Will applying RD instead of ED hurt my chances or ... ?

Applying to College
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<p>Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY New Paltz, Vanderbilt University, Boston University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Pittsburgh, Northwestern University - possibly major in Computer Engineering</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon University is my top school BUT it does ED and not EA, which means that I'll either have to take a gamble if I apply ED. I did contemplate that at one point, but given my financial situation ... in which the NPC spat out a net cost of about $40,000 ... I'll probably have to apply RD since with a about $160K income and parents who right now are only willing to save about $100K for 4 years of college it's not looking good for me getting any need-based aid so I'll probably have to maybe even resign myself to attending one of the SUNYs</p>

<p>Here are my stats (rigorous courseload, bad SAT, but good ACT, UW GPA could've been better though) in case I'm lucky to get any merit aid:
Stats: 1910 SAT (480 CR, 710 M, 720 W), 32 ACT (will retake in fall to get score up a point or two), 650 SAT II Physics (retaking in fall), and 760 SAT II Math II, 3.63 UW GPA (out of 4.0) and 4.18 W GPA (out of 5.0)</p>

<p>So my question is if I apply RD and not ED, does it hurt my chances, because ED is showing interest in a college and the acceptance rates are higher than the RD pool. Also, some schools, like CMU, defer some ED applicants into the RD pool, thereby giving them "more chances" for admission, which does make ED all the more tempting.</p>

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<p>If the price that the NPC is giving you is not affordable for your family, don’t apply ED.</p>

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<p>Your chances of being admitted might be higher, but your financial situation will be the same. Are you hoping that the NPC is wrong and the financial aid will be substantially different? Are you hoping that your parents will have a change of heart once you have an acceptance in hand? If its not an affordable option, you should put your energy toward finding strong and affordable options. </p>

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<p>ED shows commitment and priority for a school. Therefore, it all depends on how much you want to go to CM. yes, your chances of getting in will be higher ED. Also remember, if you can’t cover the financial aspect, you can break an ED bind (as long as you prove that you simply can’t afford it). Also, you can always apply for an EA school as well as CM ED, most ED schools allow that given that you withdraw your applications from the EA schools if they accept you</p>

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<p>Yes, @butterfreesnd‌ that is exactly what some others are telling me when they chanced me for CMU and all the other schools. However @AmbiD77‌ I do see your point - CMU will meet 100% of need for ED acceptances but I’m unsure just how much of it will be in loans for a guy with a 150K+ income so there’s no backing out basically if I’m accepted (based on what I’ve seen, it’s true only for some schools like NYU, where they stated it clearly on their website). Also with RD CMU has a good reputation for negotiating financial aid packages, which can’t be done with ED. Anyone have similar experiences here in applying to CMU with a 150K+ income?</p>

<p>@VSGPeanut101‌ While I see your point, I did consider adding such financial safeties in my list, such as SUNY New Paltz, Binghamton, and Stony Brook, since their in-state tuition (I’m a NY resident) is a lot lower potentially compared to a lot of the other colleges I mentioned on this list. I have read online that one with a 150-180K income may have little luck in getting financial aid at a lower-tuition public college but get “significantly more financial aid” at a “pricier” private school. However I’m a little unsure so while I still maintain interest in CMU and all the other schools on my list I’ll probably be sticking with the SUNY’s unless one of the colleges can actually give me a generous financial aid package.</p>

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<p>But @AmbiD77 wouldn’t it technically not make a difference applying ED and RD since fewer applicants apply in the ED than RD so the acceptance percentage be higher?</p>

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<p>It only makes your chances higher because it shows dedication and interest in their college</p>

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<p>ED signifies a high “level of applicant’s interest”, which should give an admission boost (CMU considers “level of applicant’s interest” to be “important”). However, ED may reduce the chance of merit scholarships if the school offers any, since it won’t have to lure you with money since you have committed to attend if admitted.</p>

<p>If you cannot afford to attend, applying to CMU ED or RD is a waste of time and application fee.</p>

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<p>At an income $160K, you are right at the beginning of the donut hole in financing college, with schools giving you little to no need-based aid unless you happen to have a sibling in college at the same time, yet your parents realistically not being able to afford to send you to a full priced private institution, which really only comes into play at incomes above $250K. (Spare me the “What could you possibly spend that kind of income on?” questions - at those income levels, you don’t exactly take home everything you make, taxes and/or products to avoid taxes (mortgage, retirements funds, etc.) at all levels eat a huge amount of your income.) </p>

<p>So realistically, no matter what the school, ED should not be on the table and looking for the best possible deal should be on the table, which means lots of RD and EA applications at schools that will deliver either a low tuition or merit aid. Your 32 ACT could buy you a lot of merit aid at the right schools, just not at most of the schools on your list right now. (Take a look at Case Western, Rochester, Alabama, Ohio State.) You might seriously consider retooling your list to aim for the best value out there, but toss a few dream school applications RD into the pot just in case you somehow hit the right combo on FA packages and do get something that makes them affordable.</p>

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<p>So does applying RD instead of ED hurt my chances at my “dream schools”? That’s what I’m asking because I know I probably shouldn’t apply ED to any school</p>

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<p>I think you’re looking at it in the wrong light. It won’t “hurt” your chances. ED simply means you demonstrate interest in the college and will attend if accepted. You may get a small leg up there.</p>

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<p>You get a small advantage at one school by applying ED, but at a price you can’t afford to pay. Just look for the best deal at your RD schools.</p>

<p>FWIW, I asked our school’s GC how many kids at our very well off public HS did ED that was not tied to athletics. The number was a surprisingly small 2-3% of the class - despite what you read on CC, it still isn’t all that common.</p>