<p>@katwkittens interesting story re Georgetown. My S was somewhat inexplicably rejected there, despite being accepted at more selective schools. He also needed virtually a full ride. I always put it down to his secondary essay, which indicated a negative view of religion. 
But who knows.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids completed any other applications until after they got their EA results. For my oldest it was like pulling teeth to work on applications at all, but he reused what he could and used the rejections to actually go after the outside recommendation that got procrastinated on. Younger son got into a reach EA, so he felt more relaxed, but he still wanted to spend time getting the āWhy ___ College?ā essays right and work on any optional essays. He did the final Tufts essay (that heād been looking forward to doing since September, because it was going to be a fun creative thing , the first week of January.) It made his Mom nervous, but he had it all under control on a schedule he was comfortable with.</p>
<p>I think Georgetown admissions are a little unpredictable, but itās also just a very selective school, even more so if you are interested in SFS.</p>
<p>My kids both had several schools that had early applications. They figured they were in the ācollege application modeā so they completed them all. BUT one kid applied to seven schools and the other only 5. This was before the common appā¦so they were all separate applications.</p>
<p>Both kids had at least two acceptances before mid December. It was a nice feeling.</p>
<p>NONE of these were ED schoolsā¦so they knew they would be submitting all of the applicationsā¦and just got them done.</p>
<p>One of DDās colleges had rolling admissions. Some of their merit awards were based on strength of applicationā¦and required an application be sent by December 1. She got a very generous scholarship from this schoolā¦so it was well worth it to get the application done! (She chose a different collegeā¦but thatās a whole other thread!)</p>
<p>2 things you said: itās clearly the first choice and financially, the best decision. Unless the application is going to be rushed and shoddy or youād like to also submit 1st semester Senior year grades, Iād definitely apply ED to Dartmouth.</p>
<p>My dd applied RD to Dartmouth and EA to BC this year. She wanted to apply ED to Dartmouth, but she hadnāt seen the school yet and we didnāt want her to sight unseen. We wanted to compare merit and possible FA. She was also a top candidate, 4/315, great scores and ECs. She was selected to interview for BCās Presidential Scholarship Program and flew out to the school for the process. They only pick about 55 kids to come interview and then select about 20 for the full tuition. She really didnāt enjoy the process and felt that it wasnāt the right school for her.</p>
<p>In her class, four kids in the top 10 applied RD to Dartmouth. We are from the northwest, so itās not really an overrepresented area. One was waitlisted and the other three rejected. It was kind of a surprise because these kids got into Harvard, Yale and Stanford, so I would not assume that Dartmouth is not a challenge to get into! We did notice on the Dartmouth website that many of the kids who applied ED and were deferred then got likely letters before decisions were announced. I think they started to worry about yield and thought that they could woo some of those more likely candidates back into the fold and have them choose Dartmouth.</p>
<p>It all turned out for the best for dd because she was admitted to Stanford, which in her heart of hearts, was her first choice, but it seemed like such a long shot that she didnāt want to admit it! </p>
<p>If your daughter is sure, absolutely sure, that Dartmouth is her first choice, I would say she should apply ED. She has a better chance of being admitted and getting good FA than getting one of 20 scholarships to BC, which isnāt even her first choice.</p>
<p>My daughter was in a similar situation last year. Dartmouth was her number one, but not quite enough to put all the eggs in that basket in October of her senior year. So she applied to BC, Georgetown, and Notre Dame early. She got into all of them and was fortunate enough to receive the big BC scholarship. In the spring, she applied to Dartmouth and Vanderbilt. That spring, she also was awarded a great merit scholarship at Notre Dame and, once accepted, at Vanderbilt as well. Beyond the money, both scholarships came with great programs in which sheād get personalized attention and tremendous opportunities to explore during the summers. She was also accepted at Dartmouth. It came down to ND, Vandy, and Dartmouth, G-Town and BC having by then fallen off the radar screen. Financially, we could have swung all three.</p>
<p>But by the spring, and having gone through the scholarship application process at Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, things had changed from the fall. We visited all three schools. And while it was a close call, she eventually accepted the program at Notre Dame over what had been her number one a few months before. Again, while she loved Dartmouth, she ended up saying, āThank God I didnāt apply EDā because a lot of options ā including one she eventually chose ā would have been foreclosed</p>
<p>The lesson, to the extent there is one, is that you need to be REALLY sure about a school before you apply ED. If your kid is smart and talented and in the mix for a place like Dartmouth, Iād say apply RD and explore other options in addition. Your daughter may kick herself if she doesnāt ultimately get in RD. (We were prepared for that if it had happened.) But based on our experience, there is a good chance thatāll work out and she can choose from a full plate of options.</p>
<p>My two cents.</p>
<p>Hereās an article written by a Dartmouth admissions officer. I think s/he really emphasizes how beneficial applying ED can be:</p>
<p>āItās much easier to be admitted during Early even though most schools tell you itās just as competitive, itās simply not true. Thatās standard administrative rhetoric, but it is much more difficult to be admitted during regular. Weāve already admitted 30 to 35 percent of the class Early. When you first start reading apps you might think one is great, but reading the same app later after 600 others then that kid no longer seems as stellar.ā</p>
