Does Carnegie Mellon offer an Early Decision 2 option?

I'm considering Carnegie Mellon and was curious if they offer an Early Decision 2 option. If they do, would applying ED2 provide any advantage in the admissions process?

Yes, Carnegie Mellon does offer an Early Decision 2 option. The deadline is around the 3rd of January, but do check the university's official website for the correct date during your application cycle.

As for your second question, there's often a bit of a boost when applying Early Decision - either ED1 or ED2. Schools generally admit a higher percentage of students from the Early Decision pool compared to Regular Decision. This is because Early Decision applicants are demonstrating a serious commitment to attending the university if admitted, which colleges like because it helps them manage their yield rate, or the percentage of admitted students who enroll.

However, it's important to know that you should only commit to Early Decision if Carnegie Mellon is unequivocally your top choice. Early Decision is a binding agreement, which means that if you're admitted, you're expected to enroll and withdraw your applications to other schools. Additionally, you'll be committing before you have the chance to compare financial aid offers from different colleges, which is something to consider if financial aid will be a significant factor in your decision.

So, while applying ED2 may increase your chances of acceptance, this should be weighed carefully with other considerations, especially financial ones.