Early Decision vs. Early Action?

[kenzie1992]

<p>I know it's summer and really early to be deciding this and whatnot, but as a rising senior I like to be prepared and know what I'm doing ahead of time.</p>

<p>So you can PM me if you want all the gritty details, but the basic overview is that I'm an IB diploma candidate with a 3.94 gpa and a 34 ACT, interested in pretty much every subject on the planet, with an EC/elective focus on theatre. I'm torn between applying ED to my top choice, Brown, or EA to Bard (low reach/high match?) and Lewis & Clark(academic safety). Here are what I see as the pros of each</p>

<p>Brown ED:
Pros:
It's my top school and I'd be showing my commitment
Higher acceptance rate than RD
I wouldn't have to worry about sending out any other apps
Since this decision will be the real nail-biter, I won't have to wait as long
Cons:
Rejection/deferral is likely (the acceptance rate is still low)
I need financial aid
possible buyer's remorse</p>

<p>Bard/L&C EA:
Pros:
I'm more likely to be accepted to at least one of these two schools.
I wouldn't be tied to a possibly skimpy or loan-heavy financial aid package
I would have lots of time to get attached to them and love them before my more selective decisions (Brown & others) come in, making possible rejection sting less
I could apply to fewer schools, especially if I got into Bard with good aid.
I would have more time to do more community service to show on my Brown app
Con:
They just aren't Brown. And if I got rejected from Brown, there would always be that nagging regret of not increasing my chances by applying ED.</p>

<p>Thoughts? If tl;dr, the second paragraph basically gives a good overview of the situation.</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

[YaleGradandDad]

<p>Your stats are competitive for Brown ED. I would worry more about the “nagging regret of not increasing [your] chances by applying ED” if rejected than buyer’s remorse if accepted. Unless you are looking to drop tiers in your college search to get a non-need merit FA package, I wouldn’t worry about the aid at Brown holding you back. If it is a pro to apply to fewer schools with an EA acceptance, how about no more schools with an ED acceptance. It would be very nice to be sitting December 15th with your dream school acceptance in hand but you “can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket”.</p>

[glassesarechic]

<p>For those needing finaid, ED is rarely the way to go. Yes, you can decline your ED offer if your package isn’t up to snuff, but you don’t have the luxury of comparing aid packages.</p>

[griffen]

<p>Is it not possible to do both? Can’t you apply ED to Brown and EA to the others and then withdraw all your other apps if Brown accepts you ED? I think that’s how most ED/EA programs work but I haven’t looked specifically at the ones you are considering</p>

[Erin_s_Dad]

<p>^ From Brown’s site: “Early Decision is reserved for applicants who have not applied to any other Early Decision or Early Action programs”</p>

<p>OP, as far as I know Brown is need blind and meets full financial need for those admitted. What’s the issue there? That con doesn’t look like it should be on the list for Brown.</p>

[glassesarechic]

<p>

OP, as far as I know Brown is need blind and meets full financial need for those admitted.

</p>

<p>Sometimes finaid packages, even from need-blind schools, can ask a lot of families. ED doesn’t allow the OP to compare Brown’s package with other offers.</p>

[rOadTo3b]

<p>definitely Brown ED</p>

[Erin_s_Dad]

<p>^^ Need blind affects admission. Meeting full financial need has to do with the aid package. To be more specific:

Undergraduate financial aid applicants with total parent incomes less than $100,000, at the time of admission, do not have a loan component in their awards. Students with family earnings above $100,000 have moderate loans ($3,000, $4,000 or $5,000) depending on family total income level. </p>

<h1>Families with total parent earnings less than $60,000 and assets less than $100,000 are not required to make a contribution toward the cost of education.</h1>

<h1>Families with total parent earnings less than $60,000 and assets greater than $100,000 have a significantly reduced contribution ( from assets only)</h1>

<h1>Students are able to use outside scholarships to eliminate all of the student-effort components in their awards including the summer savings expectation

</h1>

<p><a href=“https://financialaid.brown.edu/Cmx_Content.aspx?cpId=78#initiatives[/url]”>https://financialaid.brown.edu/Cmx_Content.aspx?cpId=78#initiatives&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;