oberlin: early decision

vine1947 (

vine1947) wrote in

oberlin,
@ 2005-08-18 15:20:00

early decision
Has anyone had a bad experience that resulted from applying to Oberlin early decision? On the other hand, were there any surprise benefits from applying early? Being trapped by a bad financial aid package is obviously a concern of mine... I just know Oberlin's where I want to be.

(Post a new comment)

	jqsilver 2005-08-18 08:50 pm UTC (link)
	Nothing particularly bad can happen from not applying early, although your chances are a bit higher with Early Decision. Also, if you don't apply early, you have to do the work of applying to other places. If you're a borderline candidate, it's a good idea to do early. If you're financially borderline but academically awesome, it's better to apply normally and weigh your options. (Reply to this)

beatniksquirrel
2005-08-18 10:49 pm UTC (link)

As an Early I decision student, only do Oberlin early decision if you are 95-100% sure. If you are less than sure, don't do it. The truth is that Oberlin often appeals to a specific type of person, and we'll love you no matter what, YOU need to feel comfortable. And it takes a lot of people more time than Nov 15. to figure out if they are.

Oberlin has a relatively high ED acceptance rate, however, I think that this is a little misleading. As opposed to schools like Harvard and Yale, where tons of people apply hoping they have a "shot" of getting in, many of the people who apply ED often know that Oberlin is the perfect (or closest) fit for them, and they identify closely with the Oberlin philosophy(ies). In short . . . while the numbers for early decision are high, ED students are just as qualified, and sometimes even more, so just don't be under the impression that you have much higher chances of getting ED.

The only bad thing? Any possible regret/second thoughts, which most often disappear when you step on the campus in August.

I'm officially starting in two weeks, and I'm more than happy to help you out with any ?s once I get here!
-Melissa

(Reply to this)

leontes
2005-08-19 01:44 am UTC (link)

I was an early decision student when I got in 95, the people above said it about right. If you are sure about Oberlin, save yourself the trouble of annoyance and get it out of the way. Mind you, if finical aid is a concern, you may want to shop around for your best offer, other than that concern, I'd say go for it, it made my senior year of highschool a lot less stressful than contemporaries.

(Reply to this)

	sergeantcircles 2005-08-19 01:53 am UTC (link)
	For what it's worth, I had a highschool friend that wasn't satisfied with his FinAid package and had to do some wrangling to get out of it. On the other hand, I've talked to lots of other people that got a great aid package. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	vine1947 2005-08-19 02:25 am UTC (link)
	By getting out of it, do you mean getting out of the bad aid package or getting out of the entire binding agreement thing? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2005-08-21 08:33 am UTC (link)
	The agreement. He ended up going to Kenyon instead. He's not going back this year though, because he can't afford it. Funny/sad/depressing how that works. (Reply to this) (Parent)

apedelmiele
2005-08-19 02:51 am UTC (link)

I'm one of those people that knew Oberlin was for me from the first time I read a brochure about it, so I applied early for the 2005-2006 school year. I got deferred to regular decision. That, I would have to say is one of the drawbacks of early decision. I was ready to accept my attendance in November, but because I had one grade that was below par, I had to wait until March to find out if I got in (I did, thankfully, but the wait was really hard). Applying ED shows the committee that you are really all about Oberlin and that you would value being accepted. I significant;y raised my chances of getting in by showing the college how interested I was in Oberlin. That's the only new thing I have to add, everyone else just about covered it.

(Reply to this)

	susciter27 2005-08-19 04:35 pm UTC (link)
	I applied ED and got a great financial aid package. I'd say it depends on what your first priority is- if you want to get the bast financial aid possible, maybe go regular. If you want to be sure to get in and not have to worry about applying elsewhere, then go early. (Reply to this)

	takayomomma 2005-08-20 02:46 am UTC (link)
	a crappy aspect of applying ED is that they don't send you a tee-shirt when you get accepted. outrageous, I know. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	pesematology 2005-08-20 03:06 am UTC (link)
	i got one. and a phone card. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2005-08-22 02:02 am UTC (link)
	Hi, My name is Kenyon. I can't answer your questions about ED but it might be fun to chat because I am also considering going ED this coming year. My aim is take0ffyoursh0es (careful of zeros). ! (Reply to this)

	treefox 2005-08-22 03:39 am UTC (link)
	Back in the day you got first choice at first-year housing too. So Talcott was full of 5th years and ED first years... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mittensmeow 2005-08-27 10:41 pm UTC (link)
	5th years? Don't most people graduate after 4? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	dharmapunxposse 2005-09-24 01:52 am UTC (link)
	5th years = Double-Degree students? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2005-12-02 02:01 am UTC (link)
	5th years = hippies who forgot to graduate ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

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