With a family income of $80-100k can you pay for Columbia? If you apply ED and are admitted you MUST withdraw all other applications to other schools. You will not receive your financial aid package from Columbia until April and you will never know what the other schools can give you. You as a student only qualify for $5500 in student loans the first year. Make sure you can pay before you lock in. I know someone who got into Harvard, middle class, and ended up not being able to afford it.