This dashboard is built around the actual objective: admission probability first, then the probability that tuition and on-campus living become effectively affordable. Prestige matters, but only after the first two conditions are met.
The deal: these are the ten applications. Anything below the line is optional/TBD. EKU is the freebie and does not consume a slot.
| # | School | Admit | Workable if admitted | Combined | Early plan | Binding? | Decision | Superscore? | Tier |
|---|
“Combined” is a planning estimate: admission probability × probability of an essentially workable package if admitted. It is deliberately conservative and is not a university statistic.
Finish the high-probability schools first. These are the applications most likely to produce a real April choice instead of a rejection letter.
Vanderbilt is the designated reach. The admission probability is low even ED, but if he gets in, the need-based aid profile at ~$67k is unusually favorable.
GW is strategically different: his admission odds are already much stronger, and ED could make them stronger still. At ~$67k with low assets, the Revolutionary Promise should solve tuition. The unknown is how much additional aid covers housing and meals.
Decision rule: run GW’s Net Price Calculator before committing. If the residual is roughly $0–$4k/year, GW ED becomes extremely compelling. If it is $10k+ annually, do not bind him there.
Candid notes, because “great school” and “good application target” are not the same thing.
NONBINDING
Apply early, hear early, but keep every option open until spring. He can normally apply to multiple ordinary EA schools at the same time.
This is ideal for the plan because it creates multiple December/January acceptances and scholarship opportunities without forcing a decision.
BINDING
If admitted with an adequate financial package, he commits to attend and withdraws other applications. He should have only one active binding ED application.
ED I is the first binding round, generally around Nov. 1. ED II is a second binding round around January—useful if ED I fails and another school becomes the clear first choice.
Yes. A normal strategy can include DePauw EA + Miami EA + Cincinnati EA + Ohio State EA + Centre EA + one binding ED application.
Exception: restrictive early programs such as Georgetown EA or Notre Dame REA limit simultaneous early applications. If Vanderbilt ED is used, those schools should generally move to Regular Decision.
He improved Reading/Writing from 690 → 720. If math is near its current ceiling, the most efficient strategy is not “relearn the SAT.” It is:
At schools that superscore, a better English score can raise the submitted total even if October math is worse.
At Centre, UofL, DePauw, Miami and Cincinnati, 1460 is already strong enough that an extra 40 points changes little.
At Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Notre Dame, WashU, Emory, USC and to a lesser extent Ohio State/Pitt, moving into the 1500–1540 range meaningfully improves the academic positioning.
Use the buttons at the top of this page to see how the working ranking responds.
Often yes, but not universally. Many schools update the file through the applicant portal or when a new official/self-reported score arrives. Vanderbilt specifically updates records and superscores; other schools have firm material deadlines. Because the October SAT precedes most Nov. 1 deadlines, the practical plan is to send the improved result immediately when available.
Treat these as planning deadlines; always re-check the school portal before submission because Fall 2027 pages can change.
Understood, son. Palm trees are excellent. So is not graduating with a six-figure bill.
USC Marshall stays in the plan as the California fantasy reach because it genuinely fits: elite undergraduate business, a major game-development ecosystem, Los Angeles, and the kind of environment he actually wants.
But California does not get to replace the realistic core. The family rule is simple:
Also, USC is in Los Angeles, not San Diego. We are already compromising here.
These are not part of the committed ten unless something changes: Georgetown, Notre Dame, WashU, Emory, Northwestern. Georgetown remains especially interesting because both parents are Georgetown alumni (graduate degrees), which Georgetown says may receive legacy consideration, but it is still a selective reach. USC is treated separately as the agreed California exception.
EKU: freebie application, outside the ten.