<p>Read more: <a href=āSecrets of Dartmouth Admissions Officeā>Secrets of Dartmouth Admissions Office;
<p>I think if Dartmouth is absolutely her first choice and finances can work out, Iād take this admissions officerās advice.</p>
<p>I am thinking that if you submit any RD applications before decisions come out regarding ED, and you are not looking for financial aid, all those schools could assume they are not your first choice. If you submit RDās after ED comes out then they would assume you were rejected ED and that they might be among your top choices. If they are looking to protect yield they might be more likely to accept.</p>
<p>Harvestmoonā¦how would the ED school know which schools you applied to RD?</p>
<p>They wouldnāt. Itās the RD schools decision that would be affected. They would assume you filed an ED app if you were not applying for financial aid. </p>
<p>Why would the school assume anything? Some students do not apply for financial aidā¦everā¦at all. And they donāt all apply ED. </p>
<p>Most kids DO apply RD. I donāt think those schools give ONE hoot whether a student applied EDā¦and againā¦how would they know?</p>
<p>Plusā¦if you apply RD in November or December, you would NOT have completed financial aid applications to the RD schools. Those would be done after January 1.</p>
<p>ED, EA RDā¦the schools donāt care about other schools. They KNOW kids apply to other schools if they apply RD or EAā¦usually.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insights! They are very helpful.</p>
<p>D1 was deferred ED (Brown), and it was not fun. By the time she was accepted, she had chosen Wellesley, and it has been a great choice, both for her and for us financially. She did end up with many high dollar scholarships, but they still ended up leaving a higher price tag than the meet full need schools.</p>
<p>I think that after the visits we just finished, Dartmouth is a strong number one. Iām guessing she will decide to go ED and see what happens. There are still a few EAs she can submit, and our state schools are rolling, so sheāll probably have some balance in decisions even if she is deferred.</p>
<p>D1 says that she now believes that she would have been fine at any school (it sure didnāt seem that way senior year! ) and D2 is far more flexible than D1. </p>
<p>I do strongly believe in finishing all apps before the decisions, though. After a rejection or deferral, the tone can get a bit cynical. :-)</p>
<p>Iām in favor of applying ED to Dartmouth. I believe that ED does give non-hooked applicants a boost, especially at colleges that have strong cultural identity like Dartmouth. You have to remember that there is risk in NOT applying ED as well. Your daughter needs to look in the mirror and ask herself how she would feel if she were rejected RD. Would she regret not giving Dartmouth her best shot with ED?</p>
<p>I think you can overthink these things. I really, really donāt think admissions officers think that if you donāt get send in your application until December it means you liked some place else better. And if you are applying because you got rejected from your ED school, it puts the school you are applying to higher on the list. Neither of my kids applied anywhere ED and they were both procrastinators so nothing went in much before deadlines. And we like many, did not apply for financial aid.</p>
<p>What I am saying is that for full pay students, why would you file an RD app around the time early apps are due? It is a clear signal to the school that they are not your first choice. You are foregoing any early option they offer even though your app is competed and ready to submit. For those schools very concerned with yield, it could make a difference. Filing RD in January at least leaves open the possibility that you were rejected EA and might be more likely to attend if they offer you a spot. </p>
<p>Poppycock. My son had ALL of his applications DONE by. October 15. So did my daughter. What clear signal could this possibly have given the schools? </p>
<p>My kids wanted applications out of the way so they could enjoy their HS senior years. </p>
<p>ETAā¦included in those applications were two EA schools eachā¦and one with rolling admissions. My son was accepted to his EA schoolsā¦but didnāt attend either of,them.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted EA to two,schools and rolling to oneā¦all before December 15. She did attend one of those schoolsā¦but clearly, all three were not her first choice.</p>
<p>Itās not the decisions of the EA schools or the rolling schools that would be affected. It would be the decisions of the RD schools for decisions that would be released on April 1st. </p>
<p>Iām not going to belabor this pointā¦but the RD schools would have NO way of knowingā¦or caring???if you apply EA or EDā¦or,donāt apply EA or ED. </p>
<p>Iām not sure why you think this would have some admissions affect? It wonāt.</p>
<p>My son applied to two schools EA and five schools RD. He got accepted to all but one. </p>
<p>My daughter applied to two RD schools. She was rejected at a very high reach and got accepted at the other one. </p>
<p>Sample of two. Their EA acceptances had absolutely no bearing on their RD,acceptances.</p>
<p>I think for schools concerned with yield, filing an RD app at the time the their early app is due is a blatant signal they are lower down on your list.</p>
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<p>I see what you are saying, and it makes sense in some waysā¦but I wonder whether adcoms even SEE the date of application? AFAIK they get all of the applications ready to be read, sort them into piles by special classifications, and then start reading them. Seems to me that Iāve heard more than once that the preparation phase takes at least several weeks after the application deadline. And additional materials, such as recommendations and first semester transcripts continue to trickle in for quite some time.</p>
<p>Of course, this depends on how many apps the school gets. I suppose that if they only get a couple thousand it is different and they might be able to pay attention to such details.</p>