<p>S just found out that he got into Michigan (OOS), which has long been a dream school for him. He has also applied ED to a reach school, and has completed our state school app. He had planned on applying to six more colleges, but now says he's done with apps - would rather attend Michigan than any of the remaining schools on his list (which includes several top schools that he likes, but doesn't love). Obviously he no longer needs safeties, but we're not certain it's a great idea for him to forget about his reaches. Has anyone else had a similar situation?</p>
<p>If its his dream school and if you can afford the OOS tuition..... then why should he apply to more colleges?</p>
<p>Also -- if it is in fact his dream school -- he should withdraw the ED app ASAP. If he gets into the ED school, then he will be obligated to turn down Michigan.</p>
<p>He's in where he wants to be. He's done. He doesn't need to trophy hunt. I agree with calmom that he should withdraw his ED application unless he would prefer it to Michigan. I assume he has visited and confirmed his choice. </p>
<p>(If you don't want him to withdraw the ED app, he should ask to have it moved to RD so that he'll then have a choice if accepted.)</p>
<p>If financial aid or merit scholarships are an issue, he should apply to the other schools also and see what happens. (Agree, he needs to change ED to RD if he does not want to commit to that school.)</p>
<p>Dealing with that ED application is an urgent matter. The admissions officers are considering those applications right now and will be issuing decisions in early December.</p>
<p>If he's done, let him stop now. Our kid was in a very similar situation. She was accepted at her dream school by December...and her safety early in November. Stupidly, we MADE her do an additional application to a school closer to home just in case she changed her mind. She did it...but the school was NEVER in contention for attendance. It was a waste of time and money (application fee). </p>
<p>I guess my only question...usually an ED application is FOR the dream school...the number one choice. It doesn't appear that is the case for this student. That being the case, a change to an RD ap sounds appropriate.</p>
<p>Your son probably should rethink his choices for additional applications in light of his acceptance to Michigan. He may want to eliminate a few choices and add higher reach schools if appropriate. Seventeen year olds change during the course of their final year in high school. Since we readers don't know why Michigan is his dream school (it could be a girl or it could be that he likes bad football) and whether or not his primary reason for his interest in Michigan might change as well.
It usually is not a good idea to restrict a young person's options in a time of growth & exploration. Now is the time that your son can apply with confidence to other schools.</p>
<p>The KEY thing he needs to do is change that ED to RD, so there are no issues if he is accepted there. You would not want to find him accepted there, prefer Michigan, and have these be two schools which coordinate/cooperate re ED. If that were to happen, the ED school could rescind his admission, inform Michigan and then that acceptance could be rescinded also.</p>
<p>I'm one who doesn't understand why he would do any more apps. He has the Mich acceptance. He'll have the ED-now-RD app in. That will give him choice if he's accepted there. He has a state app in - that will give him a choice.</p>
<p>If he changes between now and spring, he will have some choice.</p>
<p>He should submit more apps because he is seventeen years old & growing & maturing and, therefore, changing.</p>
<p>Just in case it is not completely clear, ED means that he must go if accepted. If this is not his plan, ED should not continue to be in his future. Having a lot of options is not possible if he is accepted to his ED school.</p>
<p>Our state school will sometimes up the aid for students they really want (both in-state and OOS.) Students who can show high FA offers from competing schools have sometimes been successful in being awarded higher scholarships/merit aid. You must change the ED to RD, but otherwise, I'd continue to encourage S to complete some more apps to reaches. Also for the reason coldwind states.</p>
<p>There are plenty of 17 yr olds who are mature, have their heads on straight and know what they want. I agree with the majority here-- if he is thrilled about Michigan and really wants to go-- then no need wasting time, energy and money on other applications for schools that are not in contention. The only caveat is that he applied somewhere ED which means he "loved" that school, and now he "loves" Michigan. That says maybe he isnt as certain as he thought. That said, I also agree that unless he would choose the ED school over Michigan, he needs to change the ED to EA (if they offer it) or RD. If money isnt an issue, then tell him to enjoy his senior year and stop focusing on college apps!! My s got into his safe school early (with scholarship money), but still applied to 3 other schools. There was one other school whose application he had almost finished, but he decided he didnt want to write any more essays and he didnt think that he'd travel that far (other side of the country) even if he got in, so he chose not to finish that application. He never regretted that decision.</p>
<p>If his ED is to a school that your son prefers over Michigan, then leave it be. It would be interesting to know the reach school to which your son has applied ED. Anybody suggesting that a seventeen year old--even a mature seventeen year old with his head on straight-- foreclose any other options simply because he has one admission to a school he loves, is being shortsighted, in my opinion. People change, financials change, school offerings change due to budget cuts, &, most impotantly, seventeen year olds change; they also grow up to be adults that live with regrets. This is early November, wait until April.
