Early decision applications

Applying to College
1

<p>So, I'm fairly new to this site, and if this has been brought up a hundred times before, I'm sorry.</p>

<p>What are the potential benifits and negatives of applying to a school under its early decision program? Some do seem pretty obvious, such as higher acceptance rates being a positive, and withdrawal of all other applications from schools be a negative, etc. but are there any other subtle pros and cons? I hear that often if a school accepts someone under ED, it will not meet the applicant's requested financial aid. However, according to
<a href="http://www.ophs.opusd.k12.ca.us/Counseling/Early%20Action.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ophs.opusd.k12.ca.us/Counseling/Early%20Action.pdf&lt;/a> , cornell's ED acceptance rate is 66% compared to its regular 21% rate. Could this be true, and if so, would it make sense to apply for a somewhat unqualified student (my gpa is low for cornell), even if he needs aid? How much aid would theoretically be met?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for feedback.</p>

2

<p>How did you figure out the ED rates?</p>

<p>....I don't think Cornell's ED rate is 66%...unless, perhaps you are a legacy</p>

3

<p>^ doesn't it show on the link's website? i saw 63% not 66% though....either way it seems pretty high</p>

4

<p>A con with ED is that you are not able to compare financial aid packages from multiple schools. While the ED college may meet 100% of your need, that need could be met in the form of loans, instead of scholarships for instance (and keep in mind, they determine your need, not your family)</p>

5

<p><a href="http://admissions.cornell.edu/downloads/EnteringClassProfile.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.cornell.edu/downloads/EnteringClassProfile.pdf&lt;/a>
This is showing about 33% ED admission rate for 2011</p>

6

<p>That's why I was so skeptical. </p>

<p>Any other pros/cons?</p>