<p>Thank you for your thorough response! </p>
<p>The reason QB is so appealing is that in the event of a QB match, I WOULD be guaranteed a full four year scholarship. On the ED side, when I visited Brown this summer, we talked to a Financial Aid officer, and she said she could almost guarantee that unless we weren’t disclosing any large college funds or properties, based on our home equity, assets, and income, we would have zero EFC. She suggested I apply early decision and include a letter in the financial aid information from an attorney detailing why last year’s W2s and tax statements are inaccurate. She said she was confident the aid would come through if I were accepted ED, and if it didn’t, we could contact her and she would see what she could do for us. She basically told me I could safely turn in an application on November 1. </p>
<p>We have no mortgage insurance. Our home equity is absolutely pathetic. =P All of the life insurance was spent on credit card debt. (Our life insurance policies were ridiculously behind as they weren’t upgraded since my dad got his PhD and our debt was disgustingly high.) </p>
<p>So, although we do not have an official FA estimate, I am incredibly confident in saying that there will be no EFC at any institution. </p>
<p>That being said, I don’t know if Brown will be interested in admitting me through QB since I am not URM (And looking at Brown’s QB acceptances for last year, only about 2-3 out of the 11 or so were not URMS.) and have only recently experienced financial hardship. However, I don’t think I’d fare well in the ultra-competitive ED pool. I am simply looking to maximize my chances. I’m pretty sure I will participate in either QB or ED, I just wish I could tell which is my best shot. </p>
<p>Thank you, that really makes me feel more confident. It’s easy to get flustered in the CC craziness of 36’s,2400’s, and extra-curricular cancer researchers. I definitely plan to apply to several schools. I’ve already visited two others and interviewed at one. I have a pretty extensive list of colleges I’ll apply to if my early decision doesn’t come through. I know I will really enjoy myself wherever I end up, but I, like other CC’ers can’t help but try to maximize my chances of scoring a spot at my number one. =)</p>