Post #13's advice is contradictory & confusing. Do what I say, but these are reasons to do otherwise & my child (Poster below's child) did otherwise.</p>
<p>I agree -- he's done. Congrats on his acceptance at Michigan!</p>
<p>We had that same decision to make five years ago. S accepted early to Mich, app into ED school. He was thrilled with the Mich acceptance, so I grilled him repeatedly--do you want to change ED to RD. If you get into the ED school, will you be sorry you won't be going to Mich? Drove him nuts, but I wanted him to be sure. Upshot is, he got into the ED school (was his number one choice, MI was number two.)</p>
<p>Random end of story--he dropped out of the ED school in senior year. Sometimes I wish he'd stayed with MIch, though there's no way to know for sure what would've happened then.</p>
<p>Anyway, have a thorough discussion about the ED choice--make sure he knows the ramifications if he stays ED.</p>
<p>S1 applied early action to his dream school, was accepted by Dec 1 and was done. We tried to get him to apply other places in case he changed his mind but he just would not do it. It had always been his dream and money was not an issue. He went, loved it and graduated with honors. Sometimes they do know what they want and stay with it. </p>
<p>DD on the other hand changed her #1 choice several times. No ED applications for her since she needed the financial aid, but she did do a safety EA. Her #1 changed all the way to the last visits after acceptance. </p>
<p>If they know their mind and money is not an issue then let it be. But agree with others that the ED needs immediate attention. Why is that no longer the dream school, which it should have been for an ED application. That does seem to hint that the dream is not as firm and leaving some choices open for the spring visits and decisions might be a good idea. .</p>
<p>garland: Are we supposed to understand that if your son had gone to Michigan, that he would have completed his fourth year of college? My understanding of your last post is that your son made the right choice in sticking with his first choice ED school--or else he would have transferred to Michigan or another school, or he would have dropped out earlier.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anybody suggesting that a seventeen year old--even a mature seventeen year old with his head on straight-- foreclose any other options simply because he has one admission to a school he loves, is being shortsighted, in my opinion. People change, financials change, school offerings change due to budget cuts, &, most impotantly, seventeen year olds change; they also grow up to be adults that live with regrets. This is early November, wait until April.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree. </p>
<p>This is what every student who applies by binding ED does. Those who are accepted must foreclose any other options in December. Period. </p>
<p>One of my kids was comfortable with this prospect. She applied ED, was accepted at her ED school, and did not regret it. She is now a sophomore at that college, and she still doesn't regret it. </p>
<p>Not everyone can use binding ED -- especially those who need to compare financial aid packages. And similarly, not everyone who receives an early acceptance from a rolling admissions school such as Michigan can afford to withdraw other applications -- again for financial reasons. But if there are no financial issues that might affect the OP's son's ability to attend Michigan, and if it's the school he wants, I say withdraw all the other applications and enjoy the lack of paperwork.</p>
<p>Marian-
Wheres your quote from?</p>
<p>My quote is from Coldwind's post earlier in the thread.</p>
<p>I believe that someone else also made the same point, with which I respectfully disagree.</p>
<p>I don't see any great difference between the OP's child's situation and that of students who apply ED and are accepted.</p>