Early Action and Scholarships

Applying to College
1

<p>Would it be a good idea to apply to safety schools (such as state schools) as early action? I know Butler University rep also said that to get the most merit scholarships and school aid it would be best to apply early action, so is this generally true for all colleges? I want to get the most aid from schools I have a good chance of getting into and then applying RD to reach schools.</p>

2

<p>Yes, it’s always a good idea to apply to a few state schools early – even if you are applying to private schools SCEA or EA: <a href=“Part 5: Answers to Readers' Questions About Scholarships - The New York Times”>http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/guidance-office-scholarships-5/&lt;/a&gt;

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3

<p>I would suggest to apply early whenever possible. Then you will have the answer likely earlier. Also, it may be critical for some merit aid too. For safety, I would suggest to apply to one early just to get a peaceful mind. You may not need to apply to other safeties at RD once you get a positive answer from other schools (if it is affordable too).</p>

4

<p>You should check out Early Action policies at your reach schools too. For example, you can apply SCEA to Yale and apply to any non-binding rolling admission program, and to any public school at any point as long as it’s non-binding. So definitely apply to a few safeties, but you might also be able to do EA at a reach. </p>

5

<p>Yes, applying to your safety schools early does make sense, especially if you’re fishing for merit scholarships. </p>

<p>However there are other strategies:
Personally I applied EA to a match school with the logic that, if I was accepted, I wouldn’t have to spend time and money on the safety school applications. This strategy saved me something like $300.
A friend of mine applied to his dream school early. When he was accepted he saved about $1,000 in application fees, sending test scores, etc. Of course getting into the dream school was a long shot so if you’re applying early just to save money on app fees and whatnot this may not be the best strategy. </p>

6

<p>I missed the chance of getting $$ at Tulane because I did not apply early. As other posters suggested, apply early whenever you can, except at schools that do not send out financial aid packages until March/April.</p>