My daughter applied ED to what she thought was her dream school (let’s call that “school #1”). Now she is on a fly in at another school that she really likes too (school #2).
She is still very interested in school #1. She applied early because she loved it and because although she has absolutely stellar grades, her ACT was only a 32. School #2 is test optional, FYI.
Financial aid is a huge issue for us – we are a high-need family.
My question is… if she were to withdraw the ED from #1 before the decision is rendered (which would be more than a month from now) and ask to be considered as an RD student, would the college look badly on this?
Thanks for input.
No. It happens all the time.In hindsight, as a “high-need family” she should not have applied ED anyway if you need to compare FA offers.
To some extent, it may depend upon the particular schools involved. Some schools have a significantly higher ED admit rate & are also well known for awarding generous financial aid.
True. But that was not the OP’s question. Can one switch an application from ED to RD without colleges looking badly on it? Yes. Should one do so? That was not the question and can’t be answered intelligently without the full picture
OP: In this case, you should have a very good idea as to the financial aid that will be offered to your daughter based on your family’s particular situation as your other child already attends that school. (If not, then just call & ask as you will now have 2 students in college at the same time.)
School #1 is well known for generous financial aid & high ED admit rate. Your daughter’s numbers are fine for school #1.
In this case, since the other daughter is already a student at this very small LAC, then withdrawing an ED supplement may be viewed as a sign that this is no longer the second child’s first choice school.
So, in answer as to whether or not OP’s daughter can withdraw the ED supplement without a negative reaction from the school, it is unclear. I would not recommend doing so until OP understands the ED admit rate at this school versus the RD admit rate.
In theory, it should be fine, but this is a real world question.
An interesting side note: School #1 awards merit scholarships of up to $25,000 per year. OP shared: “Financial aid is a huge issue for us–we are a high-need family.”