Is this possible with ED decision that one can back out?

Parents Forum
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<p>
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You're not totally bound to go there...there is a period of like 2 weeks where you can still turn down Penn if you get in. After that 2 weeks (it might be 3) you have to make a decision and when you do you are bound to it.

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There is a final decision period of 3 weeks during which the family can make the final decision. After that you're bound to whatever decision you made.

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<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=241809%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=241809&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Is it possible that a person can back out even if admitted ED even though it may not be because of financial reasons? What about other colleges? The more I thought I knew, the less I know about college admisisons. Hmmmmmm.</p>

<p>I always thought one can not back out of ED without loosing admission to any comparable school. Only for financial reason one can back out ----Added this line</p>

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<p>IMO, yes. If the primary bread winner loses his/her job and your family cannot afford to pay like it planned to, the college will recalculate your aid and if it is not enough, they will allow you to back out. They would be cruel not to. Other than that you need a damn good reason to back out. Technically you get your acceptance letter in early/mid December and you need to say Yes by Jan 1, so you could say No but then they will make sure you dont get in anywhere else besides CCs.</p>

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<p>"Well this not related with money, it could be loss of interest too?" I am trying to clarify this issue.</p>

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<p>I don't think they can "make you go", but they can (and will) make sure that you will not be accepted at any comparable institution. The whole point of ED is that it is binding. If you are not sure, don't do it.</p>

5

<p>
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make sure that you will not be accepted at any comparable institution. The whole point of ED is that it is binding. If you are not sure, don't do it.

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<p>That means one has no choice but her claim makes be believe that it is not so. I am trying to clarify what she mean is right or wrong. I do not know myself answer.</p>

<p>That is why I provided link. </p>

<p>Possibilty about the parents claim is right and I am interpreting it right. 2. Her claim is right and I am interpreting it wrong. 3. Her claim is wrong.</p>

<p>Which one is the answer?</p>

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<p>I always thought that ED means binding. The only way you can get out of the contract is if you absolutely can't afford to go (insufficient aid). Is my assumption correct?</p>

7

<p>She is wrong. </p>

<p>ED is binding, and the student, the school counselor, and the parent must sign a form that clearly states that you understand that if accepted, you will attend, and you must withdraw all other applications. </p>

<p>The only way to get out of it is if you absolutely can not afford it, and then you must go to a school that is much cheaper then your ED one (like your state school).</p>

8

<p>If person is admitted ED into Penn and backs out, there chances of getting into another ivy pretty close to nil.</p>

<p>Joint Statement for Candidates on Common Ivy Group Admission Procedure</p>

<p>Under December Notification, an applicant may be notified that he or she has been granted or denied admission or that a final decision has been deferred until the early April notification date. Two plans are offered according to individual institutional policy:</p>

<p>a. The College Board-approved Early Decision Plan, which is offered by Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton, requires a prior commitment to matriculate; thus a student may not file more than one Early Decision application among these or any other institutions. Financial aid awards for those qualifying for financial assistance will normally be announced in full detail at the same time as the admission decisions. An applicant receiving admission and an adequate financial award under the Early Decision Plan will be required to accept that offer of admission and withdraw all applications to other colleges or
universities. All Ivy institutions will honor any required commitment to matriculate which has been made to another college under this plan.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/faq/Common_Ivy_Statement.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/faq/Common_Ivy_Statement.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>""Well this not related with money, it could be loss of interest too?" I am trying to clarify this issue."</p>

<p>If there's any chance of this happening, don't allow your kid to apply ED. Backing out for such a reason is very difficult, will cause the college to take revenge by harassing your kid's GC and rejecting other kids from the school -- kids who may have that college as their first choice. Also, after going to bat for a student who backs out of an ED COMMITMENT for a flimsy reason, a GC is not likely to do much to help the student get into other colleges. Other colleges may also reject a student who shows the kind of lack of character to back out of ED. This includes colleges that may rescind their acceptances.</p>

10

<p>if you are accepted to your first choice "above all others school", why would you want to back out if you decided to go ED?
that is what you pin your hopes on-
you only apply ED if you know you will attend if accepted</p>

<p>Not you think you might attend, or you think you don't have a chance in hell so you apply even though it wouldn't have been your 1st choice
But you KNOW you will attend
Period
if you dont KNOW
apply EA- apply regular- apply rolling
but not ED</p>

