"Is it easier to get in ED?"
The answer is no. And yes. And kind of.
Let’s have ourselves an honest moment, shall we? And use it to increase understanding, not to increase anxiety (pretty please).
At Tufts, it IS NOT easier to get in during Early Decision. But sometimes it’s harder to get in during Regular. Here’s why:
All we know in November (for ED1) or early January (for ED2) is that we have a group of early applicants. And that a portion of them are academically qualified and personally compelling and we love them and they love us and that’s just so exciting for everyone involved. They’re the same kinds of students we’d admit in Regular Decision by all measures and metrics. At that point we have no idea what regular will bring, but those students are on our desks ready to be dealt with at that very moment. So we admit the great ones in ED because… why wouldn’t we? And they enroll.
But fast forward and now it’s March. And there are fewer seats left in the class. And more applicants than before. Again, a portion of those applicants are academically qualified and personally compelling and we love them and maybe they love us, too. We take many of them but we can’t take all of them because there just isn’t space. This is the core conundrum of any highly selective admissions process: more qualified students than there is space in the class. And, even though we enroll the majority of our class in Regular Decision, it’s most acutely seen in that part of the process.
I don’t share this to psych you out, or add more stress. But honest questions deserve an honest answer, and this is one I get all the time.
So what do you do now that you’re empowered with this new information? You do the only logical thing: apply to a school ED if you know 100% that you want to be there. Whether or not it’s “easier” to get in early should have no bearing on whether or not you apply early. Plenty of schools that aren’t a good fit for you will be “easier” to get into in ED, which is hardly decent enough reasoning for locking yourself into a four-year contract. Again, we enroll the majority of our students through Regular, so it’s ok to wait.
That said, if you love a place your odds will likely be best in ED. So do your research. Visit online or in person. Talk with your family about financial aid. Choose wisely. And if you think Tufts might be that place, but need more details/warm reassurance/a reminder of why/ words of encouragement: reach out. Email us, read the blogs, talk to students, leave no stone unturned.
If you’re the kind of student we’d admit in regular, you’re the kind of student we’d admit in ED. So if you’re confident and you know that Tufts is where you want to be, go for it. We can’t wait to see you in November.