ED - Yes or NO timing it....

Applying to College
1

<p>How much does ED help your chances if you have the LACs average ACT? I have my sights on a couple schools and have a ACT placing me at the LACs midpoint and just below (but not in last quartile) for one LAC. Any direction would be appreciated. I would prefer to use my ED 'card' on a long shot.</p>

2

<p>ED is binding, don’t just apply to a school that is a reach because you think it will increase your chances, only apply if you LOVE the school. With LACs the ED admit rates is usually around twice the RD admit rate (for the selective ones). That being said the number is deceiving, the applicant pool is self-selecting (especially with LACs) and often the strongest applicants a school will see.</p>

3

<p>The study at <a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/~jdlevin/Papers/EarlyAdmissions.pdf[/url]”>http://www.stanford.edu/~jdlevin/Papers/EarlyAdmissions.pdf&lt;/a&gt; found binding ED gave a “31 to 37 percentage” increase in chance of acceptance after compensating for differences in the strength of applicant strength between the two admissions pool. This number is an average over data for 30 highly selective colleges – some LACs and some not LACs. The study goes on to use game theory to estimate whether it is better to use ED on a long shot or on a low reach.</p>

4

<p>With ED you get (if you ask) a financial aid offer with acceptance, and you must take it or leave it, without being able to compare offers. There’s a chance it’s the best one you’ll get, but there’s no way to know. Some schools communicate their ED applicants, and if you turn down the ED FA offer as insufficient, there’s a chance you’ll not get the same net cost offer from another school, since if you couldn’t afford the ED school’s offer, you can’t afford the others either (some of your RD schools may later be able to offer more, and may do so).</p>

<p>That’s why ED is only for your by-far number one first choice, where your only question is: Can I afford it?</p>

5

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<p>This sounds like a conspiracy theory. I do not believe that it is true.</p>

6

<p>^ Another source:</p>

<p>[Single-Choice</a> Early Action - Ask The Dean](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000219.htm]Single-Choice”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000219.htm):

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