<p>^^ The prevailing wisdom of many colleges and college experts is that Brownford is correct, SCEA pools are generally self-selective and therefore more competitive. See:</p>
<p>Harvard
[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Early Action](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/application_process/early.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/application_process/early.html)
“Historically, higher Early Action acceptance rates have reflected the remarkable strength of Early Action applicant pools—not less rigorous admissions standards.”</p>
<p>College Board
[Early</a> Decision & Early Action](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/early]Early”>Early Decision and Early Action – Counselors | College Board)
Many students believe applying early means competing with fewer applicants and increasing their chances for acceptance. This is not always true. Colleges vary in the proportion of the class admitted early and in the percentage of early applicants they admit. Higher admission rates for ED applicants may correlate to stronger profiles among candidates choosing ED. Students should ask the admission office whether their institution’s admission standards differ between ED and regular applicants, and then assess whether applying early makes sense given their own profile."</p>
<p>Yale
[Frequently</a> Asked Questions - Single-Choice Early Action | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“Single-Choice Early Action | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions”>Single-Choice Early Action | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)
“Historically, the rate of admission among early applicants has been higher than the overall admission rate because many of our strongest candidates, from a wide range of backgrounds and interests, apply early. We therefore offer this advice: Apply for Single-Choice Early Action if you want to receive a decision in mid-December and you are confident of the credentials you will be presenting to the admissions committee early in your senior year.”</p>