My top choice school is by far Vassar. I recently visited it and it is definitely the best match for me. I instantly felt that I belonged on campus.
Vassar is a reach school for me (SAT 1430, unweighted GPA 3.8, 9 AP courses, Strong EC including state leadership and founding county-wide organizations) and I know early decision would be my best chance of getting in. However, it is difficult for my family to commit to a potentially $73k a year school without looking at the financial packages we will receive from Vassar and other schools.
The truth is, I am privileged enough to likely not receive much assistance, but not wealthy enough where the price in ancillary. While I would love to say that I could commit to my dream school without considering the price tag, if another school offers me a spot at a significant price difference, there would definitely have to be a conversation. Depending on the school and cost, I am not sure I could pass that up, especially since I will likely be pursuing a graduate degree.
Is this wise on my part? I want to ensure that I am not putting myself out of the running for my dream school, but I also want to be realistic financially.
Also, is there a way I could make it known that Vassar is my first choice without ED? Would admission counselors appreciate it if I reached out to them personally? Or is it better to only mention it in my application?
Do you know who your regional admissions counselor is? If not, you could find out and ask to have coffee to ask further meaningful questions(not on website). Some might agree and some might not. IF you visit, ask to say hello. Also is there a “why vassar” essay?
Telling them isn’t what tips you in. Lots of kids proclaim some school is their top choice, but could be telling that to every school on their list.
They don’t want to just hear you love them, but see it. Know the school and your opps well enough to know how to knock your app and supp out of the park. Structure your app with that in mind and be prepared with solid, relevant answers to Why Us and other supp questions. Show, not just tell. If there’s an interview, same.
You are looking at it the wrong way. Exactly what is the point of getting admitted to Vassar if your family is not going to be able to pay for Vassar?
The NPCs these days are pretty accurate. And the ED agreement allows you to not enroll if it turns out that the FA is insufficient. So figure out now whether Vassar is/is not likely to be affordable.
If it clearly is not, move on and don’t waste time applying ED or RD. If it looks do-able, then apply ED. To answer your question though.
Vassar has ED. And Vassar ED has an out for FA. So if you don’t apply to Vassar ED, that logically means Vassar isn’t your strong top choice.
While you can’t predict where you might get merit aid, you should be able to figure out now what the likely range of need-aid would be at Vassar and any other schools you are considering.
The OP is looking at it the right way, if the family has to compare costs and FA packages, then ED is out, the OP does not want to pull the other offers even if accepted ED to Vassar.
“My top choice school is by far Vassar”
I’m not trying to duck the actual question you raised, but is it really your top choice if you would choose other schools that were more affordable? As lookingforward mentions, a lot of kids will say it’s their top choice, but if you’re an adcom and you read that, you would wonder why the applicant didn’t apply ED.
“I want to ensure that I am not putting myself out of the running for my dream school, but I also want to be realistic financially.”
OP, that’s something you need to discuss with your family, guidance counselor as affordability questions are one of the toughest questions to answer, since it’s a highly personal decision.
Vassar’s ED acceptance rate is 44%, while it’s effective RD (after you take out ED admits) is 22%, a doubling of the rate is not something to easily overlook. Also Vassar is tougher to get into for women (21% vs 33% for men).