<p>VP:</p>
<p>Good luck to you. </p>
<p>To answer your question, the common wisdom on cc is to NOT apply ED if you need finaid or want to compare finaid packages. Remember, even if a college meets 100% of full need, ‘need’ is how THEY define it, not you; of course, this is true for a bunch of 100% need colleges, including Vandy. And, Vandy’s no-loan package is still unknown, i.e., full need of what efc? Second, I have no doubt that there are a lot of high stat applicants from upper-middle income familes ($75-$150k) who are hoping to compare merit scholarships from schools like Vandy, Emory and Wake (and others) so they need to go RD, particularly given this economy where a parent was sure of his/her job last August but it became tenuous by October 1. Those same students also have the stats for Ivy-level colleges, so they want to wait until April 1 to compare all of their options. Lastly, some kids need the January test date or first semester grades to bolster their apps.</p>