<p>Does anyone see the logic in this? The University of Massachusetts is offering an early program in the hopes of luring top students away from schools that are more academically competitive.. </p>
<p>Hmmm. I would think that for top students, a state university should look like a sure bet, so there would be no edge in applying early. I know one young man who was given a full ride at UMASS (years ago) on account of his stellar high school record and turned it down for Harvard where he did not get any financial aid.</p>
<p>It's hard to see what's in this for the student. If the competition is Ivies & the like, then UMass would fall into the safety category. And the $2K per year scholarship seems kind of small for what a student of this caliber would obtain in merit aid either from UMass or schools of comparable quality. Why commit early and risk losing $400?</p>
<p>Some good state schools offer rolling admission already. That offers the peace of mind of having an early acceptance without the financial risk.</p>
<p>It seems like the only applicants to this program will be students for who expect to attend UMass anyway. What am I missing here?</p>
<p>I see a possible niche for some students who are over estimating their abilities to get into the top schools. One of my son's friends applied early to Indiana and was in before Thanksgiving. But his ED school tanked him as did UMich as his prep school grades were just not up there. Tulane waitlisted him--all of his early answers have been negative except for Indiana. He has visited there, and he is getting interested in going there.With the way things have worked, it may end up being his best option. Also some kids want to be done with the apps so badly that once they get into a school early, especially if there is a sweetner offer, and they see rejections and pain all around them, they may just want to take what they have and run with it. That is an advantage the EA gives schools. The idea of having to do those apps over the holidays is nauseating. If ya gotta, ya gotta, but if you can enjoy what ya got already, that can be a whole different story.</p>
<p>As Marite points out in her post, the state universities major competition are the other schools in the same state. Many of the private schools offer an admission edge as well as special scholarships for local students. This can bring the cost of a private school in line with the state university. In the case of UMass they are competing with schools like Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, Tufts, BC, Williams, Amherst, Smith, Holy Cross, and the list goes on. That's pretty stiff competition; they need to come up with a better offer than this. And who ever heard of an EA school requiring a $400. nonrefundable deposit!</p>
<p>I know some kids right now that wish they had a UMass with scholarship in their pockets as they await the RD news. Some are having second thoughts about the midwest and southern schools where they applied, and would really consider UMass. It was with great interest that I read those state schools seeking out of staters. It is always dicey to apply from out of state, as you don't know what the accept rate is for those students. This whole college thing is going to get tighter before it loosens up as we are hitting a peak in about 3 years. I like the idea of some safety options at a flagship school in the Northeast that shares resources with some top LACs.</p>
<p>UMass has always been rolling admissions. This just sounds like they will let students know earlier if they are in - students do not HAVE to send a deposit to UMass before May 1 - it is only an option if they want the benefits that go with the program. I don't see much of an issue - there are other private and public institutions doing pretty much the same thing.</p>