<p>nngmm—if you really like a school, you can still apply ED. Swat will let you shop if you have to.</p>
<p>The whole point of ED is that it is binding. Once accepted you are supposed to withdraw all other apps.</p>
<p>I realize that Swarthmore probably will not "make you" go if you can't afford it. But if they release you from ED, you'll lose their admission offer before you have a chance to find out what your other options are (if any).</p>
<p>No, that isn't true. If you are having financial aid issues, Swarthmore will allow you to shop. Simple as that. I'm on the admissions committee, and Bock has discussed this very issue with us.</p>
<p>Quickly wanted to state that I was wrong in the above post. I misunderstood some of the terms being used, I guess. Basically, if you get accepted ED to Swarthmore, Swat will release you from your obligation to attend but at that point you also lose the right to come to Swarthmore. So no shopping. Sorry.</p>
<p>Arador:</p>
<p>That's fair.</p>
<p>To me, Early Decision is simple. It says, "I want to go to Swarthmore more than to any other school and will attend if there is any way to make it work financially." It is not saying, "I kind of want to go to Swarthmore as long as some other school doesn't offer a lower price."</p>
<p>So, once accepted to Swarthmore, the issue becomes black and white. Can I make it work financially or not? If, after discussions with the financial aid office, it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. At that point, the offer of admission should be void. It doesn't work. Swarthmore releases you from the commitment and you move on.</p>
<p>Early Decision is not, "let me get a bird in the hand and then I'll start shopping price..." Price shoppers should apply Regular Decision. It's like buying a house. If you really want one specific house, you negotiate differently than if you like a dozen houses equally and just start throwing low-ball offers on the table. In the first case, the goal of the negotiation is to conclude a mutually-agreeable deal. In the second case, you are perfectly happy to walk away from the table and continue pursuing other houses.</p>
<p>For the vast majority of ED acceptees, Swarthmore makes it work. But, financial aid is SO dependent on very specific individual financial circumstances and so clouded with quasi-merit aid discounting, that it is nearly impossible to predict until you and the financial aid office sit down and hash it out.</p>