Interesting article about Early Decision

Parents Forum
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I think that it is interesting that all of those who are in favor of ED had kids who were accepted. I'm curious what the feeling is among the other groups.

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<p>This is purely theorhetical of course but I think that my son would have recovered emotionally fairly quickly and moved on the other schools on his list, all of which including the less selectives were were positive choices. </p>

<p>To look at the question another way, had he been rejected from his first choice school in an RD application, he would have been forever kicking himself for not applying ED!</p>

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To look at the question another way, had he been rejected from his first choice school in an RD application, he would have been forever kicking himself for not applying ED!

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<p>True!</p>

<p>I was just wondering if applying ED made the ED school seem all that more desirable, and then if they were deferred or <em>gasp</em> rejected outright, cause even more anguish than a regular rejection. (Or is a rejection a rejection, lol)</p>

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<p>Due to FA concern, we can not apply ED except for schools that are generous in aid but super reach with a chance near zero. Would someone tell me if it is legal to apply an ED school and one (or two) EA schools at the same time? Or can we apply two or three EA schools at the same time? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Read the instruction on the ED application...they are generally one school deals. Also, Single choice EA also means no other schools early. But there are a lot of EA schools that will allow you to apply elsewhere. You must research each school.</p>

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<p>some schools have different requirements (Georgetown), but generally you can apply to only one ED school, but can apply to other schools EA at the same time.</p>

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<p>I think most ED schools do allow EA apps, but there are exceptions. I think Princeton is one of these, for example, but I know that Columbia does allow EA apps along with its ED.</p>

<p>So, definitely you need to study carefully each school's instructions.</p>

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<p>Being allowed to apply EA at the same time as ED only gives a slight advantage if the ED turns out to be negative. Students who are accepted ED have the OBLIGATION to withdraw all other applications as soon as they are accepted. ED has massive advantages -at most schools- but the restrictions are not to be ignored or taken lightly.</p>

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<p>{"Counselors say they're seeing more students apply early hoping it will help them get into a better-known school, not because they've found the perfect fit."}
I think this phenomenon is what motivated my daughter and several of her classmates. It's the crap shoot mentality--improving one's odds. Of course, my D's ED school was her first choice and not necessarily the best fit. She was rejected which was not a big surprise but was a big disappointment. </p>

<p>It's also very true that the kids' opinions change so much between the school visits and when the decisions arrive. Some of those changes would happen over time anyway but some occur because of emotional reactions like being put on a waiting list by the adored school and now it's not so adored anymore...or so-and-so (a classmate that is less than admired) gets into a favored school and it subtly affects the kid's opinion of said school. Silly, I know but they are teenagers (and also human...most of the time.)</p>

<p>I think ED is worth it if your desire is a school in the upper echelons of college admissions--to maximize your chances. Otherwise, apply to 6 or 8 or 10 schools (which ideally you should have visited) and do a few overnights at the ones that interest you the most and make an informed decision in April.</p>

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<p>My DS had an ED deferral and ultimately attended a different RD school. We were not burned enough by the experience to discourage my DD from applying ED to her first choice school (where she was accepted last month). If finances are not an issue and there is a clear front runner for your student, ED is great. Generally, you have a slight statistical advantage and (I can say now) it feels GREAT to have it all over with in December!</p>

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<p>I am not seeing alot of parents here whose kid had to deal with the reality of not getting in ED, seems a very skewed representation here. I am for every one accepted, I would think there would be, even here on CC, 5 or 6 rejected or deferred. Odd thread this is.</p>

<p>Its not like the real world in many ways.</p>

<p>The article is more of what is really happening. And if all these kids got accepted Ed to their top tier school, indeed this thread is so lopsided to not really mean anything.</p>

<p>I am not being rude, its just like, well we have money, so we can take the chance to go ED, it is really an economic/financial issue as much as a qualification issue.</p>

<p>The colleges know that these kids have no financial needs, so to the school, its no risk.</p>

<p>A bit elitist in a way. If you can afford it, without FA, you have a better chance of getting in.</p>

<p>Money speaks once again</p>

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<p>Citysgirlmom - the real world I know is populated by people who go to community college, or as we call it junior college so that they can live at home and save money. Residential colleges are not even on the horizon, it is all about either going through as rapidly as possible so that you can get out and work, or taking forever because you have to work a little and go to school a little. FA is almost non-existent because they make a little too much for Pell Grants, and their grades in high school aren't good enough for merit aid.</p>

<p>Yes, outside the very elite of the elite, ED is unfair, because if the school doesn't guarantee to meet 100% AND is known for being generous with the formula to calculate "need", many middle income people cannot afford the risk. But what about the Pell Grant level kids, who even with complete aid cannot go away from home? These are kids whose income and English ability and driving ability and babysitting are needed by stretched parents and grandparents to keep the family together. If we want to talk about fairness, and helping kids who genuinely need a leg up - lets figure out ways to make their lives easier - it won't be by going to Harvard. Sorry rant over.</p>

<p>My daughter benefitted from ED, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. It is unfair to the middle income, puts unnecessary pressure on those who can afford it (although it does relieve stress if successful) and is irrelevant to the truly poor. Sorry, second rant over.</p>

