Anonymous
01/15/2026 17:38
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
Your kid was rejected in ED. Got it!
No my DD got into her ED1 choice and regrets it and now wants to transfer after trying it out. She made a decision with partial information. It isn't the right fit.
I am curious - what information would she have gotten from November to January, or April, that would have convinced her that the school isn't the right fit? And would she have gotten in if she hadn't applied ED?
Because the way you describe it, it could very well be that she made the wrong choice, and would have made the same choice later on. Which is unfortunate, but has nothing to do with ED.
Anonymous
01/15/2026 15:34
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I respect colleges that don’t play this game, even if it means their yield numbers are lower as a result.
+1 just accept, reject, or waitlist if you must. My kid got a deferral from a school that apparently had a high deferral rate this year and now they’re asking for additional essays and such. Would have been better off applying RD than EA as it’s going to drag on just as long but involves more work (the college already had supplemental essays).
Which school is this??
I didn't know EA handed out deferrals. And extra essays? That's crazy.
I know some waitlist require an essay to stay on waitlist,....but essay for deferral into RD pool, is there no end to this madness?
Fordham is requiring another essay for those deferred from EA. Madness!
Back to the Fordham EA deferral games. They’ve added one more thing, which is an optional video where the student logs on, gets a question/prompt and then records their unscripted answer. Enough with these admissions games and endless supplemental tasks! Use the info and data points you have about applicants to make a decision already!
Anonymous
01/02/2026 05:23
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I always chuckle at the bitter parents who are fine with these policies until they don't go their way.
Me again.
Your child doesn't want to go there (by your own admission), they called your bluff, and now it's a scam?
Reminds me of guys who go after "easy" girls and then call them sl*ts when they get rejected
Anonymous
01/02/2026 03:39
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
Your kid was rejected in ED. Got it!
No my DD got into her ED1 choice and regrets it and now wants to transfer after trying it out. She made a decision with partial information. It isn't the right fit.
Good thing no one ever regrets their EA and RD decisions.
With RD and EA, you can always visit again once you are admitted or attend admitted student day to get far more info. It's too expensive and time consuming to revisit every school on the list unless you know you got in first.
It's really best not to be bound and committed to a school at the early application stage.
Anonymous
01/02/2026 01:55
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
Your kid was rejected in ED. Got it!
No my DD got into her ED1 choice and regrets it and now wants to transfer after trying it out. She made a decision with partial information. It isn't the right fit.
Good thing no one ever regrets their EA and RD decisions.
Anonymous
01/01/2026 23:21
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
+1000
Anonymous
01/01/2026 22:49
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
Your kid was rejected in ED. Got it!
No my DD got into her ED1 choice and regrets it and now wants to transfer after trying it out. She made a decision with partial information. It isn't the right fit.
So, a parent who participates on this thread has a child who only had partial information about a college?
I don’t buy it.
Anonymous
01/01/2026 22:46
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
So true.
I have seen many Chicago ED kids regretting their decisions.
And I know 8 ED UChicago kids who are super happy there. And one who was rejected from UChicago, got into Rice, and transferred to UChicago after one year.
Anonymous
01/01/2026 22:37
Subject: "Early Action" kind of scammy at EDII schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I hope they get rid of ED permanently. It's exploitive in many ways and causes a lot of unnecessary stress for teens to make big life decisions in early November only to face regrets in April - June when they see their peers considering multiple options. ED is great for colleges to grab qualified candidates early who satisfy very specific institutional preferences - recruited sports, low income/first gen, high income/donor/legacies and odd majors that they want to grow aggressively.
It doesn't help our kids unless they fit in one of those buckets and they are absolutely sure they are applying ED to their best fit school. Problem is, most kids don't know enough about all colleges early into senior year to even know what their best fit is. They don't have time to research all available options and they are still growing/changing. Colleges are able to exploit their fear that they won't get into a "good college" unless they apply somewhere ED.
Your kid was rejected in ED. Got it!
No my DD got into her ED1 choice and regrets it and now wants to transfer after trying it out. She made a decision with partial information. It isn't the right fit.