With hundreds of thousands of high school seniors all over the globe applying for the same coveted spots at America’s universities, students are looking for every way they can find to make sure their applications stand out. In addition to maintaining high GPA’s, scoring well on standardized tests, and being involved in extracurricular activities, applying to college early decision or early action is a way for applicants to increase their chance of admission.
Traditionally, early action involves a binding contract with a chosen school. If admitted, the student must attend the school to avoid paying a hefty fine. Early decision usually means that the application is simply sent in before the regular deadline. Both can indicate to the college that the student is truly interested and probably considers that school to be their first choice. Consequently, admission rates are consistently higher than regular decision applications. In 2012, for example, the admission rates at every Ivy League school showed that early applicants had an edge. In most cases, a student’s chances doubled or even tripled when they applied early decision or early action.
At Central, seniors are making their own decisions on how to apply based on their circumstances.
“I’m not applying early decision because I don’t want to commit to a school when I don’t know how much financial aid I can receive/how much it will cost to attend there compared to other schools I may be admitted to,” said Greta Rosenstock.
Because of factors like financial aid, early decision is not practical for some students. Many are choosing to apply early action instead.
“I don’t want to be tied to one school this early in the process. I’m doing early action instead,” said Abbey Dunbar.
Elaine Reichert echoed Dunbar’s concerns about early decision, and cited some of the benefits of applying early decision as an alternative.
“I’m applying early action for several reasons. First, I think it’s great to get at least one application out of the way. It certainly doesn’t hurt to get an early start on things, even if you feel like you’re being “forced” to by an early deadline. Another great thing about applying early is that if you are accepted into your first choice school early, you might not even have to apply to other schools. This saves a lot of time and money and allows you to finally enjoy senior year,” Reichert said.
Senior Melinda Lai pointed out several other advantages.
“If I really really for sure wanted to go to a school and they had the early decision option, I definitely would. Your odds at getting in are a tiny bit better because you’re showing interest. Plus it’d be awesome to be done with everything by December,” Lai said.
For some schools and programs, however, applying early is not an option.
“Those going into musical theatre are not allowed to have an early decision option. An audition is needed first before they decide who is allowed into the program. It can be as late as May before I know whether I am admitted. Definitely not an “early” decision,” said Kyle Pollak.
Whether students choose to apply early decision, early action, or regular decision, the importance of deadlines cannot be understated. While plowing through applications may seem like a difficult task, making a plan on a calendar to do a certain amount each day can make the process less daunting. Finally, once the applications are in, letting go of control over the situation is the healthiest thing to do. Obsessing over a school’s decision will only make senior year more stressful, and it’s important to remember that everything that can be done has been done.