Yes; both are graduating same year in 2020. DD#2 skipped a grade.
Thanks for detailed answer.
I think families can always back out of the ED contract, whether its ethical and puts your high school and counselors in a bad light is another story. I do know that Rice will pay full tuition now if a family makes between 65K and 130K a year but might still not be affordable for some families because you still have to pay $18,670/yr for room, board, other fees. Being NMF does not guarantee a full ride.
If you are expecting additional merit to make up the difference of COA Iām not sure ED is the right thing to do.
@hs2020dad Oh man, I would not let my kid get off that easy to miss an EA deadline. Get 'er DONE!
Some people do happen to think that competition among applicants is more fierce in EA as compared to RD. For us, itās the access to scholarships, housing, honors colleges, etc. that make EA a necessity. But D20 is probably applying to a lower-tier school than your S20. She is trying to take her foot off the gas before getting the last few apps complete because sheās confident sheāll be fine with what is already submitted. 
Any clue how soon is too soon to update an app? We literally hit submit for D20ās ED school last night and this morning heard sheās a finalist in an international competition. This is something which she would have included in the Honors/Awards section if sheād known. Iām thinking it makes more sense to update after the competition in a few weeks and give the final results?
@Darcy123 I agree especially if you think the adcoms will not be reviewing her file for several more weeks.
That happened to our dd. She updated twice. When she learned she made the US team, she let them know, and then she followed up by sending a copy of her third place award after the competition.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek When you say, ālet them know,ā could you clarify? Was this via calling or e-mailing the admissions department?
For schools where specific admissions counselors were assigned to regions or homeschoolers (or schools for most posters), she contacted that person. For schools without a specific contact, she called and asked whom she should email. For schools where she wanted to be considered for top competitive scholarships, she also inquired how to make sure the committee could be informed in order to make sure the information was included in consideration.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Very helpful. Thanks!
I agree. These EA apps are important for us for the same reasons as you mentioned (merit-aid eligibility; honors college etc). His main targets are OOS publics with reasonable merit but have to submit app by early deadlines. That is why its so frustratingā¦to see the lack of progress. On one hand, I sympathize with him (he has a very demanding schedule with tough classes, club leaderships that he earned after 3 years of hard work etc)ā¦On the other hand, he is just losing his sense of prioritization just when it is needed the most.
He is generally a focused/competitive kid until he hit the personal-essay wall 
hope he gets out of his slump in time.
Iām sure the answer to this question is in this forum but Iām posting it here since Iām on this thread.
D is ready to submit apps to her reach schools. She is taking the ACT this weekend so should she wait until the deadline? Or submit now? Her GPA and current ACT score already make her well-qualified.
@lilmom I canāt think of a reason to wait and submit. If the schools are EA or Rolling then you need to submit by the deadline, which may give you some various preferences, maybe not. RD, then itās likely they will likely accept the higher scores for merit, since it sounds like acceptance is not contingent on the high score. I am always in the camp of: submit submit submit!
@hs2020dad Yeah, thatās a bummer. Our plan with D20 and the essay was to just get a āgood enoughā essay completed for some āeasierā target schools. Have her submit the CA, then continue to work on the essay for schools with a later date, or that werenāt as high on the list but were more āeliteā (she really only had one of these). In the end, she really got into the writing of her essay and finished a version that was good enough for all schools, in our opinion, and she made the earlier deadline.
I would just express what you said: Heās worked hard for 4 years, donāt worry about all the stuff that will be forgotten next year (aka senior year). He should not take himself out of the running (either admission or merit) for something he will later regret.
[quote=āsocaldad2002, post:7622, topic:1767270ā]
We are within provided range of full tuition for base year (2018); but for 2019 and 2020 finances are fluctuating in upper limit and will not know due to unpredictability of income in these years. Not sure how schools handle situation like this for Fin Aid; but at least for us it is making very hard to plan for two students starting college journey.
I am always in the camp of: submit submit submit!
[/quote]
You hit it in the nail. There is no bigger priority for these kids to get these applications out. Period. Everybody is busy with school work, sports, and BS. Having said that, the EA apps play the biggest role when it comes to acceptances, deferrals, merit, etc. Most importantly, applicants get to find out sooner rather than later. There is no better feeling than knowing.
I am not trying to minimize their school work or activities, but if my kid has to miss a practice or two or be late on a homework assignment, I am ok with it. None of this will affect their futures. However, missing an application deadline can be the difference between being accepted and being considered for merit. After going through the process with my D18, it is important to stay on top of it. We even know plenty of kids who applied the last day of the deadline only to realize that something was not sent on time. When it comes to these large State Flagships, they do not make exceptions. They are way too busy at this time of the year.
Just relieved myself of $564 for AP exams. It was due 11/1 at our school. Canāt really blame the school since if they donāt get the money upfront they lose it if someone doesnāt pay. Kind of makes college application fees due 11/1 look cheap. Itās turning into a rough month on the ole checkbook.
? we may be able to finally hit submit on DS20ās first round of apps on Saturday. He finally has a block of time free to finish up/refine. And I think we finally have all the CSS/IDOC stuff done except for the IRS letter. Couldnāt get it to work yesterday so will keep trying on that.
As much as I will be nervous waiting to find out where he will be going (and how much is will cost!) , I will be so happy when this part is behind us!
@bigmacbeth and @1917souci - D will be submitting tonight! Thanks for your input.
re: IB exam fees - D was told that IBD (jr. and sr. years) would be about a $1000 commitment. Thatās in addition to the SAT, ACT and app fees. Crazy.
Soon we get to start paying for fun stuff, year book, grad night, cap and gown, housings depositā¦
Use are card so you can get points or airline miles for all these expenses since itās money you have to spend anyway and just pay the bill off when it comes.