Early Action Decisions/Merit Aid

Does order of submission affect how quickly they get back to you? I applied a while ago and people I know, who applied after I did, have already heard back and been accepted. Should I take this as a bad sign, or does it mean perhaps that I am being considered for merit aid, and my application is taking a bit longer? or is the order in which they reach decisions completely random?

It’s pretty random, it seems from what everyone is saying and from observation.