Should I apply ED to Smith?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
1

<p>Again and again, no matter how many schools I visit, Smith comes out as my favorite. I have the stats to get in, and I feel so at home on the campus. Because of this, I am strongly considering applying Early Decision. I have some concerns, however. My biggest concern is financial. My dad recently bought a business, and what he pays each year to buy the rest of the business is approximately 40% of our annual income. So, basically, on paper our income appears almost double what we actually have. I'm concerned that I won't get enough financial aid from Smith, and that is certainly a concern when considering ED.
I'm worried that I might not get in if I don't apply ED simply because, well, not everyone who is qualified gets in, and I'm afraid to risk that with a school I love.
Should I apply ED? What should I do?</p>

2

<p>I’m pretty sure most colleges will consider letting you out of your commitment when it concerns financial. Realistically, no one can force you to pay what you can’t afford. Just make sure you keep your options open and ponder the question: “would I rather be in significant debt for much longer than necessary and go to my top choice or would I prefer to get more money and go to my second, third, or fourth choice?” personally, if it came down to money, I would take the money because the job market is unstable and you never know if you will be able to get a job soon enough after graduation to start paying off what you borrowed.</p>

<p>The most important is to do what feels right. Furthermore, you haven’t even gotten in yet. Focus on applying and go where your heart takes you.</p>

<p>*This is coming from a general standpoint. I do not know much about Smith.</p>

3

<p>I think most people would recommend applying RD in a situation like yours. When the financial picture is complex or nonstandard, you can get fairly different FA offers from different schools. If you apply ED, you definitely can decline the offer of admission if the FA isn’t enough, but if the FA is borderline it will be a hard decision because you won’t know if other schools would have offered a significantly better package.</p>

<p>Most people assume that you’re more likely to get a merit scholarship from Smith by applying RD, but no one (outside of the admissions office) knows for sure. </p>

4

<p>Most people apply ED for the admissions bump. If you are confident that you have the stats to get in (as you said), then I wouldn’t risk it financially because you will probably get in either way.</p>

5

<p>Based on the math I’ve done using the Common Data Set, 47% of ED applicants were admitted for 2013/14 and nearly 43% were admitted for RD. So for Smith, ED does not seem to give you as big a bump as at some other schools.</p>

6

<p>

</p>

<p>In an article published a number of years ago, Audrey Smith, (who is now Vice President for Enrollment) and Peter de Villiers tacitly stated that the STRIDE is offered to RD applicants. There is no benefit in offering a merit award to an applicant who by applying ED has already committed to attend the college if accepted. </p>

<p>

</p>

7

<p>Thank you so much for sharing that, @CrewDad! I am very interested in the STRIDE program and believe that I may (hopefully) be a strong applicant for it, so I certainly would not want to apply ED if it diminished my chances of being a STRIDE scholar. Knowing that is very helpful; I probably will not apply ED because of the other reasons I stated as well as because of this scholarship. </p>