<p>i know for a fact that if i get accepted to upenn ED and their financial aid leaves me with 30k to pay then my parents wont be ably to pay for it. However i do want the opportunity to apply ED to increase my chances of being accepted.</p>
<p>How hard is it to get out of the ED contract if u cant pay for it?</p>
<p>Early Decision does <em>not</em> – and I repeat again: <em>NOT</em> – increase your chances. The criteria for acceptance is the same across the board. Yes, you may find someone who “lucked out” during ED and got in, but you will also find the same percentage of people who “lucked out” during RD. ED was estabilished totally out of beaureaucratic necessity: universities need more time to review potential students so they prolong the application time frame.</p>
<p>P.S. It <em>appears</em> that ED is easier because a higher percentage of people are accepted. That is because many qualified and confident individuals apply ED, and because those who apply ED are likely to know exactly what they want to do and therefore write more focused essays. In short, it is the quality of ED applicants that contributes to a higher acceptance percentage, not the lowering of the acceptance criteria.</p>
<p>DSI has no idea what he or she is talking about. </p>
<p>Applying ED ABSOLUTELY increases your chances of acceptance. Penn this year accepted nearly half of its class early decision prior to even seeing majority of applicants. This is huge factor as many of the best applicants will apply EA to Yale or Stanford and thus be excluded from the ED applicant pool. Penn specifically wants to give ED applicants an advantage as it is to most of them their dream school. This enhanced interest plays favorably, especially when stats and general applicant strength are similar. </p>
<p>Wharton is the most difficult school to get into in Penn, but that doesn’t mean ED is meaningless. ED for Wharton increases acceptance rate to around 20-25% on average compared to 7-10% RD. That’s definitely better odds.</p>
<p>To Rferns:</p>
<p>As I said, it seems that a higher percentage of people are accepted through ED, but that is partly because the ED applicants know what they want academically (i.e. they want to get in Penn, as you said) and write more focused essays. The acaademic criteria for both ED and RD are the same.</p>
<p>Do remember that you will be competing with many of the best and <em>most determined</em> students for that 20~25% acceptance rate during ED.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree, the kids who ED are probably actually stronger academically.</p>
<p>all the responses have nothing to do with the OP’s question…</p>
<p>I don’t know the answer to it…does anyone?</p>
<p>yea… also will getting out of ED affect my chances at other colleges?</p>
<p>Ok, to answer your question… The truth is that it is very hard to get out of an ED contract. There are multiple steps which must be taken prior to withdrawal from the contract including proving significant financial hardship, specifically inability to even take out student loans to cover payment. If you are borderline unable to pay, stray clear of Penn ED. Colleges are ultimately businesses and engage in many of the underhand dealings and fine print activities of large corporations. They will force every penny from you and if those pennies + student loans cover the cost of tuition + room and board, you will be functionally screwed.</p>
<p>
ED helps your chances SUBSTANTIALLY because it is BINDING. This shows a very high level of commitment and interest that you don’t have from regular applicants. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Incorrect, ED students tend to be WEAKER academically and hope to use ED to boost their chances. The stronger students will generally apply to more places (other Ivies, MIT, etc.) to have more options</p>
<p>DSI probably went to some college info session and got ED confused with EA/SCEA</p>
<p>In case you still aren’t convinced: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/703697-does-applying-early-decision-really-help.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/703697-does-applying-early-decision-really-help.html</a></p>
<p>sorry none of this answers your question though, I would call the school =P</p>
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<p>Correct, as I have pointed out in both posts that EDers are “more focused” and “most determined,” so your point is very much appreciated. In fact, as I believe to have made clear that this extra “focussedness” or “determinedness” can result in more impactful essays, thereby increasing EDers’ chances of acceptance.</p>
<p>However, the criteria for acceptance overall, particularly academically, do not vary for EDers and RDers. Therefore, I hold that ED does not (technically) increase your chances. Should one display one’s passion about the school during RD, there are few reasons why one would expect different results between ED and RD.</p>
<p>As to the post you kindly pointed too, again as I said, there are many cases where people “lucked in” during ED, but that does not mean they “lucked in” <em>because</em> of ED. There are plenty who “lucked in” during RD, myself included.</p>
<p>Either way, I would just like to say that ED may not be ideal for many. I am not certain as to how everyone’s school system operates, but for myself, we only had say three tests per subject by the time of ED. A badly done test can totally wrongly reflect one’s competency in a certain subject. One may get new teachers, who do not know the student well and are unable to stress the student’s strength in their recommendations. Even if one gets the same teachers from one’s junior year, it is often advised to give the teachers several months to observe and appreciate the student’s growth over the years. Other factors such as volunteer opportunities and special curricula timeline may also make RD more desirable.</p>
<p>In the end our discussion about ED is ultimately based on personal experience, which is limiting. Before any concrete evidence can be provided, I still hold that applicants have higher chances because of what they <em>bring to the table during ED</em>, not because of the action of making the Early Decision itself. Hence, ED itself does not increase one’s chances – certainly not “substntially.”</p>
<p>A final word to those thinking about ED: Do not jump blindly at the chance to ED because ED <em>supposedly</em> increases one’s chances. Make sure one is ready before making the move.</p>