11

<p>"An applicant receiving admission and *an adequate financial award * under the Early Decision Plan will be required to accept that offer of admission and withdraw all applications to other colleges or universities. All Ivy institutions will honor any required commitment to matriculate which has been made to another college under this plan."
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<p>Please note that the COLLEGE decides what is adequate, not the student nor his or her family. You do NOT get a free look at the financial package and then decide if you like it. If you're ACCEPTED, you have to withdraw all other applications. The financial circumstances for not accepting a financial package have to be extraordinary for the school to RELEASE you from your obligations. They do not have the obligation to do so, regardless of changing your decision. You made the decision when YOU applied. </p>

<p>Play games, and you'll get burned. It does not get any clearer than that.</p>

12

<p>"Please note that the COLLEGE decides what is adequate, not the student nor his or her family. You do NOT get a free look at the financial package and then decide if you like it. If you're ACCEPTED, you have to withdraw all other applications. The financial circumstances for not accepting a financial package have to be extraordinary for the school to RELEASE you from your obligations. They do not have the obligation to do so, regardless of changing your decision. You made the decision when YOU applied." </p>

<p>This is bull.</p>

13

<p>Dstark, what part is bull? </p>

<ol>
<li>That ED is binding?</li>
<li>That you do not decide what is adequate?</li>
<li>That the school is under no obligation to release you from your obligation? </li>
</ol>

<p>Or a combination of the three? </p>

<p>Now, does this mean that a school can force you to attend because of your ED commitment? NOPE! But the school can surely force you to lose one year or attend your local state school.</p>

14

<p>There are some cases where the student may show that they just can't afford to attend given the aid package-
<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/09/pf/college/early_decision/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/09/pf/college/early_decision/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
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Getting a better deal
If the aid award is considered adequate, then students are ready to move forward and attend their top choice college. But when the package doesn't meet expectations, there are still options available.</p>

<p>Call the financial aid office of the college offering the award, Buck suggested. Schools don't always do the best job explaining the financial aid award, so it's important for parents to communicate where the aid award isn't meeting full need.</p>

<p>Packages can be revised if a student misestimates his or her situation or if there are changes to their financial circumstances, such as if a parent loses a job. The projected aid awards offered to early decision students are based on estimated 2005 income, Baum said. Students need to submit their final financial information for 2005 when the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA -- a government form that students must fill out for federal aid -- is made available on Jan. 1.</p>

<h2>If the award doesn't meet full need, students can back out of the binding agreement -- and it won't work against them. They can reapply under regular decision and hope for a better financial aid package as well as apply to other schools. This is really a last resort, though, and in keeping with the ethics of the admissions process, students should only choose this option when the package truly doesn't meet their needs, Schmidt said.

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<p>1 and 2 are not true. You can get out if you don't like the financial offering.</p>

<p>As for 3., since you wrote it, tell me which schools tell students they have to matriculate after the students say their families can't afford it.</p>

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<p>When you sign a contract for ED and are accepted, if there is what the college believes is an overriding reason against keeping the agreement, it can release you from said contract. Some reasons that are considered valid are illness, death, a change in financial situation that the college does not want to address by redoing the financial aid package, a catastrophe that makes it understandable that the applicant should stay at home. Even when a situation like that occurs, it is a tremendous amount of trouble to get out of the contract. You have to present your case to college and have them release you from the ED before they circulate your name and other identifying information on the ED acceptance list to those colleges who check this infor mation. Bear in mind the timing of all of this. Most ED acceptances arrive around mid December. Because of the holiday season, there is a large volume of mail, and there can be delays and mistakes. Many schools are closing down about that time, and it could be difficult to get in touch with an adcom. If the problem is cut and dry, such as a true catastrophe, when you get in touch with the adcom, he can immediately release you from the agreement and take your name of the ED list. If it is a problem of not getting what you feel is enough money, it may take a review of the financial aid process, and a back and forth discussion. Some college will ask for documentation of the reason, which can take time. It is not as simple as sending an e-mail or letter saying, "thanks, but I can't go here," Because of the time constraint you are going to have to talk to the adcom as well as send written back up. You have to also remember that the admissions offices have now started to turn their attention the the RD applications, getting them sorted, reviewing them and condensing the info into their charts. You are a done deal, and it is going to be difficult to get the adcom to jump for you unless you have a true heart breaking tragedy. Most of these adcoms have heard it all before. You, too, are under stress as you may have other apps to complete , preparation for the holidays, and school work before the year end . Mistakes can and do happen, and if your name get out on that list, even if the college releases you from ED, you can pay the consequences of it. You should really contact all of the colleges that you are considering of what happened just in case they have an auto delete on apps where the applicant is on the ED list. With computers, all of this can happen automatically. It is not a high priority to deal with a reneging EDer as far as the Adcoms feel.. Then, after all of that, if your reason was inadequate financial aid, and if the college chooses to release you from ED even though you should have known up front that this was a risk, you can still lose, because your other offers may not even be as generous but you don't find that out until May.</p>

