<p>This is a Barnard thread. </p>
<p>The differential between admit rates ED & RD at Barnard is not that great, and ED overall is a program that exists primarily as a way for colleges to lock in full-pay students. They may claim to be need-blind, but they know that the bulk of their ED applicants are able to pay full freight and colleges that make particular generous promises as to financial aid also have tended to drop ED in favor of SCEA. If the balance of ED shifts to a large number of financially needy students, there is no longer any advantage to the college to offer ED. It really is NOT some sort of special love-fest program designed to boost the chances of borderline admissions for financially needy students. </p>
<p>So basically I think that the students who think they have to apply ED because it improves their “chances” are buying into a myth… right along with they myth that Barnard or any other college is their “dream” school that is will provide them with some sort of qualitatively different educational experience than the dozens of alternatives that anyone with a chance of getting into Barnard would clearly have.</p>