I fell in love with a SLAC that I had visited. Applied early decision and got in, then had a great 4 years there. Financial aid wasn't the biggest factor for us, though I did get some. (Not sure more merit aid was much of a possibility.) For me, abbreviating the application process was a relief.

^^ forgot to add:

There is nothing preventing your DS from sending in early applications to every school he is interested in. Just don't check the ED box. Many admissions consultants recommend applying early (but not ED) to get the best shot at merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. Its binding ED and while FA would sure be helpful, I'm pretty sure DS won't qualify.

Its my understanding that even schools with binding ED will let an applicant out of it if they can't offer a sufficient financial aid package when the time comes. But thats not our situation.

If he's in the 75th % or so off admits, he could be eligible for decent merit aid or the college's Honors program. It's all good!

Apply early to meet the ED deadline, but don't apply ED. EA is your best shot at merit aid at many schools but doesn't obligate your DC to attend.

No, I would encourage him to keep his options open.

I went to an SLAC, and from what I heard from both students who were in this situation and people who worked in the admissions office, they tended to be more generous with financial aid and spent longer reviewing the financial aid application with ED students. Since the school had a limited endowment, they would meet the full financial need of students who they were sure were going to come before considering regular decision applicants. They wanted to draw students who really really wanted to be there.

I know this is unorthodox from what people say (if finances is an issue, apply regular decision), but I just wanted to throw that out there. I know several people who applied ED at my school who were pleasantly surprised by the financial aid they did receive.

Anonymous wrote:I've often wondered whether applying and being accepted ED hurts a student's chances for merit aid. It seems that once the student is bound to attend, there is little incentive for the college to offer merit aid (as opposed to financial aid). Does anyone have experience with this?

I've been told that it is considered unethical to withhold merit aid because the student has been accepted ED. Most schools will not do this.

Apply early if he really wants to go there. It's too big a gamble to wait.

I can completely understand your son's desire to get this over with, but if he's really a pretty sure bet for admission, why apply early and close off other options? I'm not suggesting he apply early to a reach school if there's not one he'd really love to go to, instead, he can skip the early round altogether and apply in the regular round to a few schools, including the one you refer to in your post, OP. I've seen a lot of kids change quite a bit between the beginning of senior year and May 1 when enrollment decisions must be made. The kids who are locked into early decision sometimes regret their lack of options -- even when the school they're locked into was their "dream school". My nephew thought he loved Dartmouth so much that he applied early, was thrilled to get in, and then was starting to have second thoughts by spring. He sucked it up for a year and is now looking at transferring.

I've often wondered whether applying and being accepted ED hurts a student's chances for merit aid. It seems that once the student is bound to attend, there is little incentive for the college to offer merit aid (as opposed to financial aid). Does anyone have experience with this?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. Its binding ED and while FA would sure be helpful, I'm pretty sure DS won't qualify.

Its my understanding that even schools with binding ED will let an applicant out of it if they can't offer a sufficient financial aid package when the time comes. But thats not our situation.

If he's in the 75th % or so off admits, he could be eligible for decent merit aid or the college's Honors program. It's all good!

Thanks. Its binding ED and while FA would sure be helpful, I'm pretty sure DS won't qualify.

Its my understanding that even schools with binding ED will let an applicant out of it if they can't offer a sufficient financial aid package when the time comes. But thats not our situation.

I think applying early decision would benefit everyone in the family, not just him. More time to plan in specifics, less time to live with someone in a high state of anxiety, etc.

Does the college have an early app process that is not binding? That worked well for my kids -- they were happy to have an acceptance by Nov or Dec while they waited out the other decisions. But if your kid is really set on one college, I'd have no problem doing the binding early decision.

If you can easily afford to send him there, then I say why not. If you need to apply for financial aid, then I think it's a riskier proposition.

DS has fallen in love with a school that is not a reach for him. While he would be a strong candidate at more competitive schools, this one really clicked for him and we would be happy to send him there. Its a school that seems like a good fit. Since his odds of being accepted are pretty high, he doesn't really need to enhance them by applying early. However, he can be an anxious kid and is sick of the process already, so getting it out of the way would be nice. Under these circumstances, is it a good idea to apply early?