ED vs EA?

<p>Hey. I have this question regarding ED and EA. I am quite comfused with this matter right now. For some colleges, I can ED to them and EA to other colleges at the same time. For some other colleges, I can only apply to one of them no matter through ED or EA. How does this system really work? Can please someone enlighten me? Thanks:-)</p>

<p>most colleges have early decision. this means that you can apply to other schools early, but as soon as you get in to their school, you have to pull back all your other applications. early decision is a binding contract and if you get in, you HAVE to go their.
early action isn't binding at all. if you get in, you have a choice to go.
early action RESTRICTIVE means that you can't apply to any other schools early but you dont have to go to that school if you get in early. this is rare but i think georgetown and a hand full other have this.
make sense?</p>

<p>^Stanford also has SCEA, or single-choice early action: you're not bound to go if you get in, but it's the only school you can apply early to.</p>

<p>Though it's safe to assume a student applying ED to a school will go if accepted, as it is most likely their top choice, can a school really force you to go there? I understand it is a binding contract, but what if a student suddenly, say, lost the ability to pay for the school? Parent's would not let them go to the school? What if the applicant suddenly lost interest and simply DIDN'T WANT TO GO to their ED accepted school?</p>

<p>How can a school force you to go if accepted under ED? I understand it's a contract, but the whole process seems very...Forceful?</p>

<p>Oh, okay. Thanks for your opinion. So does that mean that as long as I dont apply through SCEA, I can EA or ED to as many schools as I like? Is that the case?</p>

<p>yes....if none of the schools are SCEA, you can apply EA to as many as you want and apply ED to one other.</p>