Don’t count your chickens. You should know that Colby does not offer early action. Also, as a $0 EFC student for whom financial aid is very important, the idea of applying early decision should give you serious pause; you won’t have the ability to compare financial aid offers of other schools against Colby if you apply early decision. Finally, I have a hard time believing that the opportunities for an undergraduate physics major will be a whole lot better at Colby than at UNC Chapel Hill.