Jun 2012
Early Decision: good or bad?
10/06/12 08:54
Q. Do you think it is a good idea to apply Early Decision or Early Action?
A. I do.
There are roughly 4000 colleges in the US. The majority has rolling admissions, which means you can apply most any time, but almost all of the most selective colleges have Early Decision or Early Action or both.
Four days ago, I was on the campus of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. For twenty years, it has been one of my favorites – on my list of the top ten “best” colleges in the country. Nice campus, great liberal arts curriculum, and best of all, a very positive, friendly, and unpretentious student body. In my mind, it is every bit as good or better than the most selective, small, liberal arts colleges in the East. And, mostly because of its location, it is less selective.
When asked about Early Decision and Early Action, the admissions director said they offer both. Applying Early Decision means you apply to only one college (Wooster), and if they accept you, you are committed to enrolling at Wooster, unless they really come up short on financial aid and you really can’t afford it. (She didn’t actually say the last part!) Then she explained that with Early Action, you can apply to as many schools as you wish, Early Action or Regular Admissions, you will get a response from them early, and then you have until May to make your choice (Wooster, they hope!). Of course, they hope that you will be so excited about getting an acceptance letter from Wooster that you will drop all other applications and make your decision (Wooster) early.
Then she said, “We do have a regular decision deadline, but we encourage you to apply early, because by the time the regular decision deadline comes around, we have most of our class settled.” Now, that may be a bit overstated, but the message is clear. Like it or not, more and more colleges will be taking more and more of their incoming class through Early Decision and Early Action. High schools, and high school students, particularly those applying to more selective schools, will need to adjust their schedules and move the college application process up by several months.
And, despite a few colleges that publicly resist the trend, or at least, won’t admit to going along with the trend, your odds of being accepted are often significantly higher if you apply early, particularly Early Decision. Some colleges accept 30% of their regular decision applicants and 70% of their Early Decision applicants. Some colleges accept 70% of their regular decision applicants and 95% of their early applicants. Most coaches want their top athletic recruits, whether D1, D2, or D3, to commit early.
College of Wooster’s Early Decision deadline is November 15. They will let you know their decision just before Christmas. Nice present! Their Early Action deadline is December 15, with a January 15 notification date. The deadline for Regular Decision is February 15 with a notification date of April 1. Those dates are quite typical. At very selective east coast colleges, the Early Decision deadline may be November 1. Some colleges have a second round Early Decision deadline in January or February, like Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby. The Early Action deadline is usually between November 1 and February 1. Regular decision deadlines are often January 1 to March 1.
Yes, there are issues about how you can maximize your financial aid if you apply early. My advice is that you have a straight and open conversation with the financial aid office before you commit to applying Early Decision. You need a good sense of how much financial aid they can offer you.
You do not have to apply early. You may not be able to apply early. But, don’t overlook the opportunity just because you are too busy with fall sports.
Start your research early. Apply early. Get accepted early. Sleep late on Christmas morning. That isn’t all bad.
A. I do.
There are roughly 4000 colleges in the US. The majority has rolling admissions, which means you can apply most any time, but almost all of the most selective colleges have Early Decision or Early Action or both.
Four days ago, I was on the campus of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. For twenty years, it has been one of my favorites – on my list of the top ten “best” colleges in the country. Nice campus, great liberal arts curriculum, and best of all, a very positive, friendly, and unpretentious student body. In my mind, it is every bit as good or better than the most selective, small, liberal arts colleges in the East. And, mostly because of its location, it is less selective.
When asked about Early Decision and Early Action, the admissions director said they offer both. Applying Early Decision means you apply to only one college (Wooster), and if they accept you, you are committed to enrolling at Wooster, unless they really come up short on financial aid and you really can’t afford it. (She didn’t actually say the last part!) Then she explained that with Early Action, you can apply to as many schools as you wish, Early Action or Regular Admissions, you will get a response from them early, and then you have until May to make your choice (Wooster, they hope!). Of course, they hope that you will be so excited about getting an acceptance letter from Wooster that you will drop all other applications and make your decision (Wooster) early.
Then she said, “We do have a regular decision deadline, but we encourage you to apply early, because by the time the regular decision deadline comes around, we have most of our class settled.” Now, that may be a bit overstated, but the message is clear. Like it or not, more and more colleges will be taking more and more of their incoming class through Early Decision and Early Action. High schools, and high school students, particularly those applying to more selective schools, will need to adjust their schedules and move the college application process up by several months.
And, despite a few colleges that publicly resist the trend, or at least, won’t admit to going along with the trend, your odds of being accepted are often significantly higher if you apply early, particularly Early Decision. Some colleges accept 30% of their regular decision applicants and 70% of their Early Decision applicants. Some colleges accept 70% of their regular decision applicants and 95% of their early applicants. Most coaches want their top athletic recruits, whether D1, D2, or D3, to commit early.
College of Wooster’s Early Decision deadline is November 15. They will let you know their decision just before Christmas. Nice present! Their Early Action deadline is December 15, with a January 15 notification date. The deadline for Regular Decision is February 15 with a notification date of April 1. Those dates are quite typical. At very selective east coast colleges, the Early Decision deadline may be November 1. Some colleges have a second round Early Decision deadline in January or February, like Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby. The Early Action deadline is usually between November 1 and February 1. Regular decision deadlines are often January 1 to March 1.
Yes, there are issues about how you can maximize your financial aid if you apply early. My advice is that you have a straight and open conversation with the financial aid office before you commit to applying Early Decision. You need a good sense of how much financial aid they can offer you.
You do not have to apply early. You may not be able to apply early. But, don’t overlook the opportunity just because you are too busy with fall sports.
Start your research early. Apply early. Get accepted early. Sleep late on Christmas morning. That isn’t all bad.