SpartanDrew was correct about Frost EA, it’s about the academic side. S18 applied EA and was selected for the Presidential Scholarship interview weekend, and had his audition then. He was admitted to the university prior to that weekend, and we were told by the music dean that only 3 Frost applicants were admitted early like that: all Presidential Scholar finalists. He still had to audition and be formally admitted to Frost though.
And you never know about talent money. It varies by year and by the school’s need, and since that may even change during the application process you may as well go for it. S18 is a vocalist but in addition to academic scholarships he received a $10,000 per year talent scholarship to Thornton, then Frost very late in the game offered another $15,000 music scholarship to try and entice him. You just never know.