<p>My dream school is columbia and I've heard alot of people on here say to apply ED because it will increase your chances especially if your black which i am. Well, Preliminary rank is out at my school and im just top 8% with an UW gpa of 3.5. My goal is top 5% with a 3.6 gpa which i calculated and is possible if I did great first semester senior year. If i apply ED columbia wont see the "final rank" when they're deciding to admit me right? So should I apply ED if i think i can raise my stats next semester?</p>
<p>You should apply ED if you are certain Columbia is where you want to go, and that it would be your first choice even if you were choosing between it and other top schools. Also, make sure you understand the financial aspect. Could you go regardless of the aid award you might get? -- or -- can you get a reliable estimate from Columbia on what amount of aid you'd receive based on your family's income, assets, expenses, etc?</p>
<p>Thanks rentof2 :). I had another question as well. They wont see my first semester senior year grades right? (If i apply ED).</p>
<p>Although putting fwd your 1st choice by applying ED is a strong reason to do so, a reason NOT to apply ED is if you feel that your performance your 1st semester Senior year would significantly improve your overall academic package -- and it seems like this might be your case. Best of luck to you</p>
<p>My son applied ED and they did ask him to submit his grades from the first marking period -- in his case he had some mid-term (1st quarter) grades he was expected to submit. However, not all schools do quarter grades or generate official transcripts of them, and in that case of course it's understood an applicant can't provide that.</p>
<p>But by end of first semester, yeah, the ED decisions have already been made.</p>
<p>Do not, I repeat, DO NOT apply to any place ED if you will need to be able to compare financial aid packages. If you and your parents have not yet talked about how you are going to pay for school, you need to do that NOW. Have them run their financials through the FAFSA calculators at FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans before you take this one step further.</p>
<p>Believe me, you do not want to be posting the sad "I got into Columbia ED and now I find out I can't afford it, is my local community college really my only option?" thread next May.</p>
<p>You cant get in RD. No one can. ED has like a 20%+ rate while RD has a <10% rate. Do the math, that is if Columbia is really your first choice. I'm just talking from a numbers point of view. Colleges use ED to drive their acceptance rates down, just look at Penn.</p>