<p>This is all purely theoretical, since I'm a junior at the moment.
I visited both MIT and Cornell over this past summer [And a lot of others, but none of them particularly stood out to me] and I loved them both.
I want to know that if, say, I applied ED for Cornell next year and EA for MIT and got into both - is there a way I could get out of the ED for Cornell?
I go to Stuyvesant HS and basically, for MIT, our acceptance rate was 48 or so % for the last 2 years[exluding the people with abysmal GPAs who applied for the heck of it]. Cornell's is a bit irrelevant because their acceptances from my school aren't as random as MIT's are. [Ex. This year, the valedictorian from our school who had multiple APs, led the school math team, rejected from MIT. However, a good friend of mine with only 1-2 APs, but a good bit of comp. sci knowledge and only a 92 average got in.]
The general trend is that the people with top notch, ie. 750+ on math/crit reading get in.
Cornell's is a bit different, their trend is that people with 94+ GPAs get in during normal admission, but ED is about 92+. The exceptions are when someone screws up their SATs.
I've gotten a 91 average for the past two years, but have about a 96 this year [I didn't think HS was all that important and girls, ya know].
With a stroke of luck, I can get into Cornell normal admissions, but I have a MUCH better chance at ED.
The thing is, I wasn't really considering MIT because I didn't think I'd have much of a chance, but I have 3 good friends at MIT who keep egging me on and telling me I'd make it in.</p>
<p>I have a good background with technology, took pretty much every tech course stuy offers [computer technology, circuitry, speaker building, taking digital electronics next year], a job as a computer technician at a local college, err you get the drift.</p>
<p>My dilemma is that my chances for MIT at normal admission are dismal. There's a certain threshold for the GPA, it's not as important as other things, but while I can do it with EA, I have a much smaller chance during normal.
My chances for Cornell at normal also look not too bright during normal, but very good with ED.</p>
<p>Err, I think I went off on a tangent that I didn't mean to, but the general point is that MIT is a 50/50 cointoss for EA and Cornell is a 75-85 for ED.
I'd much prefer MIT if I had a choice.</p>
<p>Now, I don't want to end up with two acceptances next year and be forced into Cornell, I'd be happy for Cornell, but I'd still resent myself for what could have been =X
Main Question: Would there be a chance to wiggle out of ED?
I read something about financial stuff being the way out.
My dad's a drunk and my mom's a teacher. Two mortgages on houses that we can barely afford nowadays, so I doubt we'd be able to afford anything above 15 grand a year, if that.</p>
<p>Are finances the only loophole?</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post again, I have trouble writing compact stuff on forums... Always turns into an essay.</p>