Sr. Parents: Question about ED

epiphany
Fri, 22 Apr 2005 10:45:44 +0000

ED was not an option for us, carolyn, bec. of fin. aid. However, it was good that it was not an option, as even her EA school turned out not to be the school of choice, as of 3 days ago – despite the opposite assumption for the last 6 months. (The second visit to 2 competing schools, after an Early acceptance and a Regular acceptance respectively, AND after all the off-campus interviews, was the deciding factor. With all those elements factored in, she was able then to make a more considered choice. She returned this week from that visit.)

Maybe we’re just more cautious than some other families. However, one thing that I’ve noticed has made the difference (& not just for her) is the maturity factor, which I’ve seen, too, in some of her classmates. I think some of that maturity results from the process itself (self-assessment as part of constructing the list itself, the application efforts, & the reactions to visits). Perhaps part of it is developmental. She feels truly “a year older” today than in fall of '05 --just 6 months ago-- when she was making application. And that was despite the fact that she had visited her very favorite colleges over 12 months ago, & she & I had been researching & doing broad, preliminary planning for a couple of yrs. And that is also despite the fact that she is observed by others to be esp. mature for her age to start with.

I seem to be the only one not in the majority here, so this is not a “recommendation,” just a sharing of an experience. For us, even EA had its potential pitfalls, because the extremely heavy recruitment after acceptance almost succeeded. However, the obvious benefit of an Early acceptance was that it radically reduced her college list – & thus her college efforts; she was able to narrow her choices to a short list, concentrating only on those. And having a more targeted list, based on her preferences & not on multiplying her “chances,” was ultimately beneficial to the decision process itself. It reduced & clarified the features on which to base a decision.

As I write this, I realize that maybe for us one of the concerns is that there were so many similarities among her colleges of choice that ED would not have been the way to go even if finances were not a factor. Perhaps if the ED school in question is markedly different in one or several ways from the rest of the list, then it makes more sense. (Different other than just being the favorite.)

I don’t know if that helps or not.