Is ED and RD that different?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am seeing a lot of people consider ED chance very important.</p>

<p>But what if I do not have any dream school? I mean, I have a lot of schools where I want to go but they are my reaches.</p>

<p>Then, should I consider ED?</p>

2

<p>Early Decision is not meant to give students the best chance they have of getting into a university, no matter how competitive the school is. It is meant for schools that are affordable for the student’s family and financial aid offers do NOT need to be compared with other schools. It is meant for a school that is the clear number 1 choice for the student and that he/she feels would fit right in that and be happy with, more so than any other school on his/her list.</p>

<p>If you have such a school, apply early decision to it! If financial aid is a concern for your family and/or you are torn between two or more schools or you are not really sure where you truly want to go, then it’s not recommended to apply early decision. ED is supposed to be binding; you really dont want to have regrets if accepted early decision.</p>

3

<p>but is it true that early decision is giving the best chance?</p>

4

<p>It may help if the college considers “level of applicant’s interest” in admissions, since stating commitment to attend if admitted is a strong expression of interest.</p>

<p>However, the college may not have as much incentive to offer its best financial aid and scholarships to ED admits, since it knows you are not going to comparison shop its net cost with the net cost of other colleges.</p>

5

<p>If you don’t have an idea which school you really want to go, just don’t apply for ED. ED pool is actually very self-selective.</p>

6

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<p>Excellent! If you do not have a clear favorite, don’t go forcing yourself to have one. Having a dream school is inviting heartbreak.</p>

<p>Cast a wide net. Apply to a wide variety of colleges or universities–safeties, matches, and reaches if you choose to reach–where you think you could be happy and successful. Then wait and see what your options are, and choose the one that seems to offer you the best combination of academic offerings, quality of life, and price.</p>

<p>Early decision isn’t right for everybody, and it isn’t right for you.</p>