Yale claims to meet 100% of students’ financial needs, I’m sure that I would only pay a couple thousand max. The chances of me getting matched with QB are very low, I lose the opportunity for ED, and if I don’t get matched, I get thrown into regular decision with regular decision FA. Either way I’m likely to have to take out loans, but I’d rather do it for a school I love.
Point taken. But, ED decisions only look higher because only the top tier kids apply ED. If you deconstruct the RD applicant pool you’ll find that your perceived ED advantage pretty much goes away. Take out the recruited athletes and the impact legacies, the ED basically matches the RD.
^ This. And without an idea of how to present best, how do you polish the app and supp?
You should know Yale has no separate RD fin aid. I see your confidence. But wonder how much you understand tippy tops. Not to mention that going into steep debt is not savvy.
I’m sorry I misspoke, I understand the financial aid is the same, I meant more to emphasize that there isn’t a difference in financial aid if I wait for RD
My comments to another poster: are you BS/BSE then job market? If so, avoid student debt, but accept it if you have to. If you’re BS to PhD to job market, understand that grad school (in STEMs) is covered, so maybe don’t take undergrad loans.
I’ve thought about this a bit, but if my chances are about the same, and FA is the same, then what is the benefit of waiting asides from the slim chance of being matched?
You’re talking about QB match. That’s different than talking FA match. Why limit yourself to an ED school when it’s pretty clear you need/want FA? I don’t see a huge upside for you, applying to only one school as SCEA/ED. Your Ivy FA doesn’t depend on you applying EA. Keep your options open.
Yale is SCEA if you apply directly, not ED. SCEA does not limit your options other than not being able to apply early elsewhere with some exceptions https://admissions.yale.edu/single-choice-early-action. You don’t have to commit until after RD decisions come in and you can compare FA packages
Run the NPC, but you would probably only have to come up with money from what they think you can make over summer and at school. From Yale’s webpage
“Affordable. For Everyone.
Families whose total gross income is less than $65,000 (with typical assets) are not expected to make a contribution towards their child’s Yale education. Hundreds of Yale undergraduate families have an expected parental contribution of $0.” https://admissions.yale.edu/financial-aid
But, SCEA still precludes other schools in the process, right?
yes
My comment 27 crossed with #28 and #29. If we are out of the Questbridge world, SCEA does not preclude other schools RD even if you are accepted. The restriction only applies to EA and ED programs with exceptions:
"Applying to Other Colleges and Universities
If you are a Single-Choice Early Action applicant to Yale, you may apply to another institution’s early admission program as follows:
You may apply to any college’s non-binding rolling admission program.
You may apply to any public institution at any time, provided that admission is non-binding.
You may apply to another college’s Early Decision II program, but only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1. If you are admitted through another college’s Early Decision II binding program, you must withdraw your application from Yale.
You may apply to another college’s Early Action II program.
You may apply to any institution outside of the United States at any time."
OP dreams of Yale. But, is SCEA better (considering her financial situation and lack of athlete/impact legacy) than RD? I don’t think so.
@BKSquared thank you for that. My reading: you’re still not able to apply freely. That’s why I think RD is a better option for OP. But, I could be wrong.
It’s not financially prudent to limit your options if you have limited financial resources. SCEA at an Ivy looks like it’s a "great deal’ because of the admittance rates. But, I’m not convinced – the RD rate is the same once you take out recruited athletes and impact legacies. Either way, your odds are extremely low.
We’ll let the OP tell her story.
If OP applies Yale SCEA, OP would be precluded from applying early to another private institution EA or ED. Given her financial position, ED is not a great option. She may want to apply EA to a less selective school if she wants a better shot of knowing she is in somewhere before Xmas. She can always apply rolling admissions anywhere that offers that or non-binding EA to any public university. I would recommend applying rolling or early to a public both to secure a school and to have a better chance at aid, need and merit.
SCEA (at HYPS) does not prevent her from applying RD anywhere else. If she is accepted, she will not have to commit to attending until May after she has received notice of admissions and aid from all schools that have accepted her. In that respect SCEA does not limit options. If she is deferred, she just moves into the RD pool. If rejected, she can move on. The other Ivies, if she is considering those, are ED and she would be bound if accepted.
OP, don’t apply SCEA if you don’t think your app will be in optimal shape by the deadline. If you won’t have your next ACT in hand by Nov 1 and you think you will do better, apply RD. If you think you need more time to polish your app, also apply RD. If however the app is going to be as good as it can get by Nov 1, SCEA may be the way to go, and not just because of a possible bump. If you get in, it will save a bunch of work and fees in not having to apply to a bunch of other schools RD – just the ones that you might choose over Yale. If you get rejected, it will tell you how competitive your app is and you may need to lower your sights a tad. If you are deferred, there is no harm. Finally, there is 0 difference in aid between SCEA and RD. The need calculation will be the same, and since SCEA does not bind you, you can compare FA offers from all the schools that accept you and perhaps use them against each other to get a better deal.
@BKSquared. I hope that we are helping OP find her path. But, I have to disagree with the idea of a fin aid kid doing SCEA (or any early try). We can take this private and not clog OP’s thread.
You definitely are. I don’t exactly have people in my life to help me explore my options, so you are providing me with great information.
I think it’s fine that you are applying to Yale SCEA. You are very low income and will likely get tons of aid. In addition, even if you get in, you can still apply to other schools regular decision and see what the admission and FA outcome is. Get the RD applications out early, but indicate that you are applying RD.
Fin aid at Yale is strong. There likely isn’t going to be a huge difference between their FA and some other generous school. My concern is whether she is ready to apply, understands what matters to Yale, how to give herself a better shot. Right now, the scores aren’t top and no stem ECs, for that interest. Limited ECs related to poli sci. The family issue won’t be a tip without the full picture.
What’s your GC say?