<p>So, I would love to go to Cornell, and it is my number one choice by far. However, the money situation at my house is terrible. My father makes $200,000+ a year, and my mother makes about $20000 a year. It seems like I would have no problem, but my parents are recently divorced, and my mother feels like she will not be able to afford her share of the tuition unless we get a fantastic financial package from Cornell, which is very unlikely due to my father's high income. So, if I get into Cornell Early Decision, but the financial package is not payable by us, can I drop out? Will other colleges see this and perhaps change their mind about me? Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>If you have doubts about the financial situation, don't go ED. That seems to be the general consensus on CC. However, maybe some parents can answer this question better than I can.</p>
<p>You need to discuss this with both parents and they need to realize that the colleges look at combined income for cost of attendance. If they feel they both need to split the cost equally, how will your mom handle that? With a combined income of $220K you would have a hard time stating your family could not pay for the tuition, so I would not go ED.</p>