THIS!! I feel like schools (esp some of those that are experiencing enrollment declines) need to sit down and really hear this. My kid got into 3 EAs. College A said, we think this much but stay tuned, College B said this much plus maybe more, we’ll let you know in 3 months, and College C said we really love you, here’s a lot of money. College C was a last minute EA application bc it didn’t require an extra essay. I think the rank before these decisions was A, B, C. And now it’s C, B, A! Completely flipped upside down and now C is getting a lot of love and new interest from my kid where they may not have really looked into it thoroughly before. The more we look, the more we like. Not to mention, she got a personal email from her regional AO (continued from an earlier email back and forth) congratulating her and asking what they could do to help. Love the school that loves you back, indeed.
As the weeks go by, the farther and farther down the in state publics fall because their EA decisions don’t come out until Feb. (Virginia publics are so slow!) And even the other oos or privates we were considering have fallen far too. I feel like the colleges with pre Xmas decisions really have an advantage. A 6 week head start with a kid imagining themselves on your campus is priceless, and worth doling out some merit.