<p>I agree with what jshain mentioned. ED isn’t supposed to be some tool you use to get into a college. It’s designed for people to apply early and commit themselves to the college they know they want to go to, have visited, etc. This allows them to get an early result and not have to apply to X other universities, paying hundreds in application fees, spending time on essays, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are committed or sure enough to apply ED. You are making a life decision…just apply RD.</p>
<p>By “starting to look at colleges”, I meant basically that I was filling out apps and trying to decide, past the basics of “This is a good school and has these advantages” to more of the “WHY should I choose to apply to this school over the others? What are some of the problems that it has that I might not be able to handle in”. I am a rising senior, so I am pretty sure I am on a reasonable track because most people I know are further behind in the applications process and research. I think that, just due to the fact that we are posting on a site just about colleges, this community tends to be more focused on applications and the process more than the average person. That being said, I will look into WashU and some other schools for ED after a visit or at least extensive research.</p>