Dependancy on ED/EA

soozievt
Sat, 22 Oct 2005 12:33:56 +0000

I also get the feeling that there is this “must apply early somewhere” mentality that is prevalent now and like you say, it is not so much due to love of one school above all others but more like a feeling that they have got to apply early because it would help their chances (which is true at some schools) and perhaps also to just be done with the process early (who wouldn’t want to be?). But it does seem like everyone is doing it. My kids did not do ED. They did EA at one school which was not a committment and gives the finding out early thing a possibility (which for them were deferrals as it turned out) but they were ALWAYS going to apply to their list of schools anyway. Neither wanted to commit to an ED school, though for my second child, hardly any of her schools had ED (as they are by audition) though the school she ended up at had it and was one of her first choices but she did RD and got in anyway.

I’m glad my kids did not do ED. I think for my first child, she had a couple favorites, not one clear “winner” and as the year evolved and as she got her admissions results and went back to visit, she turned out picking a school she always loved and was in her “favorites” pile but never had considered doing ED at (was not necessarily her number one in the fall) and so the passage of time helped in making the final decision too. My second child ended up at one of her first choices but I am glad she did not do ED there (even if the year would have been easier and less costly in terms of audition trips to 8 schools) because now she KNOWS it is her first choice after fully exploring all options and coming full circle to this choice. Doing ED was too quick of a decision in her case and also she liked one other school a lot and wanted to see what her choices might be in spring. It was worth it.

ED increases the odds at some schools, more at some than others. But the motivation to do ED should really be when there is such a CLEAR first choice that you would never second guess it and want to learn early and to be done. But many seem to be doing ED as it is the trend to do it and appears as a big advantage. For many kids, as the year goes on, their ideas of which is the favorite may change. I do not think ED is for all people. But clearly LOTS seems to be going in this direction lately.

Susan