Isn't early decision almost ALWAYS the best way to go?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I posted this in another thread but no one addressed it... isn't this sort of obvious though?</p>

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So basically I have next to nothing decided about which college I want to go to, and don't expect to make much progress. BUT I STILL WANT TO APPLY EARLY-DECISION SOMEWHERE.</p>

<p>I've often heard people say "dont do early decision unless you have a school that you really really want to go to above all others"</p>

<p>Well how about if you know that you wont have a school that you really really want to go to above all others?</p>

<p>If they're almost all the same to me, should I pick one that I like better than the rest (even though I'm unsure on all), apply early, and get it over with?</p>

<p>I mean if I wait an do regular decision with like 10 schools, get accepted into 7-8, I'd STILL have to decide on one school amongst several that I'm unsure of.</p>

<p>So even though I'm lacking in conviction, should I do early decision anyways because regular decision would just be delaying the inevitable?

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<p>
[quote]

Let's say we start out with 50 schools that I would POSSIBLY want to go to.</p>

<p>For regular decision:
I have to narrow it down from 50 schools down to 10 to apply to. Then, let's say I get into 7, then I would have to choose one from those 7 to attend. So basically the only schools I wouldn't have to weed out would be the 3 that I got rejected from.</p>

<p>For early decision:
I still start out with the 50 initial schools, but I immediately narrow it down to 1 and apply.</p>

<p>Since I am going to be just as indecisive come the fall as I will be in the winter/spring, having only THREE less schools to decide from would not be worth the admittance advantage and peace of mind that would come from ED, no? This seems strange that no one has thought of this before.......

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<p>CLIFF NOTES:
Even if you don't have a dream school, you should still apply ED because you are going to be just as unsure in the spring as you are in the fall</p>

<p>It is better to do ED because of the admittance advantage and peace of mind UNLESS you KNOW that you will be a lot more decisive after those extra 2-3 months. Otherwise you're just delaying the inevitable.</p>

2

<p>If financial aid is going to be a determining factor in your college choice, then do not apply early decision. You don't want to be stuck with a bad aid package or find yourself scrambling to find another college after you have to back out of the ED agreement.</p>

3

<p>but what if u apply ED and then learn something about that school which would make u really, really unhappy to go there.... you'd be stuck.. and that would suck.</p>

4

<p>I'd say that EA is more like always the way to go.</p>

5

<p>yep yep yep yep</p>

6

<p>The other posters are correct. Unless you are very financially secure and absolutely love the school, ED is NOT the way to go. If you're unsure, that's an even worse reason to apply ED, because you "won't know in the fall".</p>

7

<p>Just because the ED admit % is higher doesn't necessarily mean its easier to get an acceptance. The ED pool could be a lot more self selective having legacies, recruited-athletics, and developmental admits.</p>

8

<p>Snoopy I said UNLESS you know that you will be a lot more decisive after an extra 2-3 months</p>

<p>But come on... the winter will probably focused on school/friends/sports/relaxing and I think most people would be just as indecisive in the spring as in the fall. How often does someone "discover" something drastic about a school that would completely change their opinion of it, especially when they're busy with other things? If I "wont know in the fall", I probably "wont know in the spring".</p>

<p>Financial aid is a good point though.. I know there are need-based and merit-based aid</p>

<p>Need-based is based on an income bracket, right? So that shouldnt be affected by ED/RD?</p>

<p>How much of an effect does ED have on any merit-based scholarships?</p>

<p>BTW: I am financially sound, but I would still like to get as much money as I can so thanks for bringing this up</p>

9

<p>The school already has you coming if you get in ED, so they have no reason to offer you any scholarships if they college doesn't offer to met 100% of need (as some schools like Carnegie Mellon do for ED), thus they don't need to give out ANY merit scholarships.</p>

10

<p>The biggest difference financially is that you won't get to compare financial aid packages from the various schools you are accepted at, and if you really have no preference of a school, then that would be a wise determining factor.</p>

11

<p>Need based aid can vary quite a bit from college to college. Some packages will include more loans than others, sometimes the college's definition of need will vary, some colleges will use the CSS Profile to calculate need rather than just the FAFSA (different methodology).</p>

12

<p>Apart from financial considerations, another point against ED is that teenagers change and mature rapidly. I know a girl who a few months ago was dead sure she wanted to apply ED to a certain university, and now it has been relegated to the RD list.</p>

13

<p>As someone who committed to go to Georgetown since the beginning of junior year, let me say something: plans do change. You get accepted to schools you never thought you would, some new information creeps in. By the time April came around, Georgetown was lower on my list than several other schools. Thankfully, they have an EA program, which allowed me to move on to schools that were better fits.</p>