<p>As stated as title, if Money is going to be a problem, should I give up applying ED? I visited Cornell about last month and I feel I really like it, but I don't really want to be in debt heavily since I intend to attend med school after my graduation.</p>
<p>Also, will I increase my chance by applying Early decision? I heard that the applicant pool is even more competitive than that in Regular decision. Can somebody please tell me the percentage of how many applicants are successfully matriculated to Cornell via ED?</p>
<p>Yes, you will increase your chances. Yes, the pool is more competitive, but they give preference to ED applicants. About a third of the freshmen applied ED. I applied ED and it was the best thing I ever did.</p>
<p>I don't know about ED+money, but going to Cornell is going to increase your chances for med school dramatically.</p>
<p>yeah RD is cesspool of competition, go for ED. For example: I'll use Wharton for an example, a huge chunk of its people come in ED. ED is the new way to go.</p>
<p>mercury - thanks for your opinion. I really appreciate it. :)</p>
<p>MUnited - do you mean the pool in ED is becoming less competitive than before?</p>
<p>Alfonzo - Although Cornell says the Financial Aid is 100% need-based, but I'm worrying about the allocation of grant and loan. I mean if I apply ED, will I have a greater chance of getting "more" loan and "less" grant?</p>
<p>You guys' opinions are precious. Thank you. :)</p>
<p>It's just that kids are applying to so many schools that they can't get their applications together for ED or EA. However, I wouldn't say it's easier, it's just that you have better chances in a pool of 3000 people than in a pool of 17000 people. </p>
<p>Don't worry about money. Cornell Degree if obtained with good GPA and ECs = money</p>
<p>A lot of people, especially parents, will disagree with the above replies and I tend to agree with those parents. While Cornell says they'll meet 100% of your need, think about who's deciding the need--Cornell is. There have been many instances where Cornell said a student's EFC is much higher than what they can actually afford. Also, meeting 100% need could also mean a large portion of loans, something you probably don't want. Finally, having financial need brings in another element to the college selection process. You'll want to compare financial aid packages ALONG with the schools themselves; dedicating yourself to one school before knowing if you'll be able to afford it doesn't seem like the best idea. Applying to many schools and making your decision in April with financial information is my suggestion.</p>
<p>If finances are a concern, do yourself and your family a favor and apply RD. There's nothing worse than getting in, being totally happy about it, and eventually not being able to go b/c the finances don't work.</p>
<p>hoganwan, i get a 22.3k grant with 33k demonstrated need. the rest is offered in loans. from what i gather it didn't make any difference applying ed. </p>
<p>as far as the need is concerned i'd say it's pretty accurate. i mean yeah it's really expensive but we'll manage.</p>
<p>Go RD. in case you get in but have no money to pay for your tuition, you have the freedom to attend another school that may give you more money. RD is not that much harder than ED.</p>
<p>I think you are allowed to pull out of ED contract if you are having serious money issues. But there was a catch, though, but I don't remember exactly what it was.</p>
<p>I don't think there will be much difference between the financial aid offered to ED and that to RD. However, one should be aware that the proportion of loan in Cornell's aid is substantially higher than in other schools'. The average amount of loan of Cornell's students is around $10,000, whereas at other schools it is typically around $3,000-$4,000 or less (an extreme case would be Princeton with $0 of loan). </p>
<p>So you can apply ED if you think that a yearly loan of $10,000 will not surprise you and you don't think you want to shop around for a more favorable financial aid (i.e., aid with a lower loan-to-grants ratio) at other schools.</p>
<p>you can also do EA, which means you don't have to commit. If you get in then you will no longer have the presssure of knowing if you will get in or not, and with EA you can have more time to think about Cornell. Now, I don't know if Cornell does EA, but if it does then go for it as you already have an interest in Cornell. As for financial aid, if you live in New York you can go for the contract schools. However, if you don't then try and get Key Bank or US Bank loans, these are usually among the best. Also, Cornell does give you some grant money. In my opinion even if a lower level school does give you a lot of money I would still go for the higher ranked one. This is because the chance to go to a top ranked school/ivy league is a very unique opportunity to have a collegiate experience which is unmatchable. Go for the best always.</p>
<p>If money is a problem, then you really should apply RD so you can compare all your options ... i.e. financial packages from other schools.</p>
<p>If you apply ED and are accepted, you are committed to enroll. The financial exception allows you to go to your in-state university instead, but not to a "peer institution".</p>
<p>If you want to have some of the pressure off early, apply to a rolling admissions safety school, that is a safety from academic and financial viewpoints.</p>
<p>A school doesn't give a worse package to ED applicants, it's just that you don't have the ability to bargain with them. For instance, if you got into a school that Cornell considers an equal-like Swarthmore and they gave you 10,000 more, Cornell might up your aid if you talked to them. For ED you have no idea what other schools might have given you so negotiating is a bit more difficult. Still, they will offer you the same aid they would have offered you RD, but it will be final. Unless you are really thinking about going to a less selective school that offers merit aid then it's worth it to do ED. I say this because if you already know that you'd go to Cornell, even if a less selective school offered you a nice package, then it is way worth it to get the ED advantage.</p>