I sent my reply card back to New Haven almost as soon as I got it; there was no question that I would be going to Yale next year.我派我的答复卡回到新的避难所，几乎尽快我得到它;问题并不存在，我会去耶鲁大学明年。 It wasn’t that way when I sent in my application November 1st, though.它不是这样，当我发出了我在申请11月1日，虽然。 So what changed?什么改变？

I would not have applied early if it had been binding , but my school strongly strongly urges us to go if we get in. We’re really reminded that our early school should be our first choice school and we are more or less expected to go if we get in. This is a ‘philosophy’ and not a policy. 我也不会适用于早期，如果它已约束力 ，但我的学校强烈强烈敦促我们去，如果我们英寸，我们真的提醒我们的早期学校应该是我们的第一选择学校和我们更多或更少，预计到如果我们英寸，这是一个'哲学' ，而不是一项政策。 Our CCO will still send out transcripts for EA admits, if they insist, but if you got into your first-choice school, why would you?我们的共同赞助组织委员会仍然会派出誊环境也承认，如果他们坚持，但如果你进入你的第一志愿学校，为什么你会吗？ This gives our college counseling office the ability to tell an Early Action school, ‘psst, if you admit this kid, you can go argue at committee that they’re going to come because Exeter does it such-and-such way.’ Works well for everyone–more kids get into their first choice schools, schools get better yields, and more people have more chances in RD.这使我们的大学辅导办公室的能力，告诉一及早采取行动的学校， ' psst ，如果你承认这孩子，您可以去辩称，在委员会，他们要去来，因为埃克塞特是否如和这样的方式。工程以及每个人更多的孩子进入他们的第一选择学校，学校得到更好的收益率，和更多的人有更多机会在路。 This philosophy might also be why the percentage of our class that applied early was lower than some这一理念也可能是为什么我们的百分比类适用于早期低于一些 otherwise否则 similar private schools.类似的私立学校。

Why then would it have made a difference if yale were EA vs. ED? Financial Aid was not the primary concern, since I’d matriculate and be poor, if nothing else. 那么，为何会作出了不同的，如果被耶鲁大学环境与教育署？财政援助，不是首要关注的问题，因为我要matriculate和是穷人，如果没有其他。 Essentially, though Yale was, as of nov 1, far and away my first choice, I wanted to retain the possibility of choice later on.基本上，虽然耶鲁是，截至11月1日，到目前为止，远离我的第一选择， 我想保留的可能性，选择在稍后。 I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being bound to attend.我不是舒适与思想的约束出席。 Hypothetically, I thought to myself, I could still apply elsewhere even if I got in, if I really really wanted to even if I had no intention of doing so.假设，我想，我仍然可以适用于其他地方，即使我得到的，如果我真的真的想即使我不打算这样做。 This was because even if I really, really, wanted to go to Yale Nov 1, or even Dec 16th, might things not change by May 1?这是因为，即使我真的，真的，要到耶鲁大学11月1日，或什至12月16日，可能事情不会改变，由五月一日？

Over the course of the 45 day wait, I grew more and more emotionally attached to Yale.超过的过程中的四十五天等待，我增长了更多感性的重视耶鲁大学。 This made waiting really fun. By Dec 14 I almost felt that I would have applied ED had the application deadline been right then.这使得等待真正的乐趣。 由12月14日我几乎觉得我会已申请教育署已申请截止日期是正确的然后。 I was, of course, dizzy from the anxiety right after finals leading into the Dec 15th decisions–so I wouldn’t exactly have called myself mentally fit to make those sorts of decisions.我是的，当然，晕眩，从焦虑的权利后，决赛领导到12月15日决定，因此我不会有所谓的正是自己适合弱智使这些各种各样的决定。

Now, of course, it’s Dec 21st, and I already did send back my reply card.现在，当然，这是12月21日，我已经没有传回，我的答复卡。 Did all those yearnings for choices evaporate?当时所有这些憧憬选择蒸发？ Not at all.不是所有。 Instead, I ‘ve just looked at things as a matter of probability.相反，我'维生素E刚才看过的东西，作为一个问题的概率。 Certainly, it was tempting to drop all other schools just on the basis of application workloads, but that wasn’t reason enough (a few of the schools, eg Harvard, required no new essays, and I’d already written a few).当然，这是诱人的下降，其他所有的学校只是在此基础上应用的工作量，但这是不足够的理由（数的学校，如哈佛，不需要新的散文，我要和已经写了一数） 。 A different sort of logic was employed.不同的排序逻辑是受雇于。

If I got in anywhere else I might apply–and I had 12 other schools on my list–would I go to any of them, over Yale?如果我在任何地方，否则我可能适用于和我有12个其他学校我的名单上-我会去他们任何人，耶鲁大学？ Some of the schools offered merit aid– would I have gone to any of them over Yale even if I got a full ride? The answer was, “probably not” and it was in light of that heavy lean towards “not” that I decided that I would enjoy my break and not apply anywhere else.一些学校提供了优异的援助，我会去任何他们耶鲁大学，即使我得到充分共度？答案是， “大概不会” ，这是在根据这一沉重倾向于“ ，而不是”我决定我会享受我的休息并不适用于其他地方。 Plus, with twelve more schools on my list, it was quite possible that I could be denying someone else admission at a school they really wanted to attend if I got in and ended up just going to Yale.另外，与12多所学校我的名单上，这是非常有可能的，我就可以否定别人收在一所学校里，他们真的很想参加，如果我得到的结束，只是前往耶鲁大学。

I have always felt regret that when I applied to Exeter, I applied only to Exeter and didn’t so much as research or visit any other private schools, boarding or day, anywhere in the country.我一直觉得遗憾的是，当我适用于埃克塞特，我只适用于埃克塞特，并没有这么多，作为研究或访问任何其他私人学校，寄宿或一天，随时随地在该国。 At the time I was told that Exeter was the best high school I could possibly attend; that was good enough reason for me.在当时，我被告知，埃克塞特是最好的高中，我可能参加，这是不好的原因我。 I think my time at Exeter has been valuable, but I wonder sometimes if there might be somewhere else better suited to me.我想我的时间在埃克塞特已宝贵的，但我不知道，有时，如果有可能在其他地方更适合我。 There were pangs of that as I thought about sending in the Yale reply card, but I banished them away when I thought about just how many hours I’ve spent on the college process.有阵痛的，作为我以为派遣约在耶鲁大学的答复卡，但我放逐他们离开时，我还以为刚才多少个小时我已花了对高校的进程。 Visits, research, reading, talking, questioning– everything adds up to one fact, one which says: Yale is the best school for me.访问，研究，阅读，交谈，质疑- 一切都添加到一个事实，其中说：耶鲁大学是最好的学校，为我。

Let’s just hope that’s turns out to be true!让我们只希望的，原来是真实的！