<p>But being able to simply say it’s not affordable is the goal, the way to encourage non-well-to-do top students to apply ED. ED is for your by-far number one top choice, your dream school, where the only question is: Can I afford it? It’s a huge disappointment to be admitted and not have enough money. You want to go to the school so badly that you’re willing to give up comparing FA packages from various schools, and accept take-it-or-leave it.</p>
<p>Housing deposits are not usually a problem. Even at NU the ED housing deposit is not due until March 31, and if you are admitted ED and apply for FA, you get your aid decision around the time of your acceptance, Dec. 15; you have until Feb. 1 to decide if you can accept the ED FA offer.</p>
<p>Then the idea of ED becomes irrelevant. Which is why certain EA programmes exist, and for those who CAN’T commit, and don’t have the option of EA, then there’s RD.</p>
<p>Some schools like applicants who like them (check the Common Data Set section C7’s Level of applicant’s interest); ED is the best way to show it. Successful ED applicants get the college application stress over with early.</p>
<p>Yes, but if you can’t afford a school at ED time, you can’t afford it at RD time either. If you have a dream school, you might as well find out early if it’s unaffordable, giving you more time to find other targets.</p>
<p>At the moment would be to do Yale, Harvard or Princeton EA and then do ED II with NYU, unless NYU’s really your first choice (and if you really want to stick with ED). Financial aid anywhere outside the Big Three is incomparable.</p>