I understand that Early Decision is binding but can you apply early decision and retract your application before a decision is made?
OK so here is the scenario: a student is in love with a school that only has EA as an option. His second favorite only has ED1 and ED2. So he was thinking of applying to both schools. The ED2 application deadline is before the EA results. So can you apply to both and if you get in to the EA college then pull the application for the ED2 college?
Don’t do that, it’s unethical.
Im actually trying to be realistic. So no emotion is involved. Can this be done. Yes or No? i understand that ED is binding but if the application is pulled is that a big “no-no”? I need to think about this from a factual point of view not emotional.
ED2 is binding. You are contractually obligated to attend.
Can you fake an emergency or injury to avoid it? Depends on how well you schmeme it.
Yes people have done it.
When you apply binding ED you are making a commitment, in writing, on the common app to attend that school. As the first poster said, it’s unethical what you are suggesting. Nothing to do with emotions! Apply early to your #1 choice. It’s as simple as that.
Our HS guidance department does not allow students to retract ED applications. And I agree that it is unethical – ED2 is a binding contract signed by the applicant, the parents, and the guidance counselor).
“Kadel1023* ED2 is binding. You are contractually obligated to attend.”
I guess what I am curious about is where the binding part of ED comes into play. Is it after the offer of admission is made or the second you submit the application?
If you pull the application before you ever find out if you have been accepted or denied, then whats the harm?
Yes it may seem unethical but the two competing schools weren’t concerned when they purposely created these limitations. So they were looking out for themselves and now the applicant just wants to do the same. So perhaps two wrongs don’t make a right. But some might say that all is fair in love and war and they started the war.
My HS guidance department feels that the agreement is binding once the contract is signed and submitted.
Many high schools won’t send more than one set of transcripts ED.
I don’t find it unethical or binding at all. There is no contract when the application is submitted as there is no offer to attend and there may not be one coming.
If the ED school restricts other applications, they’ll say so in their rules of ED. If they don’t restrict EA applications at the same time you have the ED in, then it’s okay. If your high school has other rules, you’ll have to follow those.
However, I think ED should only be done to your one and only front runner. If the school decides to move up the ED I or II deadlines, you might get caught being accepted ED II while still waiting or EA from the school you prefer.
I’m with @twoinanddone on this one. I do not find it unethical at all. The Common App states:
and
So the OP is asking if DD have apply EA to one school and ED2 (not ED1) to another, but withdraw the ED2 application before the decision is made. From a legal perspective, yes; the binding part only comes into play once the decision is made.
That said, if the EA or ED school has a restriction prohibiting applying to other schools early, then that rule is the one to follow.
That all said, even though the application is ED2, a decision may be released before the EA decision despite what the college says. In which case, she (and you) are locked in if an ED2 acceptance arrives first. So the standard caveat of “do not apply ED unless you would be happy to attend” applies.
This is a common practice for applications for recruited athletes. They may submit an application ED, but switch to RD after their official visits when another school becomes the top choice.
Yes the problem is that the student loves University ABC. But ABC school only has EA. There is no ED option. The second favorite school- we shall call it University XYZ only has ED1 and ED2. University ABC allows students to apply EA but they purposely only let students know of their decision at the end of January. Thus forcing the student to make a choice between the two schools. So the student wants to apply EA to ABC School. Then ED2 to XYZ School(this school will let you know of their decision at the end of February). So if the student hears back from ABC school and they accept the student then the student will pull the ED application before the end of February and the results come out.
Once again ABC school purposely doesn’t send out EA decisions in mid to late December to prohibit students from applying to both schools. Not very ethical.
If the application is withdrawn BEFORE you hear a decision, it’s just a withdrawal, not a breach of contract. Perfectly ethical.
But here is the catch. The ED2 school may reply before the EA college does. Colleges often notify students one or two weeks before the official notification date. Just look at last December’s and last February’s posts on CC for evidence of this! So the applicant’s strategy could backfire massively.
If you are not willing to attend a college if admitted ED, with no regrets about any other college, then do not apply ED! Why don’t you apply to the second college regular decision instead of ED2? That way, you still get to apply, but there is no risk of getting stuck there when you could have gone to your top choice were you to be accepted EA.
Thank you Grey King that is exactly what I was looking for. Factual information.
Glad you found someone who saw things your way. But please do not ignore this factual information that must be discussed with your guidance counselor before you can go through with your plan.
Dungaree- be careful with the message you are sending the student here. (I assume you are the parent). Do you really want to launch your kid out into the world having to deceive the guidance counselor in order to “get what you want no matter what the rules say”?
@brantley – in the example specified by the OP the ED application would be with the intention of withdrawing it if the poster gets into the preferred EA school earlier. That is not allowed by our guidance dept. ED is for a top choice college, not a back-up plan. I can’t speak for how other HS guidance departments would react to this scenario.
Well the ED is a back up plan thats perfectly legit as per many of the posts. If the student doesn’t get in to the EA school, he would be thrilled with the back up plan that he ED2. (Again thats assuming he gets in.) Again, some of you are just jumping to conclusions and making this sound unethical, when in fact its plausible and actually legitimate. Thats why I keep saying lets just stick to the facts. Is this allowed or not and apparently it is. What we have here is someone who is trying very hard to think about all the possibilities beforehand. Kudos to students for thinking things through. As adults we are usually complaining that the kids are diving head first into a decision, rather than having thought it through. Thats not the case here.