ED II -- Response from competing college

app2011
Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:36:52 +0000

There are many schools today that have very clear policies on financial aid if your family earns less then a certain amount. In those cases, applying ED should be “safe” because if you fall within those guidelines it is pretty much guaranteed. However, many families are in that “other” category where it really matters and may vary wildly. In those cases I know my school strongly suggests that you do not apply ED.

There are other ways to let a school know it’s your first choice other then ED, and I think that a good conseler can explain that you would have loved to have applied there ED but were genuinely concerned about the aid. Colleges respect and understand this, and if they want you they may make that aid package better. If your school doesn’t get that involved, you can always send a first choice letter, and explain your situation. Schools do hate to be burned by ED admits who withdraw, because they are counting on those numbers.