<p>Hi. I posted the same question on the Princeton board, but I was wondering what people affiliated with Harvard think about the differences between Princeton's ED and Harvard's EA.</p>
<p>I'm a rising senior and I'm thinking about applying early to either Princeton or Harvard, except I can't decide to which school I should apply.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me his/her thoughts on this? Can anyone from Harvard be willing to share the pros/cons of Princeton ED and Harvard EA?</p>
<p>The pro of Harvard EA is that you don't have to go there. Its not binding. So if you don't get good enough financial aid at Harvard and another school gives you better financial aid, you can use your other package to bargain. But if you apply ED anywhere, Princeton or otherwise, you have to go there, regardless of your financial aid package. If financial aid is a factor, I wouldn't recommend applying ED anywhere since that's binding, whereas EA isn't binding.</p>
<p>Well, for this specific case (Princeton ED vs. Harvard EA),...I wouldn't consider financial aid a factor since Princeton has outstanding financial aid (one of the best, if not the best, in the country). However, if it were say....Columbia ED vs. Harvard EA....I would say go Harvard EA solely based on the financial aid factor.</p>
<p>Harvard EA acceptance rate is around 20% whereas Princeton is around 30%. Don't know if thats a factor for you or not.</p>
<p>However, if you get into Princeton ED....you'll never know if you could have gotten into Harvard. Etc etc. </p>
<p>Personally, I'd go with EA just cause i'm scared of ED for some reason. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>"But if you apply ED anywhere, Princeton or otherwise, you have to go there, regardless of your financial aid package."</p>
<p>not true. you can back out of ED if your financial aid is so inadequate that it makes your enrollment there impossible. i wouldn't count on this contingency, though, at P or elsewhere.</p>
<p>Scottie is correct. As a practical matter, you are essentially compelled to attend any ED school that admits you in the early round. </p>
<p>Whether influenced by financial considerations, or merely wishing to consider alternatives which you would not otherwise know were open to you, your choices are sharply circumscribed when you apply to a school with a binding Early Decision program.</p>
<p>Princeton, through its admissions director, Ms. Rapelye, has strongly signalled that this will be the last year that Princeton imposes this binding option on its early applicants.</p>
<p>Good news for the class of 2011 perhaps, but bad news for the class of 2010.</p>
<p>I agree that EA is better, although even if Princeton had been EA, I hope I wouldn't have applied elswhere. As much as I was curious to see where else I would have been accepted, the thought of potentially harming my friends' chances would, I hope, have made me withdraw my apps even if I had had an option. </p>
<p>The way I look at it, ED just asks you to make up your mind a bit earlier. If you don't have a clear preference by early fall, then your really should go EA. However, I think most people have one dream school by the time they must choose where to apply early. Just go with what feels right, and good luck!</p>