<p>I made the same post in that thread but hope more people can see it through my own thread:</p>
<p>I'm surprised of all that I heard in this thread. I broke my ED with Cornell (I got accepted) and nothing happened at all. There was not the slightest resistance when I called them up and later on followed up with an official email to rescind my spot. Looking back, I'm surprised I was scared at all. I had similar fears mentioned in this thread such as being blacklisted from all universities applied to and other ridiculous things relating to trouble with the government. A lot of this crap came from reading posts on CC from users who give advice without actual experience, but with what they assume.</p>
<p>I'm telling you that Cornell understood without the slightest hesitation that I changed my mind. I'm not sure how other schools would respond, but I highly doubt they will crucify your chances at other schools.</p>
<p>Oh yes, don't think about applying ED to a school that you're not VERY set on. I had a unique experience after I got into cornell and had huge revelations that Cornell was simply not me. So if you turn 180 after getting in ED like me for some reason, I hope this will calm you.</p>
<p>I think it is important to point out that Cornell is considering getting rid of ED all together, which would explain why they were luckily sympathetic.</p>
<p>Others should not necessarily expect the same treatment. If you try to turn down Brown for Harvard, you will get the axe from both institutions. </p>
<p>UC-Berkeley is NOT included in the ED pact signed by many eastern colleges, so your admission to Cal was not affected by your decision to attend Cal.</p>
<p>
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I think it is important to point out that Cornell is considering getting rid of ED all together, which would explain why they were luckily sympathetic.
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</p>
<p>How would that explain anything? Is there anything at all in the equation that is changed by the knowledge that they might, in future, eliminate ED?</p>
<p>As long as a college has ED, it is adverse to their interests when applicants break it, and their incentives to enforce the contract are the same. If you believe that "breaking the ED contract" is considered a black mark on an applicant's character, a mark so severe that knowledge of it could lead to rescinded admissions at other schools, how is that consideration affected by the knowledge that ED might be cancelled later?</p>
<p>Regardless of the fact that you may under certain circumstances be able to get out of ED, it seems obvious it's not something someone can count on. And quite frankly, it seems unethical to me to take advantage of ED and then just change your mind. Many students who don't have the money can't apply ED and miss out on the edge it provides. It's unfair to them and all the other applicants who are being honest about their intentions, to apply ED and then change your mind later -- unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances. If you are uncertain about your choice, you should just apply RD.</p>
<p>UCB is also a public. Very different circumstances. And therefore operate under a completely different set of rules.</p>
<p>With that said, EA/ED may become a thing of the past within 10 years among most of the Ivies, depending on the results of the Harvard/Princeton experiment.</p>
<p>If students break ED with a place like an Ivy to go to a public university, usually there is no problem. The publics will not rescind an admission because a student had an ED admission elsewhere. </p>
<p>What will cause problems is if a student backs out of an ED to go to a private school. If the student backs out of an Ivy to go to third tier Podunk Private U , it's unlikely that PPU will rescind its admission because it will be thrilled to get an Ivy-caliber student under any circumstances. If a student, however backs out of a Ivy or private Ivywannabe to go to a similar caliber private school, it's likely both schools will rescind their admissions.</p>
<p>As for the OP, I don't see getting away with backing out of a commitment that you made as being something to brag about.</p>
<p>What is the point of these posts to encourage, or support, students who might wish to back out of a committment? Is your own lack of integrity boosted if others do it?</p>
<p>You did not have an issue with breaking ED, because the other schools on your list were not part of the consortium that gets the ED acceptee list. It is NOT just the Ivies that get that list. It is a group of selective private schools for the most part. Most schools are not going to go after every single kid who breaks ED. They tend to just put them on the list, and they are then dropped from consideration from the schools that subscribe to the list. You may also have a problem with your highschool if you signed an agreement with your counselor. There are schools (the ones I know are private) whose counselors belong to a group–can’t remember the name that pledge to uphold certain standards including the ED provisions. You will be in battle with such a school if you break ED without a good reason.</p>
<p>Yes, so far the take-home message is that if a student wants to end up at a state university, he probably can. But if he applies ED somewhere pretty desirable, and breaks the ED agreement, he very likely will NOT get into any college even more desirable (e.g., a top Ivy) because the highly selective colleges see no reason to admit a lot of students who break ED agreements. </p>
<p>“If we find that you lied to us and applied to our regular action process holding an admission from an early binding place,” says Marlyn McGrath Lewis, admissions director at Harvard, “we would either not admit you or we would withdraw our offer.”</p>
<p>State universities may also withdraw their offers if a school counselor sent a note with or without the final transcript reporting what was done. Though they may not look for the situation, if it is presented directly, they may take action.</p>