Should I wait for ED results before applying to other schools?

<p>I'm planning on applying ED for a highly selective school. Should I wait until Dec 15 when the decision is released to send in my applications for other schools or just apply earlier. Even if it's under Regular Decision.</p>

<p>The reason I ask is because all the schools I’m applying to are out of state, and I could save lots of application fee money if I waited…</p>

<p>There is no reason to go ahead and send in your application since you will be applying RD for those schools anyways. It is probably a good idea to go ahead and fill out the applications, so if you don’t get in you will not be in a time crunch. If you get in then you won’t have to worry about paying the money, and if you don’t get in then you won’t have to worry about filling out the applications! Good luck!</p>

<p>Saving $ and time on other apps is one of the express benefits of applying ED. Do exactly as IBKid tells you. Prep the others in advance, just in case, and then send them after Dec 15 if you’re rejected/deferred from your ED school.</p>

<p>Agree. Get the apps ready in case you need them, but no need to send yet. And if you are successful with the ED admissions, you’d just have to rescind the other apps anyway. Good luck!</p>

<p>If you can save money, why not.</p>

<p>There is one exception to not applying elsewhere - scholarships. Some schools have merit aid available only for applicants who apply by an earlier deadline, often Dec. 1. If you want a shot at that, then apply to those schools by the earlier deadline. Otherwise, just keep working on them and have them ready to go should bad news arrive.</p>

<p>I was thinking the same thing as MrMom, when our D was applying many of the schools had deadlines if you were to be considered for scholarships. Not applying in time to be considered for scholarships could cost you a lot of money if you were not to be accepted ED.</p>

<p>Perhaps you are much more disciplined than most high school seniors in the sense that you will in fact prepare the RD applications with the level of thoroughness and passion that is necessary and do that “early” and with the mindset that you may not need to submit them.</p>

<p>My advice is very different from what others have said. Work under the assumption that since the ED college is highly selective that you will get deferred. That would mean that you need to work out a schedule for your other applications. What works best is to order the applications in terms of college desirability and send each completed application as soon as you’re done. Frequently students who don’t follow this approach run into a major time crunch as the RD deadline nears and their applications suffer, or, equally bad, their first semester senior grades suffer.</p>

<p>Since I expect that some of your non-ED colleges are also highly selective this approach would help you focus on the positive and move past worrying about the possible ED decision results.</p>

<p>The possible saving in application fees by waiting on the possibility of good news from the ED college is small in the grand scheme of things and not really worth considering.</p>

<p>Actually, the cost savings for fees that can be delayed until after the EDI decision arrives (both application and test report fees) can be significant, even for an applicant not applying for financial aid. In our case it approaches $500. It’s worth doing the math when preparing a calendar for when to apply where.</p>

<p>First make sure you know the RD applicatiuon deadline for each college to which you will apply because there are a number of colleges that have app deadlines before the time you will receive that ED decision.</p>

<p>Second, check each college to determine if it has an earlier deadline to qualify for scholarships in which case you may have to apply earlier.</p>

<p>Third, make sure you will be able to get secondary materials sent. For example, you should check with your high school to see how long it takes to send transcripts and if it will even be able to send them between time you get the ED decison and Jan 1. In fact, if high school does not charge you anything for sending transcripts, you should consider actually sending those before the ED decision date (you can send supporting materials before an application to a college and it will match them with app when it arrives). That also goes for any recommendations you may need. You should have already contacted teachers for those and you need to make sure they are sent by the app deadlines. You don’t want to be in a position of needing a rec letter in the middle of the holidays in Dec and discover that that your teachers are nowhere to be found because they are on vacation. As to official test scores, which will likely cost a fee per college, you should just be prepared to order them sent immediately upon learning of the ED decision.</p>

<p>Fourth, in fact do all the necessary applications and any essays before the ED date so you will be prepared to send them as soon as ED decison is received.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Depends on the other schools.</p>

<p>Check the other schools to see if:</p>

<ul>
<li>Their application deadlines are 12/15 or earlier.</li>
<li>Their application deadlines are after 12/15, but you need to deal with test scores, transcripts, and recommendations earlier than 12/15 to ensure that your applications are complete by the deadlines.</li>
<li>There are scholarships available to those who apply by 12/15, or which are disbursed on a first-come-first-served basis.</li>
<li>There are other advantages in admission, financial aid, or scholarships for applying earlier than 12/15.</li>
<li>If they have EA or rolling admission and you want to lock in a potential safety early.</li>
</ul>

<p>If any of these apply to a given other school, you may want to apply now. However, if there is no advantage to applying early to a given school, you can wait until seeing the ED decision before applying to that school. But have the application for that other school ready to go so that you are not rushing to complete it with a fast approaching deadline if the ED result is rejection, deferral, or admission with insufficient financial aid. This includes making sure that you can have stuff like test scores, transcripts, and recommendations sent by that school’s deadline.</p>

<p>Get all of those applications ready to go as if you were going to apply to them, but do not send off anything that costs money yet. You want to be able to get those apps out immediately, if you are denied ED. If you get in you have a shredding party. </p>

<p>It’s a miserable winter vacation, doing those apps under the pall of an ED, EA, rolling or other denials. You want to do the apps while you are fired up, not when down in the dumps and under the gun.</p>