Early decision dilemma - advice needed! Forum

[jamiLAW]

Ok so I'm getting ready to apply, here are my top 5:

1. Berkeley
2. Cornell
3. Duke
4. Georgetown
5. UVA

Neither of my top 2 have ED, but I feel like it would be a waste not to ED anywhere. If I got accepted ED to, say, Duke, then found out I got into Berkeley, what would be the consequences of withdrawing from Duke and breaking the ED agreement?

Any advice would be awesome!

[Mike12188]

what would be the consequences of withdrawing from Duke and breaking the ED agreement?

Death. Don't do it.

[kalvano]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED, which is binding. You can't "break" the agreement. You agree to withdraw all other applications and attend that school, or you withdraw completely.

It's very clearly spelled out by the schools. How do you expect to succeed as a lawyer if you don't actually read things?

[biladtreasure2]

An ED is legally binding, and you will have to sign a form acknowledging this. They can potentially sue you; and what are the odds that a law school would win a lawsuit? I don't know, but I probably wouldn't ED unless I would be happy (not just content) giving up admission at other schools.

[cinefile 17]

-First of all, it's impossible to give you advice on where to ED w/out your numbers

-Second, it's not a waste to not ED. Too many people think they have to ED. The only way you should ED is if it's your first choice school you're going to ED to, if you are likely to be WL/denied without EDing, and you don't care that much about financial aid. It is clear that you do not meet this first criteria. I don't think you should ED.

-Third, DO NOT ED with the expectation that you can break your ED terms. This is serious. A guy on LSN last year didn't withdraw from other schools after his ED school accepted him and all of the law schools he applied to found out and auto-rejected him. Even schools that had already accepted him (including Columbia, UCLA, ect.) changed their decision to reject b.c. they found out about this. At the end of the cycle he was left with only one option- Chapman, despite having Columbia numbers. I've heard this happening to other people and it could happen to you.

P.S. Anyone have a link to that lsn profile?

[jamiLAW]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED, which is binding. You can't "break" the agreement. You agree to withdraw all other applications and attend that school, or you withdraw completely.

It's very clearly spelled out by the schools. How do you expect to succeed as a lawyer if you don't actually read things?

Lol thanks for the early law lesson, but if you had read what I wrote, you'd know that I'm aware it is binding but asking if they actually pursue people who break the agreement.

But now that I know they can potentially sue me I obviously won't do ED.

[Bumi]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED

Except Cornell. Cornell has non-binding Early Action.

If I got accepted ED to, say, Duke, then found out I got into Berkeley, what would be the consequences of withdrawing from Duke and breaking the ED agreement?

Your admission to Berkeley would be retracted. Your first choice doesn't have ED? Then either change your first choice or don't ED. Period.

[dccoope]

-First of all, it's impossible to give you advice on where to ED w/out your numbers

-Second, it's not a waste to not ED. Too many people think they have to ED. The only way you should ED is if it's your first choice school you're going to ED to, if you are likely to be WL/denied without EDing, and you don't care that much about financial aid. It is clear that you do not meet this first criteria. I don't think you should ED.

-Third, DO NOT ED with the expectation that you can break your ED terms. This is serious. A guy on LSN last year didn't withdraw from other schools after his ED school accepted him and all of the law schools he applied to found out and auto-rejected him. Even schools that had already accepted him (including Columbia, UCLA, ect.) changed their decision to reject b.c. they found out about this. At the end of the cycle he was left with only one option- Chapman, despite having Columbia numbers. I've heard this happening to other people and it could happen to you.

P.S. Anyone have a link to that lsn profile?

Just found it: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/daninreallife

[kalvano]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED

Except Cornell. Cornell has non-binding Early Action.

Bah. I knew that didn't sound right. Thanks.

[im_blue]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED, which is binding. You can't "break" the agreement. You agree to withdraw all other applications and attend that school, or you withdraw completely.

It's very clearly spelled out by the schools. How do you expect to succeed as a lawyer if you don't actually read things?

Lol thanks for the early law lesson, but if you had read what I wrote, you'd know that I'm aware it is binding but asking if they actually pursue people who break the agreement.

But now that I know they can potentially sue me I obviously won't do ED.

They won't sue you, but they'll just tell every other law school which will withdraw their offers of admission, leaving you SOL.

[trutherd]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED

Except Cornell. Cornell has non-binding Early Action.

Bah. I knew that didn't sound right. Thanks.

Still not right. Four schools have no early option (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley).

[kalvano]

All the schools in the T14 only offer ED

Except Cornell. Cornell has non-binding Early Action.

Bah. I knew that didn't sound right. Thanks.

Still not right. Four schools have no early option (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley).

I didn't say they all offered ED. Only that ED was the only available option.