Early Decision , Early Action or Regular Decision
My birthday is on October 30, I spent most of it helping my students finish their applications. When did applications become due so early? November 1st has become the new deadline for Early Decision (ED) and a lot of Early Action (EA) applications. A decade ago we started on December 1, then it was November 15th and now a large number of applications are due on November 1. Why and what are the advantages and disadvantages of applying early?
Early Decisions (ED):
ED applications are binding. This means that if you apply and are accepted to the university you MUST attend. Some bilingual schools in China are now having issues with universities in the USA because some of their students applied but then did not attend the schools they applied to for ED. Applying ED matters, it isn’t a game, and you need to go if accepted.
So what are the advantages of applying ED? In most cases, if your application is competitive you will have a higher chance of being accepted to that institution. Anywhere from 10% to 40% greater chance. So if you know you want to go to a specific university then it might be worth a try to apply ED. However, applying ED will usually affect your financial aid package. The schools know that you have to attend so they aren’t going to add any financial “sweetner” to entice you to come.
Applying ED used to not really affect your other applications but nowadays there is a connection. For example many schools will not allow you to apply to their institution through EA if you have applied to another school through ED. I believe this has come about because many Asian students have backed out of their ED commitments. So institutions are now creating distance between the ED and EA applications. So if you apply ED, you should expect that many of your other top tier applications will be moved to the Regular Decision ( RD ) timeframe.
Early Action (EA):
EA is my preferred application time for my students. In my opinion quality and organized students should be able to get their application and essays in order by November 1st. Applying EA will give the student a slight advantage in being accepted to the school and most importantly a large advantage in receiving good financial aid packages both in merit and need aid. The reason is that schools have a set amount of money to give away - it is usually first come first serve. So getting in early in a competitive recruitment process will ensure that schools will want to add that financial sweetener to entice your child to attend their school.
The other thing I like about applying EA is that your child can now focus on their senior year. The stress of applications is gone and they can now focus on keeping the grades up and also enjoying their last semester with their high school friends. I see no reason, if a student is capable of dragging the process on into February or March. Get it in and get it done.
Regular Decision (RD):
RD is usually due in late December and for some schools can drag into early March. This is the preferred application time for my students that may have low test scores or insufficient TOFEL scores. It also gives them more time to craft and work on their essays without having someone actually write the essay for them. There is usually less money to go around by this round of admissions but if money isn’t an issue and time is then I would l suggest using the time to create a more persuasive application.
The deadlines are moving up the calendar because the process is more and more competitive. As demographics shrink and schools are fighting for students the process will change. Understand this and use it to your advantage.
Famous Alumni
Douglas A Blackmon is an American writer and journalist. Mr. Blackmon won the prestigious Pulizer prize in 2009 for his book Slavery by another name. Mr. Blackmon is a graduate of Hendrix College. A small but well known and highly reputable liberal arts college located in Conway, Arkansas.
