Hi everyone,
This is probably going to be my last question about Cornell ED as I’m beginning to make up my mind. (leaning towards not doing ED)
Is it possible to withdraw the ED application? Can I submit the app just in case, and if I change my mind over the next month or so, just withdraw it?
Yes. Just send them an email saying you want to stitch to RD or withdraw it entirely.
@skieurope Is there a deadline for requesting to switch to RD from ED? Maybe it’s on their website but I can’t find it.
Call them and ask. You dont need to tell them your name. Just ask.
I’m sure there is. Like @STEM2017 says, you can always ask. I would assume that there is a point of no return at the beginning of December sometime, ie, if they’ve already decided to reject you, they’re probably not going to entertain a request to move the application.
On the contrary, if they already decided to accept you with ED advantage, would they reject you if they put you in RD round and took away the ED advantage?
I guess it’s hard for any of us to predict but yes there is a chance of that. Imho they won’t hold it against you but you can ask.
Their ED deadline is today. Highly unlikely they’ve made any final decisions yet.
Again, do not do ED if you love another school better and have a real chance with it.
Without getting into a conversation of how much ED helps (and this really varies by school), I don’t think it would hurt. Many colleges at this tier have said that they would not accept an applicant in the early round that they would not accept in the later round.
That said, these hypotheticals are really pointless. Unless I’m missing something, I can’t think of a reason why one would want to switch from ED to RD without simultaneously switching another application from RD to ED, and the last day to switch both, for many schools, is today.
As a matter of policy our HS doesn’t allow ED applications to be withdrawn so also check with your guidance counselor. As I have said to you before I would not apply ED to a college that is not your top choice. And IMO it is disingenuous to put in an ED application simply the give yourself more time to decide if you want to go that route.
Yes, I was going to say that if your guidance counselor thinks you are trying to “game” the system somehow, that could cause trouble. If you aren’t sure, don’t apply ED. I wonder if you are waiting for rolling admissions from top publics or something.
My definite top choice is MIT…so it looks like I shouldn’t do Cornell ED I guess. Idk my chances at either schools but I feel like my chances at Cornell ED and MIT EA are probably similar (considering all the FA need aware/need blind factors).
I think you are over analyzing. Cornell has double the acceptance rate of MIT.
That’s gaming the system, and most guidance counselors won’t allow you to do that anyway. If you’re undecided, then ED is not a good idea. It’s better to just apply to all of them during regular admissions. Your chances of getting in are just as lousy either way.
Plus, you really don’t want to get hung up on schools like that. The biggest college tragedy is not getting rejected from your dream school, it’s getting accepted, and finding out it’s a poor fit. If I have a “dream” of owning a Ford SUV, I’m going to buy a Ford SUV. That doesn’t mean a Ford or even an SUV is the right car for me. I need to test drive a variety of cars in my price range. I might be much better off in a Toyota Camry.
As a computer professional myself, prestige is meaningless in the tech world. In fact, in my last interview, they didn’t even ask about my education. Apply to a wide variety of schools that have the major you’re looking for. If the school is “ranked” higher, that still doesn’t mean it’s a good fit. Rankings are not reliable anyway. Get rankings out of your head 
Just do some good research and find your school.
By that do you mean just visit their website, their blogs (if any), visit the campus if possible, or do a virtual tour, and look at what people wrote about them?
@geekgurl Yes Cost is your precondition before shopping around. State schools tend to be a safer bet (not always), because they have a large diverse population and it’s easy to find organizations with like-minded people. Smaller, more homogeneous schools tend to have a more “set in their ways” culture that new students tend to either love or hate. The culture can be “snooty,” “work hard/party hard,” “religious,” etc. That’s the trade-off with private schools. If you find a poor fit, chances are, you’ll be miserable for the next 4 years.