<p>Hey parents of CC, I really need some advice and I thought it would be better suited for this forum. I asked my parents the same thing and got the basic "it's your life" response. I have to make a very tough decision to make regarding of course college admissions, because why would it be. I am left with 4 choices: 2 risky ones and 2 sort of safe ones and I wanted to get some outside input before I make a decision.</p>
<p>My first option is the risky one, where I apply to Hamilton College ED II and apply to 6 other selective liberal arts college, which are Dickinson, Lafayette, Franklin & Marshall, Wesleyan, Vassar, and Haverford.</p>
<p>My second option is pretty much the same, but I apply to Wesleyan ED II instead of Hamilton.</p>
<p>My third option is that I apply to F&M ED II and then apply to same colleges. </p>
<p>My last option is to not apply ED II to any colleges and let the chips fall where they may. </p>
<p>I made a pros and cons list for each of these options and I have no idea what to do. Should I try at Hamilton and take a risk or do I play it safe and apply ED II to F&M, or do I keep my options open all the way to April and see what hand I get dealt. I don't want a normal CC response; I want to know what you would tell your kid if he/she was in this situation. </p>
<p>Your parents are correct- it’s your life. By now you have narrowed your choices to several options that will work for you. They are likely so equal once you evaluate all of the pros and cons that it really doesn’t matter which choice you make. Flip a coin if you want. Your choice will/won’t matter in your life. Many potential paths with a good result/life. All of us have had to make this type of decision at many points in our lives. By leaving it up to you your parents are being sure it is you, not them, in charge. This way you can’t blame them- nor should you blame yourself in the future. Make your choice and don’t look back.</p>
<p>btw- regarding past decisions. The way things work I may or may not have ended up where I did and consequently may or may never have met my husband and had the child I did. The end result is definitely good despite some major bumps along the way. Likely could have had as good a life with different paths. Don’t worry too much. I did the coin flip at one point in my life.</p>
<p>AHHHHHHH… You make a good point. I shouldn’t hold my parents responsible for my decisions because it’s not fair to them. But at the same time I’m stressed and really just want to get college admissions over with. I just want someone to decide for me – sometimes I wish America was more of a test based country where admissions predicated on test scores, would make my life so much easier. I just don’t know how to analyze the risk of applying ED to those schools, I tried to see if statfuse would work but it doesn’t have half the schools I’m applying to. :(</p>
<p>Your question is a fairly typical forum FAQ “which school should I apply ED to?”.</p>
<p>The standard answer is to apply ED only to a school that is your clear first choice, and where you can decide to attend without comparing the financial aid offer to that of any other school.</p>
<p>Also, do you have a safety that you know you get get into, know that you can afford, and like?</p>
<p>If I understand your question correctly, here are your conditions:</p>
<p>1) You believe that applying EDII will increase your odds of admission at that school,
2) Your top choice schools are Hamilton and Wesleyan, in that order,
3) You feel that your top choice schools are a reach and have a slim chance of admitting you except ED,
4) If all schools accept you, you would likely attend Hamilton,
5) you think F&M, especially with the ED boost, would be a “match” school.</p>
<p>My philosophy would be to apply ED to a school that is your dream school, and that you believe is a far better alternative than any other. You are giving up other choices as well as the opportunity to compare financial aid packages by potentially being admitted to an ED school. Your dream school is the one that, when you flip a coin, you hope it lands on that choice.</p>
<p>I, personally, do not think the applicant pools are equally random, and do not believe applying ED gives a substantial boost to admission chances. Therefore, I could not advise you with the same value system you seem to have.</p>
<p>You would do best having multiple offers to allow comparing financial offers.</p>
<p>As far as admission chances go, both Hamilton and Franklin & Marshall consider level of applicant’s interest, so applying ED presumably helps, since it is the strongest possible expression of applicant’s interest there is.</p>
<p>But whether applying ED is appropriate still depends on whether any is a clear first choice, and whether comparison of financial aid offers is necessary.</p>
<p>If my kid came to me with these options, I would say she didn’t have a favorite school so go RD with all schools. Also, where’s the safety? Actually if you were my child, you would have safeties you really like on that list. </p>
<p>Is Hamilton your favorite school? I am not sure I even understand your question. You may be over thnking (over-strategizing). I think you should apply ED to your number one choice, period. Otherwise, go with RD. Make sure to be ready to apply to all of your schools if you are rejected or deferred by the ED school. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you have more than one school on your ED list, then I wouldn’t apply ED at all. So I vote for the last option, and that’s what I would advise my child. Good luck!</p>
<p>I disagree. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the strategic use of early decision. If you would be comfortable attending your ED school if you’re admitted, I see nothing wrong with applying ED to enhance your chances of admission. (One of my kids applied ED despite not having a huge preference for one of the schools on her list over the others. She was admitted. It worked out fine.)</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with some of the schools on your list, so I don’t know whether you have a good safety school. If you don’t, I would be more concerned about that than about your ED choice.</p>
<p>I saw a link to this on another thread. It speaks to the question of applying ED if you need financial aid. Not exactly your question, but it may inform your decision:</p>
<p>So…are you able to,afford to attend all of these schools? And are your stats such that you will definitely gain admission to at least one affordable option?</p>