Early Admissions Stats Up: Diverse and International Students

Happy New Year!

Today I’m sharing an article in the NYTimes about Early Admissions stats. There has been a steady increase in students taking advantage of the EA/ED/REA option and applying to colleges in November. I remember that as an admission officer, parents and students would always ask if there was any advantage to applying early. The party line (office line?) was that “No, the only advantage to the student is that they get admissions decisions early.” The more I understood the nuances of the admissions process, the more I realized that’s not the full story. Early admissions statistics are slightly higher (perhaps double the normal admit rate at a school like Stanford between 08-10), but it’s because the caliber of students were stronger in the Early pool. If you think about the students who are confident enough to apply by their senior year first semester, these students tend to be the ones that have stellar grades (and don’t have to wait on one more semester of grades to show an  upward trend) or have strong relationships with teachers that their recommendation letters will be excellent. I do remember that the pool during the Early cycle tended to have some exceptionally strong students. So, it’s advantageous to apply to a school in the Early cycle if your application is as strong as it can be, and waiting one more semester for grades or a better recommendation is unnecessary.

It’s a great trend that more diverse students are taking advantage of this option, especially when there are schools like Dartmouth that fill up almost 50% of their incoming class using Early Decision.  Schools that use ED use this method to shield against students choosing other schools during the Regular Decision process, when they are not locked down to their first choice.

Students and parents were also confused around the “Deferred” process – I believe around 10 % of the students who applied REA/ED were deferred, and the message that the school is trying to send is “We like you, but we just need more information.” This information could be more grades, another letter, more essays from you, or simply waiting to see how the rest of the applicant pool shapes up to be. We realize that making students wait from November to April is already tough, and most schools will NOT waitlist a student after a deferral. I can’t comment on all schools, but my Deferral process when I applied to Dartmouth (almost 10 years ago!) included another letter/and some phone lobbying from my guidance counselor, an additional recommendation letter, and some more essays. It was my absolute first choice, so I was so determined to show them how much I wanted to go. I would warn against “overkill,” you  DO NOT want to over do it, but I do not think it hurts to show the school that you still consider them your top choice.

Hope these are helpful insights into the Early process. As always let me know if you have any questions: asian.am.education@gmail.com