<p>... but you are not applying Early Decision because of financial-aid considerations, should you tell this to the first-choice college?</p>
<p>"I love School X; it is clearly my top choice, and I would have applied Early Decision if not for financial concerns." In other words, "If you give me a big financial award, I will definitely enroll..."</p>
<p>I think this is risky, unless you know that the college has a huge endowment and a rep for giving lots of fin aid. Many colleges are need aware, and may be inclined to turn you down for that reason.</p>
<p>There are other ways to show interest: visiting campus, contacting professors and admissions people, interviewing (on campus if possible), answering surveys, etc.</p>
<p>Macnyc knows what he is talking about. Don't try and trick colleges with hints and suck up messages (no offense intended). They won't see it as cute and sentimental. Your best bet is to wait for acceptance, and if you get in and the fin. aid isn't good, then write to them and explain how much you'd like to attend if the package were better. My friend applied to Syracuse, got in but with a lousy aid package, she sent them a letter asking politely, and they sent her more money.</p>
<p>One must also remember that you can pull out of ED for financial reasons.</p>
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One must also remember that you can pull out of ED for financial reasons.
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<p>Not true at all schools. While they can't MAKE you attend, the general presumption with ED is that if you get in, you will attend.</p>
<p>I wasn't thinking of this as a way to "game" the system or trick the school. I thought the school might legitimately wonder why this student didn't apply early, when she can eloquently demonstrate that this school is the best fit for her and that she passionately hopes to attend. Perhaps in such a case, the school assumes that the student didn't go ED for financial reasons.</p>
<p>If it's a school that is known for giving good aid, and if the school wants to improve its yield, then I thought the school might want to know that this student would definitely accept if the $$ were right.</p>
<p>I wonder: Would most schools rather use their $$ to try to entice students away from HYP (a risky strategy), or to cement relationships with students for whom this school is their No. 1 choice?</p>
<p>If my student, applying RD, shows too much passion and "fit" for the school, will the school will think that she'll accept regardless of the $$, so there's no need to send any dollars her way?</p>
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I thought the school might legitimately wonder why this student didn't apply early, when she can eloquently demonstrate that this school is the best fit for her and that she passionately hopes to attend. Perhaps in such a case, the school assumes that the student didn't go ED for financial reasons.
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<p>It is safe to say that many people don't apply ED becasue of money (I know this was definitely the case in our house) because you are saying that you will attend regardless of the package given.</p>
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Would most schools rather use their $$ to try to entice students away from HYP (a risky strategy), or to cement relationships with students for whom this school is their No. 1 choice?
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<p>there may be not be a straight forward answer to this question as some schools know they are going to fill their yeild , while other schools really first and foremost try to get a student body that is aligned with their institutional mission (this can be harder). When it comes to giving preferential packaging, financial reviews or "negotiating aid" I do think the institutional mission comes into play and a school will use money to entice a student to attend especially if that student helps to fulfill the mission.</p>
<p>I know my D's first choice (where she now attends) did not give the overall best package so we did use her second choice which had offered a better package to request a financial review. D told them that school was her first choice but the 2nd school was a more financially feasible option for our family. School met the second school's offer and increased the $</p>
<p>If you really need money, then telling the school that they are the first choice can backfire -- many schools use "enrollment management" practices to leverage their aid, offering less money to students who they feel are likely to attend, and reserving their biggest awards for highly desireable students who they feel are likely to attend competing colleges unless enticed by a genereous award.</p>
<p>So the solution is to write something on the application, usually under the question asking why you want that college, making it clear that the college is a very strong choice (but not necessarily number 1). My daughter wrote several sentences describing why she liked the college she now attends, concluding with "____ has become a top choice for me". </p>
<p>That way, the college knows that you are seriously interested, but that leaves open the possibility that you may go elsewhere if their financial aid award isn't too hot (without mentioning the need for aid). I think it will also help if the other reasons you give for choosing that college are specific and reference areas where the college is particularly strong. I know that when my daughter's college read the reasons that she gave for choosing them, they would know that there were not many other colleges that would fit the bill.</p>
<p>One more note: I personally feel that ED is a manifestly unfair process. It is unfair to the students who cannot afford to make the early financial commitment. It is also unfair to the students who are forced to make an early, binding commitment, with no sort of reciprocal commitment from the college -- especially since they are making before the college has announced what its tuition will be for the following year, and tuitions can increase by several thousand dollars from one year to the next. (Maybe a better system would be an ED process that also locks in a tuition rate).</p>
<p>Since it is unfair, I don't think colleges ought to be second-guessing any student's reason for NOT using ED -- there just are too many good reasons for smart students to keep their options open.</p>
<p>Apply ED, and if the package isn't enough, you don't have to enroll. You're cheating your kid out of their first choice education otherwise.</p>
<p>Do NOT do as the previous post suggested. You cannot and should not apply ED which IS binding if you may not be able to enroll.</p>