<p>whoa collegehelp,
I think you are not helping by suggesting that students apply Ed, because "you could simply apply ED and then renege if Cornell turns out to be too costly. They won’t throw you in jail. There is no way to enforce ED. "
Colleges DO and CAN make life very inconvienent for those who take ED committments “lightly”.
1] Financial aid offers CAN INCLUDE LOANS, which means the student/ parent STILL has to eventually pay back the money they borrow.
2] The Ivy’s circulate list of accepted ED students to their peer colleges, so good luck trying to get an acceptance at another Ivy if you decline an ED acceptance at one.
3] students AND their college counselors have to sign the ED contract, and if a student from that HS then reneges on his ED acceptance, it would likely imperil acceptances from future students. Not too many reputable HS counselors will go out on a limb for 1 student.
THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE POSTS WRITTEN EVERY YEAR ON CC pointing out why an ED application should not be taken lightly. I suggest everyone here do some research and read them.</p>