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Counselor's Corner |
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Students who come to my office are often surprised that I am not a fan of Early Decision (ED),
the procedure by which high school seniors apply to one school in November,
receive an answer usually in December and, if accepted,
are bound to attend that school and withdraw all their other applications.
Here are the reasons why I counsel students to be wary of ED:
- Students change and mature tremendously over the course of their last year in high school.
A school that looks great at the beginning of senior year may seem far less enticing
by the time the start of college comes around.
- The November ED deadline often denies students
sufficient time to investigate both the ED school and other possible options.
- Since many colleges defer their ED applicants
for review with the Regular Decision pool, many students cling unrealistically
to the hope that they will eventually get into this first choice school.
This can be extremely destructive because it dampens the enthusiasm
with which they pursue their applications at other schools,
sometimes resulting in rejections by what should have been target schools.
- The attraction of ED for students is too often based on a fear of the admissions process;
a fear that they might not get in anywhere “good” unless they commit to attend.
Though colleges know this,
they still encourage students to apply ED
because this increases their "yield" statistics
(i.e. the number of accepted students who ultimately agree to attend their institution)
a factor that boosts their standing in some of the college rankings.
Students, however, must keep in mind that they are the consumers.
They are entitled to as much time as possible to investigate the options and choose between all available offers.
This occurs only if they patiently go through the Regular Decision process.
There are, however, certain circumstances in which ED makes sense.
I encourage students to apply ED when:
- They are absolutely positive that a school is their first choice and a good match for their interests.
- The school is one that admits ED applicants at a higher rate than during the Regular Decision process.
- The student, on a statistical basis (grades and test scores),
is on the borderline for admission to the particular school and is likely to receive the benefit
of the doubt if he or she applies ED.
I have found that if all these factors apply,
students will most likely be accepted to their ED schools.
Students who are rejected are usually those for whom the ED school is too far
of a reach and/or who have not sufficiently investigated other places
to which they may have been better suited.
ED will not help the student who is applying to a fantasy school
with the thought that "you never know."
Though it receives far less attention,
many schools also provide an "Early Action" (EA) option, meaning
that if you submit your application by a certain date in the fall or early winter,
you will get an answer by January or February.
Similarly, many schools (particularly state universities) have rolling admissions
in which they will give you an answer within a few weeks of receiving your application.
Both of these options are, in my mind, no-brainers.
It does not mean that you apply randomly just to "get in somewhere".
That would waste time and energy that should be devoted to serious applications.
However, once you have finalized your college list,
EA is the perfect way to get an early start on your applications
and get prompt feedback on the types of schools that find you an attractive candidate.
In the end, ED, like all important decisions in both the college search and in life,
should be based not upon fear or strategy, but on a process of careful and personalized deliberation,
with the goal of maximizing your opportunities and giving yourself time to thoroughly evaluate your choices.
Copyright 2008 College Directions, LLC
It is this time of year that many of you start to question
whether or not or where to apply Early Decision or Early Action.
Early Decision is binding, meaning that if you get in you are obligated
to go to that school provided your financial need is met.
Early Action is not binding, so there is no downside to applying
Early Action as long as you do not feel rushed.
I also find that many students start to question their previous passion
about a school that they were certain they would apply Early Decision only two months ago.
This questioning is normal and typical;
this is the biggest decision that you (and your family)
will make thus far in your educational life and if you did not have questions,
then I would be worried. So how do you decide?
EARLY DECISION
You should apply Early Decision if you can answer ‘yes' to the following questions:
- Are you 100% certain that this school is a good fit for you academically, socially,
and within your financial means?
- Is this school in the possible or reach category and are you using Early Decision to boost your chances?
- Does this school keep jumping to the top of the list no matter how many other schools you visit?
- If you didn't get into this school because you did not apply early,
would you regret it for the rest of your life?
(Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point.)
- Will you be able to attend this school regardless of the financial
or merit based aid that you receive?
If you have answered 'yes' to all of these questions, then you should apply Early Decision.
If however, there are any nagging uncertainties,
then listen to them and wait to apply under regular decision.
Also if you need financial assistance for college, then in most instances,
you should not apply Early Decision.
(Some schools do offer their best financial aid packages to Early Decision candidates,
but you need to be sure that your school is among them.)
EARLY ACTION
You should apply Early Action if you can answer 'yes' to the following questions.
- Have you had enough time to prepare your applications to your satisfaction?
- Have you taken the necessary tests, e.g. SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests
as applicable and are you satisfied with the scores?
- Are your grades through junior year representative of your best work?
- Do you want the peace of mind to have your applications in early?
If however, your grades have steadily improved and you need your senior year grades to illustrate your progress,
it may be best to wait until regular decision.
Many schools will defer you to regular decision
if they feel like they want to see how your senior year grades hold up.
Most schools prohibit you from applying to them Early Decision
and Early Action to other schools;
however, you can apply Early Action to multiple schools. You may also
apply regular decision as well as Early Decision,
but you will need to withdraw all of your outstanding applications
once you have been accepted under Early Decision.
Copyright 2008 © College Bound Mentor, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The views expressed herein are those of their authors alone, and do not necessarily represent the views of Hundreds of Heads or of IECA.
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AS SOMEONE WHO APPLIED TO ONLY ONE SCHOOL,
I happen to think it's a phenomenal idea:
I wrote only one essay, sent in only one application fee.
However, take that with an entire shaker of salt,
since I got into the one school to which I applied.
Also, I applied early, meaning that
while I put a significant share of my eggs in one basket,
if I had been rejected,
I would have had just enough time to spend every waking hour
banging out a few more essays for my backups.
-- NAFI ISRAEL
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
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Print out postage at home at: www.usps.gov/clicknship
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Don't focus on just the one school. Even after sending it in,
you should still be working on the rest of your applications,
since you won't know the results of this application until mid-December on average.
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