<p>DSI… you are 100% absolutely positively wrong on this matter. ED helps, that’s why colleges encourage those students who would do anything to go to their particular institution to apply ED, as to display the highest level of interest and commitment. </p>
<p>EDers may be good, but to say that there is no difference in the amount of high level applicants is to be completely ignorant. There’s a reason why Yale and Stanford generally slaughter students EA. Most of these students are the creme of the crop who want to have all options open RD. ED applicants usually want to avoid applying in the frenzy of RD admissions and get the process over with in November. </p>
<p>This whole impactful essay thing is garbage. Not only is this completely intangible as there is no way you could possibly know the difference between RD and ED essays as an outsider, but if that were true, colleges wouldn’t have lower average SATs in the ED pool compared to RD as they do at Penn. </p>
<p>Read aston link.</p>
<p>To Rferns:
And there are other reasons for universities to suggest so. They sure do not want tens of thousands of applicants to apply all at the same time during regular decision. I am not particularly certain as to why colleges’ encouraging applicants to ED implies (in a strickly logical sense) that ED is easier.</p>
<p>In terms of intangibility, I do not think either party has anything tangible on the table other than personal experience. It is as much an inference to say that EDers are viewed favourably because the <em>action</em> of ED itself shows commitmant and that EDers are viewed favourably because what they bring to the table (via essays for my particular argument) are more genuine and to the likings of the admission.</p>
<p>I see no way how <em>you</em> could possibly know the difference between RD and ED essays either, Rferns, or how you could possibly know for certain that the action of ED helps “substantially.” And if RD essays are not as good (as those from ED) on average, then it is probable that RDers need higher SAT scores to make up for the gap; hence I do not see a conflict between EDers having better essays and EDers have lower average SATs than those of RDers.</p>
<p>I maintain that it is not so much the action of making a decision early that helps, but what one brings to the table at the time of ED is most important.</p>
<p>Either way, I think we have expressed both of our viewpoints clearly enough. We can try to conjure up more numbers and fudge them so they fit into either one of our theories, but I doubt anything more definite can be said at the moment. On that note, talk my view for what it is worth (even if it is garbage). I do not see any more need to comment on this subject again unless specifically asked.</p>
<p>P.S. I read your link, both pages, and found as many faithfuls (i.e. those who believe ED increases one’s chances “substantially”) as doubters. Again, nothing mentioned there transcends personal experience.</p>
<p>Edit 1: fixed grammar: Changed “…a conflict between EDers having better essays and ED scores have lower average SATs than those of RD.” to “…a conflict between EDers having better essays and EDers have lower average SATs than those of RDers.” (third paragraph).</p>
<p>Everyone has a point here. I’ve considered both cases. Some great people who are really into business will do Wharton ED because Wharton is the #1 undergrad business school here. However, some very qualified people end up applying to Yale EA or MIT EA or to schools they like more than Wharton (possibly HYPMS). Some people will apply ED because they’re legacies and also to have better chances, but I highly doubt Wharton will drastically lower their expectations just because they applied ED - ED really only shows dedication and commitment.</p>
<p>DSI, are you aware that:</p>
<p>1) Penn is a school that especially emphasizes ED.
2) The highest echelon competitive students often apply early to non-binding schools, in particular Stanford, Yale, and MIT.</p>
<p>What you are saying is merely an emulation of the general rule of thumb of early application. However, you are not taking into account the distinct advantages at Penn, as well as the differences in the type of early application and the pool of applicants. Not to take away from Penn, but the 4.0 2400 valedictorians will often set HYPSM as their ultimate goals. The exception here is Wharton, but it is a business-specific school that many top applicants might not be interested in. Thus, the applicant pool at Penn tends to be filled with excellent but not necessarily robotic-like academic achievers and legacy applicants. If there are 2 things Penn is known for catering to, it is 1) legacies, and 2) early applicants. For the latter, it seems that Penn gives a significant admissions boost to an applicant when it knows that the applicant’s 1st choice is Penn.</p>
<p>For early action, a school might not necessarily be an applicant’s first choice. Plus, as I’ve said before, the overwhelmingly successful students all want to go to HYPSM, and so the application pool is teeming with well-qualified people who are all highly interested in attending. Thus, there is practically no such thing as a 1st choice boost at YSM.</p>
<p>CAN YOU GUYS JUST STOP ARGUING ABOUT SOMETHING DUMB LIKE THAT!!! </p>
<p>The OP asked "How hard is it to get out of the ED contract if u cant pay for it? "</p>
<p>NOT “Is it easier to get into ED or RD”</p>
<p>if u don’t have the money to pay for penn, you’ll get enough financial aid so that it will be affordable.</p>
<p>i heard that you can get out of your ED contract ONLY if the financial aid package is unsatisfactory.</p>
<p>nychica, that is false. Sometimes official documents fail to portray reality and a theoretically sound family may be pushing bankruptcy.</p>
<p>alright so does anyone know for sure if it is possible to get out of the contract or not if the financial aid is not sufficient enough so that i can apply to other schools for regular admit?</p>
<p>OP, if you are certain you cannot pay full freight to Penn, DO NOT apply ED. You won’t be able to get out of it legally. You are opening you and your parents up for lawsuits. A lot of schools are getting tough on ED applicants who balk. Remember, you are signing a piece of paper that is legally binding stating you will attend regardless of financial aid if accepted. Top colleges do share lists of accepted ED students and you may not be accepted anywhere else.</p>
<p>You do not want to start your collegiate career being dishonest and unethical.</p>