One thing I don;t like about ED is that it is an advantage for the people who are financially capable to pay for a certain school. I know that people are going to say that you can get out of ED if you dont get enough aid, but comparing fin. aid packages for different schools is a must sometimes. What do you guys think?
<p>It's no more "unfair" than the fact that I can't buy a $160,000 car or own a second home in Cannes. No one owes you anything - if you can't afford to apply to a private school, don't. Or apply under Regular Decision. No one is stopping you. Just don't try and stop other people from applying wherever and whenever they want. It was a GREAT RELIEF to my family to have all the kids know by December where they were going. </p>
<p>Sorry. But you really have no call saying this is "unfair."</p>
<p>good point</p>
<p>Early Decision is not unfair at all. If you are accepted ED, but you can't afford it, you can get out of it. OR, you can do something about it and get a job, and spend your second semester applying for scholarships, etc. Anyone can find a way to pay for college. The money is out there, you just have to find it. Money should not be an issue when trying to decide to apply early or not.</p>
<p>I do agree. It's an opportunity that is available to everyone but can't be taken advantage of by everyone. You can't always prove that you can't pay for a college, but sometimes there are other circumstances involved. I doubt the fact htat you have to send 20k a year to your family in another country to keep them alive will show up on your tax returns. Everyone is in a different situation, and it's true that some of them cannot take advantage of early decision. But that's why there's early action. My family is not rich, and I can't bring myself to force them to live hand-to-mouth for four or more years just so I can be a spoiled brat and go to my "first choice college"... but instead I'm doing early action and then regular decision to a few extra schools so I could compare financial offers.</p>
<p>I agree that ED is an more of an option to affluent people, but I wouldn't call it unfair. The world's opportunities is aimed at people with money. That's the way it is, and that's how it always will be. Colleges honestly don't care if you can pay or not. Financial aid offers are just a way to entice you to go to their school, and if you're already commited, then why bother? If it's absolutely essential to go to that school, then, as mvuh49 said, you'll come up with the money. But, hopefully, if you're mature enough to feel guilty about spending your parents' money, then you'll also be mature enough to realize that there isn't just one school for everybody.</p>
<p>I need a fullride to college. Like paying 1,000 dollars a year would be a hard for me. And I applied early to Upenn.</p>
<p>I figure that my situation is so bad that I would get a fullride anywhere though. Perhaps someone a little more welloff than me might be in a worse situation.</p>
<p>Usually the school you apply ED to will guarantee to meet your need though, so unless you're saying that you just don't want to pay as much as you're supposed to, I don't think it's a problem committing to ED.</p>
<p>Same here. After punching in numbers on Dartmouth's aid calculator--rounding down our tax payments and rounding up our income--my parents were comfortable with what we could be expected to pay. Then and only then did I apply ED. I applied for some nice scholarships which will hopefully come through, and I'm entirely ready to take advantage of work-study options. I don't think ED is unfair. Like they said, you can get out of it if you really, really want to.</p>
<p>And you can appeal your fin aid decision. If you send $20K a year to family overseas, then make sure the financial aid office has that supplemental information that doesn't show up in your tax forms or other financial aid forms. They may ultimately choose not to use that information. However, if you don't include extenuating circumstances in the first place, you can't blame the institution for not knowing about them.</p>
<p>Too much information is often better than not enough information, IMO.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You can appeal.</p></li>
<li><p>Fin aid usually always comes through with top schools.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Don't apply ED if you want to compare aid packages. ED is commitment; fin aid comparison is not.</p>