<p>I’m just curious what the benefit would be for a student to apply Early Decision (binding) vs. Early Action (non-binding). It seems to me that the outcome would be the same for the student. I guess with ED the whole process could be over and done with before the holidays, but that could be true with EA as well, right? I feel like I’m missing something.</p>
<p>According to the admissions director during our visit, a relatively small fraction of the class will come from the ED pool, and the only advantage to the student is less paperwork and a shortening of the period of stress. At some schools, given the high proportion of ED students in the class and the higher acceptance rate, you have to wonder if the school doesn’t derive some advantage. I don’t buy that it’s just because the best suited students tend to apply ED. To me, ED means no chance to compare merit scholarships or FA. If money is no object, go for it.</p>
<p>Thanks, CowtownSlim, that’s what I thought, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.</p>