What major should I apply to? ED or regular?
Hi everyone! I am currently a rising junior and I am really unsure on whether I should apply either ED1&2 or regular decision to my dream school NYU (stern)?
Some basics:
I am projected to get about a 3.58 UWGPA by the end of junior year (with multiple rigorous courses). I had a very specific and long medical situation at the beginning of high school which directly affected my academic performance, and I was treated properly in the second half of sophomore year and my grades have shown a dramatic uptrend after I was properly prescribed the medication I need and will continue the upwards trend with increased rigor. Also, I am really locking in for the SAT and the average for my school is 1470 so I am aiming for a 1540+ because despite my grades and situation, I am a hardworking student and consider myself pretty smart. I also have gotten all 4-5s on my AP tests.
As for ECs, I would say my top 3 are:
- my strongest is my startup. I created my own company and product that has since gotten third place at one startup competition, but I have improved it a lot and I am competing in many others very soon. It is a business to government model and helps ecosystems and generates renewable energy. I am really passionate about this one and I have made so many connections and I am working on this business daily to bring it to reality. It is a larger scale idea that needs a lot more funding, but I already have a non-provisional patent and am making the moves necessary for this to hopefully go big!
- I am the captain of two speech and debate events and have received awards
- vp of my schools GirlUp and have raised 1000+ with events I organized
Also, I am currently looking for business internships and I have done summer programs for business as well.
So now that we have that covered, I want to know what my best option is for NYU. My dream school has always been stern but I think my stats are pretty low. My business EC's are just getting stronger but I really don't know if it's enough to push me over the edge. I was thinking about doing a year of CC to show that despite my situation the first two years of high school I am academically strong enough, but my mom cannot stand this idea and I really do not want to disappoint her. I was wondering whether it would be a better idea to apply for a less competitive major in NYU and internally transfer to stern? Honestly, I am open to any suggestions. Say I do want to apply to stern though, I am really unsure whether I should apply ED or not because I know NYU has a MUCH higher ED acceptance rate, but I think I would benefit from that additional time to show my academic improvement and boost my gpa with some senior grades hopefully pushing me into the 3.6 range. Which one do you think will improve my chances the most?
Any and all tips regarding anything related is appreciated and welcomed! Thank you!
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1 answer
Your application is good. Make sure to mention your medical circumstances and specifically how they impacted your academics in the additional information section.
Simply put, if NYU is your top choice, and you believe your application cannot significantly improve by the RD deadline, go for ED1 - a higher acceptance rate means it's your best bet at your dream school. If it can improve then go for ED2. I wouldn't even recommend RD because if ED2 and RD have the same deadline, why would you ever go for RD if NYU is your top choice school? Remember colleges take a holistic examination of your application, so even if you believe your grades are on the lower end, you can compensate by strengthening other parts of your application (such as strong essays and LORs). Your activities are great. Your involvement in a startup, speech, debate leadership, and community service (GirlUp) demonstrates strong leadership, initiative, and impact. Highlight how these activities have shaped your interests and goals, especially in business and entrepreneurship, which align well with NYU Stern's values.
All in all ED1 vs ED2 is an easy decision:
ED1: Apply ED1 if NYU Stern is your top choice and you feel confident in your application's readiness by the ED deadline. This commitment can be advantageous given the higher acceptance rate.
ED2: Opt for ED2 if you believe additional time will significantly strengthen your application, such as showcasing improved grades, more involvement/awards, and possibly a higher GPA.
This is my take, and I wish you the best for your applications :)
(If I were at your place, I would go for ED2, take the time to improve my application the best I can, and still enjoy some of the benefits of applying for ED1)
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I forgot to talk about major. While stern is competitive, I wouldn't really change it to a 'less competitive major' for the sole sake of improved chances at admission. Your intended major should reflect and tie into your essays, activities, courses taken, and awards received. So you can't really apply in something like journalism just for the sake of it yk? Stick to an intended major that best suits your application - and what you'll most probably do at college.