I want to concentrate in bioengineering, but there are better schools than Brown for that. However, I felt really drawn to Brown after visiting Rhode Island and feel like I would love the environment there. I know the chances of me getting in at all are statistically slim, but on the chance that I do get in ED, what if I regret not seeing where else I would have gotten in? I know ED is meant to be your top choice college, but I’m still having doubts, and I don’t know if I’ll be sure by the time the deadline comes around. But would it not also be a waste to not use my ED?
Do not apply ED to Brown. Most importantly, you aren’t sure it’s your first choice. Also as a practical matter Brown says ED doesn’t help admission chances much if at all. There a schools where applying ED can very significantly improve your odds - eg Tulane, Northeastern, Boston University, Villanova, Providence, LMU and many more - but that isn’t the case at Brown. So…you’re not 100 percent sure and it won’t help your odds much if at all. Don’t apply ED to Brown. Good luck!
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I don’t know statistically if it will be a waste - but I do know you shouldn’t ED there.
You need two things:
- To ensure your family is able and willing to pay
- Know it’s your top choice
That’s for any ED - so heck no, you shouldn’t ED there.
Would it be a waste? Not if you are stastically relevant and meet #1 and #2. But you don’t.
Brown says the same kids get admitted ED statistically that do RD - or that you won’t get in ED if you wouldn’t RD. They still take a lot of kids RD - so you’re not shut out by any means.
Best of luck.
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Only apply ED if a college is: 1) your absolute top choice (you don’t want to get into a college ED only to wonder “what if”) AND 2) that college appears to be comfortably affordable (run net price calculator) and your family has no need to compare financial offers from different schools.
It does not sound like you are 100% sure Brown is your best option so, unless that changes, I would not apply ED.
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Lots of kids do not ED anywhere and still get great results. I know in some circles there is this idea ED is a card you have to play somewhere, but I really do not think that is right. It is just an option, and only at some colleges, and it only makes sense to exercise that option at one of those colleges in certain circumstances.
OK, so it sounds to me you like the vibe at Brown but are not sure it would be your best option academically. To me that is your answer–do NOT bind yourself to attend a college that may not be your best option academically! But if you still want to apply to Brown, great. If it ends up offering you admission, cool. If it ends up one of your favorite few offers, maybe you can revisit. And then you can decide.
My last suggestion is you might want to think a little bit about the pros and cons you see in Brown and think about alternatives that share at least a lot in the pros and at least somewhat address the cons.
Like, to me, it sure sounds like you should check out Rice. Rice is generally considered a top institution for your academic interests, but in my experience kids who like the vibe at Brown sometimes also respond very positively to the vibe at Rice.
WashU is another college that I think might be of interest, at least if you are OK with more of a biomedical approach. A little less reachy, maybe Tufts. Less reachy still, what about Rochester? Again these are all schools which tend to appeal to kids I know who also like Brown.
Again you do not necessarily need to decide today you actually prefer any of these schools to Brown, and indeed you do not need to decide you will even apply. But knowing there are lots of possibilities can sometimes help kids realize that there really is no necessity to binding yourself now.
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Thank you all for the advice!
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Excellent advice!
Though they have some distribution requirements, Case Western might be another school to consider – it’s about on the same level as U of Rochester in terms of selectivity and academic rep and would bolster the OP’s match/high match options.
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Yeah, in our feederish HS, Rochester and Case are both popular, and different kids end up with different preferences. They also both have merit programs, and sometimes merit offers can help make one or the other stand out.
Both are demonstrated interest schools, and Case maybe even more so than Rochester (at least according to our counselors), but I actually don’t think it is that hard to demonstrate a sincere interest in these colleges if you have good reasons to be interested!
Like, these universities know they are great options for kids interested in a midsize private research university, particularly if you have intersectional interests like engineering and life sciences. You just have to show them you know that too, including in your application, maybe by visiting, and so on. But if you do have that interest, you should strongly consider doing all that.
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ED should only be used for a college where:
- It is a top choice that you will have no regrets committing to early, without seeing admission and scholarship results from other colleges.
- It is at least within realistic reach for admission.
- It is affordable at list price or based on financial aid estimated in its net price calculator (but be careful about using the net price calculator if your parents are divorced or have significant amounts of non-W-2 income or assets like rental real estate, small business, farm, etc.).
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My daughter is actually thinking the same about applying ED 1 to UPenn. Not sure, hasn’t decided 100%, all that. I asked her if she would be happy if she got in. She said yes. I told her that she should therefore apply.
Happy to get in is not the same as my top choice, no questions asked. At least I don’t interpret it that way. Most kids are happy to get into an impossible school. It’s a thing of pride.
Yes, I would suggest the framing question might be more if I would be happy to be bound to my ED school if I got into all the OTHER schools on my list, or if I got a big discretionary merit/honors offer, or so on.
And sometimes the answer is yes, and that is fine. But having watched a couple admissions cycles now, I’ve seen a lot of kids regret ED, to the point they are asking how to get out of their commitment. And the top two reasons seem to be either something like, “Now that I know I got into X through ED, I am wondering if I could get into Y which I actually prefer, do I really have to withdraw my application from Y?,” and, “I am realizing how much X would really cost me and my family and I am seeing others are going to pay much less for their colleges, so can I now tell X I can’t afford it?”
So my two cents is you need to KNOW you are not going to be thinking something like that if you end up actually admitted to X.
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My point is the only thing one has to lose by applying ED1 to Brown is the theoretical opportunity of getting admitted at another school that they equally like and where the chances of getting in ED1 would have been higher.
Brown itself says they only take kids in ED that they will in RD. Perhaps ED is better odds - statistically there’s no way to know but if so, very slim because in their #s, they have athletes, etc.
If Brown is the top choice and it’s affordable, go ahead.
But - for example - when I was in high school - I applied to a UC with no intention of going - just so I can say I got into a UC. Dumb I know but we even see it today.
One can infer the statement you made as - I’d love to see if I can get into an Ivy - but I didn’t see you say it’s also without question, undoubtedly, her top choice.
If it is, then great.
If not, for so many reasons, an ED wouldn’t be good - and these schools take many RD too.
Best of luck whatever she decides.
At least for some families, not being able to compare actual financial offers, including possibly merit offers, would also be significant.
But yes, if you actually have a tie among several colleges for your favorite, and you do not see a need to take more time to try to resolve that tie, and you do not care about comparing actual financial offers, then it may make sense to ED one of the tied colleges.
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