Will schools know about ED even if you aren't accepted? Forum

[flyingpanda]

From NU's Early Decision Certification Document:

An applicant may not be an Early Decision candidate at more than one school during the same admissions cycle. Candidates applying to Northwestern through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools on a regular decision basis.However, they must understand and agree that they are required to immediately withdraw all other law school applications if they are accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate and that they may not initiate any new applications after they have been informed of their acceptance to Northwestern under the Early Decision program.

The first sentence is regarding applying ED to another school. The last sentence is regarding applying RD to another school.

[Deuce]

From NU's Early Decision Certification Document:

An applicant may not be an Early Decision candidate at more than one school during the same admissions cycle. Candidates applying to Northwestern through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools on a regular decision basis.However, they must understand and agree that they are required to immediately withdraw all other law school applications if they are accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate and that they may not initiate any new applications after they have been informed of their acceptance to Northwestern under the Early Decision program.

The first sentence is regarding applying ED to another school. The last sentence is regarding applying RD to another school.

The more I read it the more it seems to become clear... you cannot be an ED "candidate" to more than one school at a time. To me that seems pretty clear to mean that you can't ED to NU and say Michigan at the same time, and if you get accepted to one you withdraw the other immediately. However, if a school rejects you, you stop being a candidate for that school and can go ahead and be an ED candidate elsewhere.

[ARTfulDodger]

^^

Exactly.

[flyingpanda]

From NU's Early Decision Certification Document:

An applicant may not be an Early Decision candidate at more than one school during the same admissions cycle. Candidates applying to Northwestern through the Early Decision program may apply to other law schools on a regular decision basis.However, they must understand and agree that they are required to immediately withdraw all other law school applications if they are accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate and that they may not initiate any new applications after they have been informed of their acceptance to Northwestern under the Early Decision program.

The first sentence is regarding applying ED to another school. The last sentence is regarding applying RD to another school.

The more I read it the more it seems to become clear... you cannot be an ED "candidate" to more than one school at a time. To me that seems pretty clear to mean that you can't ED to NU and say Michigan at the same time, and if you get accepted to one you withdraw the other immediately. However, if a school rejects you, you stop being a candidate for that school and can go ahead and be an ED candidate elsewhere.

That's what I think too, but it doesn't hurt for anyone who is actually going to do this to call or email them and ask.

[ARTfulDodger]

That's what I think too, but it doesn't hurt for anyone who is actually going to do this to call or email them and ask.

Definetly. I would call and ask just to make sure. It never hurts to ask.

[Bildungsroman]

Yeah, I'd recommend calling NU and asking them for their policy, because the following line in their ED agreement form:

I have read the above certification and understand the stated policies and practices that govern the Early Decision program of admission at Northwestern Law, and I wish to be considered as an Early Decision candidate. During this admissions cycle, I have not submitted and will not submit an application for Early Decision at any other law school nor will I enter into an Early Decision agreement with any other law school. If accepted under Northwestern’s Early Decision program, I will matriculate at Northwestern Law. I agree to withdraw all my applications to other schools and to refrain from initiating any new applications if and when accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate.

as written definitely encompasses applying ED to NU after being rejected/deferred on an ED to another school. But it could just be that this policy was written without realizing that people might be smart enough to double-dip this way.

[flyingpanda]

Yeah, I'd recommend calling NU and asking them for their policy, because the following line in their ED agreement form:

I have read the above certification and understand the stated policies and practices that govern the Early Decision program of admission at Northwestern Law, and I wish to be considered as an Early Decision candidate. During this admissions cycle, I have not submitted and will not submit an application for Early Decision at any other law school nor will I enter into an Early Decision agreement with any other law school. If accepted under Northwestern’s Early Decision program, I will matriculate at Northwestern Law. I agree to withdraw all my applications to other schools and to refrain from initiating any new applications if and when accepted to Northwestern as an Early Decision candidate.

as written definitely encompasses applying ED to NU after being rejected/deferred on an ED to another school. But it could just be that this policy was written without realizing that people might be smart enough to double-dip this way.

I want to see a succesful triple-dip. Someone make it happen!

[thalassocrat]

I imagine they notify other schools of their ED applicants???

Consider this -- they won't have a rule they can't enforce.

Why take the chance of cheating and getting caught? You'll torpedo your law future.

I'm not talking about cheating or ED-ing to two schools at once. Consider if you are equally torn between two schools, and decide to ED school #1 while writing a compelling "Why X" for school #2, to which you apply RD. I would feel uncomfortable with school #2 knowing that I've made an ED decision elsewhere while they are still in the process of considering the application (suppose school #1 hasn't decided or has deferred/rejected). Wouldn't your "Why X" appear a little less compelling if adcomms knew right off the bat that their school wasn't truly your first choice?

I don't think they'd actually care, but you don't have to explicitly say "you are my number one choice" in your Why X essay. Just give the reasons why you want to go there. Adcomms aren't stupid, they know you can only ED once (or to one school at a time) and that a lot of people write the essays for every school they can. Just make sure your essay comes across as genuine and not something copied and pasted from the website.