<p>so i've been hearing from senior friends of mine that you really shouldnt apply early decision because if you do, you're competing with the really smart and really rich people...</p>
<p>im smart...just not valedictorian quality...and my fam is definitely not rich...</p>
<p>and ive been noticing that early action (which my friends say is much better) isnt really offered anymore...</p>
<p>so what should i do??</p>
<p>if i did apply early decision anywhere itd probably be wellesley or barnard...</p>
<p>The first thing you need to do is that you seem to be a junior, so go and check out all of the colleges you have looked at. Applying ED is a very large committment and you really should have a top choice picked out where you can say, "If I got into every school I applied to, this is where I would go."</p>
<p>If you can do that, again an if because not all people can which is why ED isnt for everyone, then you have to realize that you are going to be competing with a slightly more qualified pool...that doesn't meant that you won't get in.</p>
<p>If you have your heart set on a school by the end of junior year/beginning of senior year, and you are within the ballpark on SAT scores and have a good GPA, go for the gusto. Don't listen to anyone else about what they did because they are different than you.</p>
<p>By the way, I am a senior this year and am applying ED to Columbia, so I can understand your dilemma in trying to make that ED decision and the binding position it puts one in.</p>
<p>Here's the financial side of it:
If you apply ED, you have to accept the financial package the college gives you. If you're sure you can afford whatever they decide is the right amount for your family to pay, this won't matter. If, however, your family can pay about $7K a year, and the college wants you to pay $14K, you have a problem, since you're commited to the school. If you apply early action or regular, you can bargain with the college and increase your aid. Collegeboard.com has a fin aid calculator you can use to estimate the aid you're likely to get</p>
<p>If this school is really your first choice, apply ED. They won't outright reject you unless they feel that you wouldn't stand a chance in the RD round. As long as you don't really care about the financial side of it (and even that isn't usually a hinderence), the stiffer competition in the ED round won't affect your application in the long run.</p>
<p>It's generally true that you have a better chance (although how much better is questionable) at most schools if you apply ED. However, if it's an obvious reach, or Yale/Stanford, that might not be true. </p>
<p>I thought I would never apply ED, that I would definitely want options, and that applying ED would be selling myself short. However, I was sitting in a ridiculously comfy chair in Brown's library, and it struck me that there was no place I'd been that I would rather be for the next four years, and then ED made a whole lot of sense. So it's all about feel. Don't go ED just to go ED.</p>
<p>You do have a better chance...but you are obligated to attend if they fulfill your financial need. But they decide what your need is, not you. So if they give you a package you're unhappy with, you still have to go.</p>