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<p>"Then, after all of that, if your reason was inadequate financial aid, and if the college chooses to release you from ED even though you should have known up front that this was a risk, you can still lose, because your other offers may not even be as generous but you don't find that out until May."</p>

<p>Also, typically, GCs have had to go the extra mile to help ED students, including saying that the students are ethical and thoughtful enough to stand by their words if they get accepted. If the GCs get burned on this, they aren't likely to go the extra mile to help students get into other colleges that are those particular students' new dream schools.</p>

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<p>My kid is not apllying ED. I am just wondering if the person is making wrong claims that a person can back out as claimibed by other parent in the UPenn CC link that I have provided.</p>

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<p>The purpose of this thread was to verify that there is no way one can break ED. This shopping period for 2-3 week was not avialable. I posted this thread as a parent climed and I was doubting the calim. That is why I posted the link and was questioning the statement. I got the answer that ED is not something a person should Toy with. In our case we were alreday applying SCEA. Due to financial reasons, ED was ruled out and kid would be trying the luck with ED Colleges in RD round.</p>

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<p>I don't think that it is a case of "accepting" an ED admittance
ED is a binding contract, if you apply ED and are accepted, you attend, unless you can prove that you simply do not have the funds.
Of course families and students on these boards are well informed and would * never* sign a contract that they would not honor.</p>

<p>We do know students who applied ED
Most to Uchicago and they attended.
D didn't apply ED, even though her first choice school stated that they reserved ( unlike most) the bulk of aid for returning students and ED applicants. It made me too nervous since she needed aid to attend, but my idea, wasn't necessarily going to be the schools idea.
Much preferable to compare offers.
If students have applied ED, then they attended, perhaps later they transfered- but the reason that they applied ED in the first place is that they wanted to attend, they also couldn't justify backing out of a contract because they changed their mind in the short time between application and acceptance.</p>

<p>I thought this was interesting-
Brown has switched from EA to ED and also will not allow students who apply ED to Brown to apply EA to another school.They also will not allow you to apply regular decision.

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Early Decision</p>

<p>Early Decision is a plan under which first-year applicants to Brown may apply for admission in the fall of their senior year and receive an admission decision in mid-December. Early Decision is intended for students who consider Brown their top choice and therefore are willing to make a binding commitment to attend Brown if admitted. Early Decision is reserved for applicants who have not applied to any other Early Decision or Early Action programs (Ivy League or non-Ivy League institutions). Brown reserves the right to withdraw the applications of Early Decision applicants who do so. You may, however, apply to other colleges at any time under their respective Regular Admission programs.</p>

<p>Under the Early Decision program, almost all of your application credentials must be received by November 1. All completed Early Decision applications will be reviewed after December 1, and decision letters will be mailed in mid-December. At that time, you will be notified of one of three decisions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Your application is accepted
You must withdraw all Regular Admission applications to other colleges. Your place in Brown's first-year class is secure pending satisfactory completion of your senior year.</p></li>
<li><p>A final decision on your application is deferred
This means that there were some unanswered questions about your application. Applications are usually deferred for the purpose of giving the Board of Admission more time to evaluate your credentials and to comparatively assess them as part of the Regular Admission pool of applicants.</p></li>
<li><p>Your application is not accepted
If you are denied admission under Early Decision, you may not reapply for admission under the Regular Admission plan. The Board of Admission strives under Early Decision to make the same decision in December that it would make were you applying for an April decision.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>It should not be assumed that your admission chances are improved by applying under the Early Decision plan. Each year’s group of applications are assessed on individual merits. The Board of Admission makes the same decisions under Early Decision that it would make under the Regular Admission plan. We utilize the Early Decision plan as a service which provides you with an early notification of your admission status.

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