<p>Looking back I would not have applied ED anywhere. Applying RD gives you more time to develop through the admissions process and perfect your applications. I felt like I had to apply somewhere early because I thought it might give me an edge, but I think it hindered me. My application would have been better if I spent more time on it and wasn’t rushed by the Nov. 1st deadline. A lot of the people they accept early are either recruited athletes or fulfill some kind of diversity quota (geographic, ethnic, etc.) so you really don’t have an edge if you apply early. Also Stanford doesn’t waitlist those they have deferred and for all schools if they’ve already deferred you once, it may be harder to get back into the “Yes” pile.
Just my two cents. I think it’s better to wait and apply RD (not as rushed) and then you get to sit back and wait for all the acceptance to roll in and make your decision. The school you were going to apply early to may not end up being your first choice when May 1st rolls around anyway.</p>