Truth about merit aid and ED
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Anonymous
| DS loves a school that he will get into fairly easily -- he has a very high GPA and SAT scores and the school isn't one of the most competitive. The school offers merit scholarships which would sure help since we probably won't qualify for financial aid, but we aren't rolling in dough either. His credentials make the merit aid a good possibility. He wants to apply ED because he really loves the school and we are satisfied that he has done a good job in the process of checking out various schools. We've been told that applying ED doesn't affect merit aid but we are skeptical since the whole point is to attract students who would have other options, and if he applies ED he won't need to be attracted. Does anyone have direct knowledge or experience about this? (As opposed to just guessing which we are already doing). |
Anonymous
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I posted the idenitical question recently.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/336259.page |
Anonymous
| OP again. Whats interesting is that anyone who goes by intuition, including myself, assumes it would be crazy for a school to offer merit aid to an applicant who is already committed but every "expert" that I've found on-line and in DS' college guidance office says it doesn't make a difference. |
Anonymous
| OP, I have wondered the same thing. And yet, you're correct, colleges deny that applying ED puts you at a disadvantage for merit aid. Sometimes I wonder, though. Just recently, GW admitted to giving preferential admissions treatment to full pay students, despite years of denying this. It's worth mentioning, however, that this is one college, and a college that was recently busted for fudging numbers for USNWR. |
Anonymous
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Everything I have read says that if you are interested in merit aid, you should apply by November 1, EA but not ED. By the time regular admission rolls around, much of the merit money is gone. Some colleges explicitly require Nov. 1 application for merit aid, so check deadlines carefully.
These days colleges want the best stats they can accumulate. That includes not just SAT scores but "yield." So if a student applies early, indicating a high level of interest, that's a kid who might be more likely to attend, thereby increasing yield. If it's a kid who would improve SAT stats, it's a potential win-win for the college to give merit aid to that kid. It sweetens the deal for the kid, further improving the odds of enrollment, AND boosts the average SAT score. This also explains why schools that already have high yields among high-performing kids don't give merit aid. Why would they need to? |
Anonymous
| That's a good analysis pp. |
Anonymous
| OP -- Why not just put in a regular application early enough to be sure you are considered in any merit aid pool early but not go in under ED? Your post suggest your child will certainly be wanted by this school regular decision (be sure oiur counselor agrees) , so why lock him in? I would have him apply to at least 2 other schools with similar profiles that offer merit aid. Then if the school he wants doesn't offer as good a package as someone else, you may have some negotiating leverage. |
Anonymous
| The school your DC "loves" doesn't sound like a "stretch" - always apply to at least one stretch |
Anonymous
That's ridiculous. Why apply to a school DC doesn't want to go to as much just because it's a stretch? |
Anonymous
Your counselor should be able to explain it to you. Accepted wisdom. |
Anonymous
NP here. DC just went through this process. Accepted wisdom is that you should apply only to schools you really want to go to. If it's a stretch and you love it, then apply ED or EA. But otherwise, why would you apply to any school you'd be miserable at, whether reach or safety? |
Anonymous
| If you haven't found a stretch school that you really love you haven't looked hard enough. Keep looking. |
Anonymous
Totally disagree. If all you care about is a stretch it probably means you are too focused on rankings. |
Anonymous
A lot of people who regret their college choice 29 years after the fact probably thought the same thing once |
Anonymous
And I know some who get into their stretch school and then transfer. So where'd you go 29 years ago that you regret? |