<p>Well, although churchmusicmom is very sensible, I am not. My D applied ED and we needed FA. The admissions office assured us we could get out of the commitment if we absolutely couldn’t afford it, but they would do a lot for an ED student.</p>
<p>As it turned out, DD was deferred, so we did get to compare aid packages. Barnard’s was not the best, but it was close to it. I am not sure if DD would have gotten in without that ED interest.</p>
<p>However, we’re from LI so she had no geographical diversity to offer.</p>
<p>I am gambler, and it probably wasn’t the best strategy, but I was willing to risk it.</p>
<p>We also applied to our state u and got an early write so I knew she’d have someplace to go if we had to back out of the ED agreement.</p>
<p>But I should warn you that most people think my tactics too risky and too bold. Even DD was scared, but I wasn’t.</p>