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<p>The attitude that those who pay full tuition are somehow less deserving and tainted really gets me going. The vast majority of families who are outside of the range of need based aid are not wealthy, uncaring snobs. We work hard, we save, we sacrifice, we pay. Why would it be assumed that we are smugly satisfied with one upsmanship? Hey, we’re the ones who are out $160,000 while others are getting the benefit of the someone-has-to-pay system. Actually, many families on the extreme opposite end of the economic scale can also benefit from ED. They’re virtually assured of getting full need based tuition, no matter whether they apply early or RD. </p>

<p>As always it’s the middle class that gets the squeeze, upper middle class included. Another point is that ED doesn’t mean NO aid; it just means you forfeit the ability to compare packages – that’s where the risk factor comes in. Every decision, every day, on every level involves risk. I don’t like the necessity of taking risks any more than the next guy but I deeply resent the assumption that because I am forced by the system to absorb full tuition that I’m somehow less purely deserving.</p>

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<p>My youngest daughter applied EA and was deferred--- she is coping. We chose not to apply ED even to our much loved Duke. Many options still out there.
Cangel is on target---the rich always have it easier when it comes to choices. Years ago we told our first two kids: UC or state, that's it. We qualified for no FA. Now we are in a different place, thank goodness.</p>

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<p>I am not being rude, its just like, well we have money, so we can take the chance to go ED, it is really an economic/financial issue as much as a qualification issue.</p>

<p>The colleges know that these kids have no financial needs, so to the school, its no risk.</p>

<p>If you can afford it, without FA, you have a better chance of getting in.</p>

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<p>ED alone or being able to pay full freight can't and won't get you in if you don't have grades and test scores that are at least in the school's range. Period. I guess you haven't been reading all of the ED heartbreak stories here and on the kids' boards over the past few years if you think that's the case. Trust me there are plenty of trust fund babies out there who don't get into their ED schools, just as there are plenty of middle and low income students who do.</p>

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<p>Momrath,</p>

<p>Thank you for post #32. It is one of the best posts I have seen.</p>

<p>I completely agree with you. Many people on this board fail to realize that your quote below is very true. It is all about choices.</p>

<p>"The vast majority of families who are outside of the range of need based aid are not wealthy, uncaring snobs. We work hard, we save, we sacrifice, we pay. "</p>

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<p>My DD was rejected from her dream school during ED. She was devastated. She was a competitive candidate for the school and although not a trust fund baby, we could financially afford it. Not everyone gets in just because of the ED admission's boost. She is now looking at our state school with different eyes.</p>

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<p>"Caution 3rd rant"</p>

<p>To elaborate on something Momrath has said, I make no apologies for being able to pay full tuition, I'm in that "We work hard, we sacrifice, we save, we pay" group. My parents worked very hard for my education, with the only understanding being that I would work hard to give my children the best education they qualified for. Financial aid was never a consideration for either generation. In fact, in my parents generation/culture, financial aid was considered something of a hand-out, or that even greater sin, God forbid, A LOAN! </p>

<p>I am grateful that my daughter was able to get peace of mind from the ED process - we weren't going to get any financial aid other than favorable loan terms, no matter how she applied. Sokkermom is correct, our financial condition is secondary to sacrifices our parents made, choices we have made and our own hard work.</p>

<p>I know a family that would fall into the category that often gets "cheated" - family income probably right around 100K, son NMF, accepted to expensive private school of choice, but had some "boy" moments in high school, little bit lower GPA, not the absolute most difficult courseload, etc. No merit money, FA is all loans. But they are sending him anyway, Dad working as much as he can, Mom going back to work, kid applied to every local scholarship available and landed enough for board and spending money, working hard on breaks. They made a choice that education was more important. They didn't feel cheated by ED, his "boyness" made it necessary to have more time for apps.</p>

<p>My personal distaste with ED is mostly because I think that it is actually "unhealthy" to most kids, even those who are full fare payers, because it puts extra pressure on them to make a decision, and in admissions savvy schools, shifts that pressure earlier - like to sophomore year. Colleges hold so much power in this process, is it too much to give up a little power to the kids?</p>

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To elaborate on something Momrath has said, I make no apologies for being able to pay full tuition, I'm in that "We work hard, we sacrifice, we save, we pay" group

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<p>It is the full tuition payers which help allow the school to give financial aid for those in need.</p>

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<p>audiophile: Full tuition payers have nothing to do with financial aid. Most elite schools spend way more than tuition to educate your kid. I know that is hard to believe but the numbers consistently reinforce this.</p>

<p>The financial aid money comes from the endowment. To rephrase your remark: It is those that have gone before which allow the school to give financial aid for those in need.</p>

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<p>I'm sorry, but I'm a real amatuer here.</p>

<p>I am really missing something. As I understand it, you can be released from an ED acceptance if the financial aid does not work for you. The following is a quote from the Columbia website:</p>

<p>"If you are admitted under the Early Decision program, you are obligated to accept Columbia’s offer of admission. Only students who (after consultation with the Financial Aid Office), cite financial reasons for not attending, will be released from the Early Decision agreement. "</p>

<p>So I don't see how financial aid will inhibit people from applying ED. Can you explain what I am missing here?</p>