<p>Ok, so my dream school is Sarah Lawrence, and I know it is definitely one of the more expense schools to attend. If I were to apply under an early decision plan, and was not really able to afford the tuition, board, etc., how would that impact me? I know early decision is binding, but can they really require you to go somewhere you can't afford? </p>
<p>Another thing, will applying ED affect my chances at aid from the school?</p>
<p>This is really worrying me, any input/answers?</p>
<p>nobody? come on, someone's gotta have an answer....</p>
<p>DO NOT apply Early Decision if you need to consider financial aid.</p>
<p>It's not AT ALL worth taking the ED risk for Sarah Lawrence if you have these kinds of concerns. Your time now is better spent looking for other colleges to attend. I suggest my list of noteworthy</a> colleges as a starting point for your search. </p>
<p>No, they can't require you to attend where you can't afford, but if you have doubts about being able to afford a college, knowing what its usual financial aid policies are, you shouldn't apply there ED. You should apply early somewhere, in a nonbinding early action or rolling admission round, so that you get a read on your chances, and you should apply in the regular round to any college you really, really like. You should apply to a range of colleges so that you can compare offers--one college might look much better than another after you've looked at all the offers. </p>
<p>While a college to which you make an early decision commitment can't force you to attend, and while inadequate financial aid offers are a valid reason to decline an ED offer of admission, ED colleges do report to other colleges that this or that student broke an ED commitment. So if the colleges don't agree that the financial aid offer was really inadequate, you might simply not be offered admission by several other colleges--that's how ED contracts are enforced, really, by other colleges in the club deciding not to let you in. </p>
<p>I see your location is listed as Virginia. You are applying to U of VA during its single-deadline admission round, right?</p>
<p>SLC was my daughter's first choice but, due to the same concerns you've expressed, I did not allow her to apply ED. I truly believe her record and stats made her qualify at the top of the SLC applicant pool but she was wait-listed. To make matters worse, the college said they'd never taken anyone off their waiting list in three years...and they didn't take her! I believe she would have been accepted ED but feel the school passed her over thinking SLC must be only her safety. We did visit but she did not interview. And the school insists writing samples are of primary importance in their decisions. (My DD had an 800 SAT Writing which SLC says they didn't and don't consider.) That being said, she transferred in a year later with an excellent FA offer that matched what she was given by a top-15 private U she ended up attending as a freshman. </p>
<p>In retrospect, I have to believe if my D had applied ED or made SLC aware somehow that they really were her first-choice school, despite her credentials, that she'd have been accepted on the first take. I also feel that if they offered her the FA package they did as a transfer, they'd have probably made a decent offer even under ED. But that's my guess. They even went out of the way this year to increase her aid by offering a named scholarship in honor of her "academic performance and contribution to the college community". This helped immensely with our second child entering a private LAC this year as well. This is purely anecdotal information and I felt the same way you do, but I also feel if that's where you really want to go, the ED route will show your intent and this school will still do right by you in any FA offering. But that's just my feeling. You can speak directly with their FA director and ask her these frank questions. Heather McDonnell has been the most straight-shooting FA officer I've ever spoken with and everything she told me would happen has happened. Give her a call: 914 395-2570. You'll find her refreshingly personable, frank, and honest.</p>
<p>You may want to test-run a Profile application with your parents before you rely on any FA, since SLC is nearly exclusively need-based aid.</p>