<p>It is for those students who are applying to the top programs. If you are poor and competitive for admissions into a top school, then you, through various academic sucess programs, are guaranteed tuition without loans (most packages include work study that acts as a stipend for the student and others include scholarship money for textbooks).</p>
<p>Of course the very few students fall into this category.</p>
<p>But the schools that would vigorously enforce and defend ED are the ones that would supply the best financial aid.</p>
<p>"If you are poor and competitive for admissions into a top school, then you, through various academic sucess programs, are guaranteed tuition without loans "</p>
<p>That's true for only a handful of top schools. Most schools, including top ones, still require students -- middle class or very poor -- to take out some loans.</p>
<p>Basically I agree with most people on this thread that breaking ED can/will cause severe reprecussions. However, I heard someone say that parents refusing to pay tuition wouldn't let you out of the ED agreement. I disagree with this, they let you out for financial problems and that would be considered a financial problem. However, even if you're getting out of ED Columbia because parents won't pay for your tuition it's not like you'll be able to choose a school comprable to Columbia without having the same tuition problem. Generally, you'll be forced to instate publics that normally wouldn't even share the list with Ivies. So...if you plan on breaking ED, you're not getting into a better school over the one you're turning down.</p>
<p>"However, I heard someone say that parents refusing to pay tuition wouldn't let you out of the ED agreement. "</p>
<p>I'm fairly sure that parents have to sign the ED commitment too, when students apply, which probably is a big reason for the policy that you mention. I suspect that parents suddenly refusing to pay for an ED school that presumably they had to know their student was applying to is simply a way of trying to allow their student to back out of ED and accept what the student and parents feel is a better offer.</p>
<p>basically: Apply ED if your rich and are soley focused on one college and will go there in exactly 6 months after u get accepted no matter what in the world happens to you or anything</p>
<p>"basically: Apply ED if your rich and are soley focused on one college and will go there in exactly 6 months after u get accepted no matter what in the world happens to you or anything"</p>
<p>
[quote]
Don't bother even trying. Kids on CC have tried the same thing, and have gotten their acceptances rescinded from all of their schools. Imagine applying ED, having colleges notify each other, and getting kicked out of every single one? It would suck.
[/quote]
I broke ED this year, but I definitely would NOT encourage this practice. None of my acceptances were rescinded, but every applicant's college process is different. The reason why I broke ED was financial cost. I did not receive a cent from my ED college. Paying four years of full tuition for a private school was going to be a burden for my family, so I could not accept the offer.</p>
<p>I do realize that breaking ED is breaking a binding contract. My decision to break ED was much after paying for the matriculation fee, and I did think it through before acting, so I wasn't playing the system at all. I urge all college applicants to consider ED seriously to avoid going through what I did. It definitely took some time to break out of ED.</p>
<h2>First, how would one random college know to what schools the applicant applied?</h2>
<p>The Common App explicitly asks to which colleges are you applying.</p>
<p>also,</p>
<p>I believe it is standard (and reasonable) practice for the (sole) condition of escape out of ED is an unaceptable financial package. I have yet to see any detail on what governs "unacceptable financial package". Can someone point me to someplace that details what would count as an escape from ED.</p>
<p>If there is SOME financial need, and NO Financial aid offered, everyone would agree this wd be such an escape condition from ED. But I would love to see the real thresholds of how much financial need and amount of financial aid need to obtain for an ED escape to be acceptable.</p>
<p>If you break an ED contract that school (school #1) is going to want to know why you haven't sent in your deposit. You will tell school #1 that you are headed to school #2. School #1 now calls school #2 and lets #2 know that you were an ED admit at #1. Now you get dropped by both and it sucks to be you.</p>
<p>"If there is SOME financial need, and NO Financial aid offered, everyone would agree this wd be such an escape condition from ED. But I would love to see the real thresholds of how much financial need and amount of financial aid need to obtain for an ED escape to be acceptable."</p>
<p>There's no overall guideline for that because the college would decide that on a case by case basis. If the college met 100% of your documented financial need by giving you loans, the college isn't likely to let you out of your ED commitment because you don't like loans.</p>
<p>Bottom line: If finances are a concern, don't apply ED.</p>
<p>I'm surprised of all that I heard in this thread. I broke my ED with Cornell (I got accepted) and nothing happened at all. There was not the slightest resistance when I called them up and later on followed up with an official email to rescind my spot. Looking back, I'm surprised I was scared at all. I had similar fears mentioned in this thread such as being blacklisted from all universities applied to and other ridiculous things related trouble with the government. A lot of this crap came from reading posts on CC from users who give advice from out of nowhere.</p>
<p>I'm telling you that Cornell understood without the slightest hesitation that I changed my mind. I'm sure other colleges would respond similarly.</p>
<p>calkid ... thanks for your story ... it would be helpful if you filled it out a little. What was the reason you gave for asking out of ED? And did Cornell ask where you wanted to go instead? and if they did ask where did you go instead? thanks!</p>
<p>They didn't even ask why. All I mentioned in the official email was that I had a change of plans and that Cornell was not where I needed to be. No more detail than that.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that when you broke your ED contract that you now attend your state university as an instate student(you are fortunate that california has a good state university). Basically when you break ED for financial reasons, you will not get any flack if you end up attending your state university system, which would be the most financially feasible option.</p>
<p><a href="calkid:">quote</a>
They didn't even ask why. All I mentioned in the official email was that I had a change of plans and that Cornell was not where I needed to be. No more detail than that.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Interesting! Just to clarify further:</p>
<p>-- at which other schools did you have pending applications (i.e. were any of them Ivies or part of other ED-related coalitions that Cornell might belong to)?
-- did your email mention any of those other schools?
-- did any other communication you had with Cornell mention applications to other schools (your phone call, the application form asking to list schools, etc)?</p>
<p>we're not trying to be picky ... I think you've raised a good issue. My <em>impression</em> from CC comments over the last couple of years, and I have no first hand knowledge, is that if someone tries to get out ED for reasons such as
* family reasons and need to stay close to home
* signifigant family financial change ... parent lost a job
* decided to not go to an ivy/elite school but go to my local state U
then schools are very receptive ... in this case the applicant is picking a very different option.</p>
<p>It seems when kids get in trouble is when they apply ED to one elite school, don't cancel their other elite school applications when they get there ED acceptence, and then try to switch elite schools after alternative acceptances from "competitor" schools from the ED school. In this case this seems to be the applicant wanting their cake and eating it also ... I want ED for the comfort it creates but I also want to have my other similar options. This scenario is the one that schools seem to guard against and help each other out.</p>