<p>@longprime</p>
<p>Well as I mentioned, my decision to do ED is the only reason I will be able to afford to attend. I’m a reach student and am very grateful to have been accepted. Other students may have schools like Cornell to leverage for more FA, but had I applied RD, I likely would not.</p>
<p>If you could elaborate more on what you’re saying, I’m open to listening. If I am in fact wrong, I would like to know why. Thanks :)</p>
<p>For everyone who is thinks they are qualified, this is a “reach” and absolutely a “chancy” match.</p>
<p>Spagh.
Reread, Jerseyshor, #25.
Think about what she said. Why did she say this. How did she come to this conclusion.
For ED, what is your criteria for attending CMU-its the money, isn’t it. CMU offer’s $XX: It meets Need based on their criteria, and conforms to other schools. You’re in, congratulations. CMU is pleased that you accepted. eos. - But why would CMU be happy that you accepted the ED offer?</p>
<p>“For ED, what is your criteria for attending CMU-its the money, isn’t it.”</p>
<p>Are you implying that I chose to ED CMU purely because I wanted to maximize the amount of financial aid I received from a college? If so, that’s ridiculous. Why would I choose a low-endowment, out-of-state, private university? My reason for doing ED CMU is because CMU is my first choice. While it’s true that I did do ED to get more money and to increase admission chances, the reason I chose to ED CMU specifically and not another university is because I genuinely want to attend the school. </p>
<p>From post #25: "unless you are an exceptional student who is guaranteed to recieve fin aid or can easily afford the full bill at CMU - ED is essentially a trap for any one else…correct? "</p>
<p>I disagree with this. Being an “exceptional student” gets you merit aid, ED awards full need-based aid. Merit aid and need-based aid are different…</p>
<p>From post #25 " If a student is not exceptional but still stands a very good chance of admission to CMU based on the admitted student profiles - should’nt that student apply for RD? so if they do not get fin aid they can pick the next best college on their list. "</p>
<p>Yes, this is true. I already discussed this in post #39 and at this point I’m just repeating myself. RD will be better for some students, ED will be better for others. Different students and different families = different academic standings and different financial situations. For you, RD may have been better and I’m not doubting that. However, ED was better for me and it is the only reason I will even be able to attend.</p>
<p>I don’t want this to turn into a long back-and-forth repetitive discussion as I’ve already mentioned most of what I have to say. I just want to emphasize CMU’s early financial estimate. </p>
<p>For any prospective students/families: Submit the early financial estimate ahead of time. Get actual $$$ numbers straight from the university before the application deadline. Real numbers carry a lot more weight than speculation.</p>
<p>OK
once again congratulations on your ED and award.</p>
<p>Spaghetti- why are you still trying to rationalize your choice – are you having second thoughts?</p>
<p>BTW Cornell and all Ivies do NOT and CANNOT by the Ivy pact bargain or offer anymore aid than that between the difference of COA and EFC. In fact, Cornell sucks, because they include a student self help ON TOP OF the parental EFC, effectively increasing the EFC and reducing the unmet need. Self help is the Maximum student loans, maximum work study and maximum summer earnings - another $10k effectively added to the parental EFC. In contrast, other schools (CMU included) include all of these into the family EFC - emphasis on the “F” in family.</p>
<p>The best bargaining chip we have heard from anecdotes here on CMU CC threads the past few years are the RPI packages being used to up the CMU awards.</p>
<p>My advice which I’ve written here for a few years is to every SCS, MCS and CIT 2016 applicant with nothing to do between now and New years eve- apply to RPI - it will pay off for you if you need to bargain with CMU in April! Your high school GC can get the letters of Rec and transcript out for you next week - just get your common ap into RPI. Is this unethical - I don’t know- you decide for yourself.</p>
<p>Yes CMU will review the awards of its peer schools. It does not say they will absolutely match the offer. Obviously, if CMU wants you enough they will, it they don’t - they won’t.</p>
<p>“We have been open about our willingness to review financial awards to compete with certain private institutions for students admitted under the regular decision plan.”</p>
<p>Definitely not having second thoughts, I just feel that potential readers on the forum may be misled because both RD and ED are <em>possible</em> options, not just RD alone. I was about to do RD but thankfully chose ED and am having a CommonApp free vacation :)</p>
<p>I don’t want to give specific numbers from my early estimate, but as I already mentioned, I will be saving over 60k throughout the course of 4 years. Yes, I do have my loans maxed, but coming from a <50k income family with $0 in property (rent…) and siblings in college, my issue is cash that will be paid out of pocket, not loans.</p>
<p>At this point I am repeating myself again…submit the financial estimate ahead of time. If ED aid is not sufficient, then use RPI to bargain. Once again, based on the early financial estimate, ED worked out for me perfectly. I actually applied EA to a lower tier school, and even with >15k in merit per year from that school, CMU’s early estimate was still better</p>
<p>My EFC based on the estimate is so low there is no need for me to bargain, hence my reason for choosing ED over RD.</p>
<p>I feel like I am making so many points that are ignored…</p>
<h2>I am not saying that everybody should go ED! I’m sure there are many middle class income families who, based on “demonstrated need,” will be paying more than they can afford. I am saying that prospective applicants should consider BOTH options, because one option is not necessarily always better than the other.</h2>
<p>And since I guess nobody actually reads the entire post (based on how everything I’ve said is being ignored):</p>
<p>The financial estimate numbers straight from the university couldn’t have worked out better. Argue with that.</p>
<p>spag, </p>
<p>I only responded to your post of #41. You asked me. And my replies were again a rehash of, look at the picture from the otherside. Your decision could/is based valid reasons and I have no idea if it is the correct decision-doesn’t matter. </p>
<p>I wanted everyone to think about #25. It was a rhetoric. Something to think about. Not to reply. </p>
<p>College applications, Admissions, Financial aid, the final acceptance to that college can be observed as Marketing decisions with a Financial basis. Could be reversed, too; Kinda depends how one feels at the moment and which side of the line you/they are on.</p>
<p>This topic happens every year. sigh.</p>
<p>My two final points:
-Consider both ED and RD. <em>One is not necessarily always better than the other.</em> It depends on each individual prospective applicant.
-Get an early financial aid estimate ahead of time. While this forum is great, in the end, any prospective applicant should place emphasis on real $$$ numbers straight from CMU because real numbers carry more weight and reliability than speculation and ambiguous fluff.</p>
<p>For the purposes of saving everybody’s time and preventing further repetition, this will be my response to any future posts related to this discussion:
“The numbers on my EFE for ED beg to differ.”</p>