams ED, my family won’t be able to afford it (I know they say 100% need met, but I also know how colleges get with ED applicants and financial aid). Also, I’m (and my parents especially) worried about a worse case scenario where I get bound ED, end up not being to pay for it, and being locked out of going to college for a year since the other application deadlines have passed.

That’s my current situation, and I’m torn on whether to apply ED. Regardless of whether I apply ED I know I’ll be applying to Williams, along with this list: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UVA, and William and Mary.

Thanks for any input, I really appreciate it!