<p>I'm debating whether to do ED to UPenn or Cornell or if I become a finalist, go through the matching process.</p>
<p>my concern is that chances of getting matched with the top colleges is insanely slim... Any input would be appreciated, even better if from previous match winners.</p>
<p>I was thinking this too -- should I do EA for Yale instead? The chances would prob. be a lot higher/more time for essays/ can take another SATII... </p>
<p>but then again, I worked so hard on my QB app ><</p>
<p>omg, thank god im not the only one!!
thats my concern, the chances are soo much better early... yale only matched 19 last yr...</p>
<p>BUMP!!! pleaseeee</p>
<p>yeah I really dont know what to do ><</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat with Yale. </p>
<p>^cc3c, they still accepted 71 I think in the regular decision round... if that makes you feel any better :-)</p>
<p>IF your family income is low enough to qualify for the preliminary rounds of Questbridge, you have no business applying anywhere ED. You need to be able to line up every single one of your financial aid offers in April and compare them before you make your final decision.</p>
<p>cornell is free for people from income under 60,000.... so applying early wouldnt be a financial issue</p>
<p>senior '09-</p>
<p>lol, yea i guess. how many people got matched to princeton or stanford or notre dame?</p>
<p>The question is whether low income students should consider ED applications is more nuanced than just "no, never." It depends on the school and it depends on the student's family income and assets. It's fair to say that it's not a good idea in most cases, but certainly not all.</p>
<p>wut if its to cornell, which is free for accepted students with an income less than 60,000</p>
<p>I don't know Cornell's financial aid policies, but a few questions to ask...</p>
<p>what do they mean by "free"? Is it just tuition, or is it tuition, room & board? Some schools factor travel costs into the Cost of Attendance (COA). If you live very far away, that's another thing to consider. Others include insurance, books, various fees (these can add up.) I mean, obviously you'd be buying books wherever you go, but I'm just trying to say it's important to understand what exactly is "free". There are a number of schools promising free tuition to students under certain income limits, but when you look a little more closely it's just tuition, but the students will still have to borrow hefty amounts for room & board, fees, books, travel, insurance, etc. So that's something to check out.</p>
<p>Also, I assume Cornell has a no-student-loans policy under that income limit. Is that right? That's important.</p>
<p>Usually private schools look at parent and student assets as well as income. So a family with an income less than 60K, but with 100,000 in assets (just as an example, I don't know what actual amounts would have an impact) might not actually fall within the guidelines for the "free" opportunity.</p>
<p>They will almost certainly also expect you to earn a certain amount over the summer each year (it tends to go up each year too), and also award you work-study. It would be useful to know what those amounts are, because sometimes you really just can't work the number of hours necessary to make the money and still keep up with your classes and have a social life. ;) Sometimes it's not even possible to get a work-study job even though you've been awarded the funds for it. (You don't get them if you can't find work.) Some schools will publish what they expect in terms of hours per week of work-study (at my son's school they only expect 6-8, for example). Also do you keep your work-study money for personal expenses, or are you expected to use it to pay tuition/room&board, and then on top of that have to figure out where your personal expenses money is coming from? These are all questions you may easily find answers to just by reading published information on how the financial aid policies at Cornell work.</p>
<p>But..... having said all that, if it's a situation where Cornell will cover tuition, fees, room&board, and your family income is under the guidelines and you and your parents have no significant assets, investments, second properties, a small business or farm, and the expected income from work-study is reasonable and there are no student loans packaged with the aid, then that would be a pretty good situation for an ED app, in my opinion. You'll get differing opinions here, but if you were my kid I'd feel comfortable with that. (In fact, we made the same decision last year, not to Cornell, but the same general situation.)</p>
<p>rent:</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I actually read the whole post lol :) So if Cornell has the nice financial aid, im still wondering if its worth dropping the Questbridge application and chances of getting matched... decisions decisions</p>