The college application process is more chaotic than ever. Every year brings in shrinking acceptance rates, FAFSA issues, and unwarranted stress. The confusing and frustrating process has made any opportunity for security look good, and for students who know where they want to go or are applying to highly selective colleges, an option that may help improve acceptance chances is applying early decision.
Kate Berry and Amanda Anderson, college and career counselors, explain what it means to apply early decision. The early decision deadline is usually November 1st, the same day as the early action deadline, and for both options, students will hear back from colleges sooner. However, unlike applying early action, applying early decision is legally binding. “If you apply early decision, it’s a binding agreement. So your parents, your counselor, and you have to sign a form saying, ‘If I get in, I will go there’,” Berry said.
Of course, there is still no guarantee that students applying early decision will get into their school of choice, but some colleges accept a significant portion of their incoming students through early decisions. The degree to which applying early decision benefits students differs on a school-by-school basis.
There are benefits to applying early decision. Early decision applicants are usually students prepared to submit their applications in the early fall, meaning their junior year grades are high and their essays are completed. For these students, applying early can give them a boost in the application process. “For most schools that have early decision, the admission rate is higher for early decision, and it’s usually significantly higher…if you are on the bubble, or it’s a very selective school, [applying early decision] is often your best chance of being admitted,” Berry explains.
For students who know where they want to go and feel prepared to submit their application early in their senior year, applying early decision can be a great option. Senior Midge Sanderson explains why she chose to apply early decision. “The school I’m applying early decision to has always been my top choice since middle school, it’s always been the school I’ve wanted to go to, and there’s also a higher chance of getting in,” Sanderson said.
Applying an early decision isn’t for everyone. Applying early decision prevents you from comparing financial aid plans, and many people would prefer to have the option to weigh financial aid. While deciding how to apply to colleges, Senior Jonathan Mcmurty-Bremer found that finances took applying early decision off the table. “I felt it was just impossible for me to decide on a school without knowing the financial situation,” McMurty-Bremer said.
Berry and Anderson offered some advice for students on the fence about applying early decision. Their first suggestion is to look at the cost of the colleges they’re applying to. “Any student should look at doing the net price calculator for schools because we don’t want a student to end up applying to colleges that they can’t afford, and then getting into schools that they can’t attend because of cost,” Anderson said.
They also recommend that students considering applying to a school through early decision try to visit and get a feel for the campus and surrounding area. “I don’t think any of us ever recommend applying early decision unless you visited campus,” Berry said.