How to Choose Between Early Action and Early Decision

How to Choose Between Early Action and Early Decision When applying to college, there is generally arange of application timelines and options to choose from, including early action and early decision. Many students may lean toward the regular decision timeframe,butif youd like to get a leg up on other candidates, find out your application status early, and have the time and desire to do so, you may wish to considerapplying early action or early decision. If youre unsure how to choose between early action and early decision, ask yourself the following questions to help determine what's best for you: 1. Do you feel strongly enough about a specific school to apply early action or early decision? If youre dead-set on a specific school, apply early decision if its offered. Early decision locks you into attending the school once youre admitted, so youd need to withdraw and/or decline other offers of admission. This option is desirable if youd like to be over and done with the application process, and more importantly, if you feel strongly about one school. Keep in mind that you can only apply early decision at one school, which means youre prioritizing it over others. Alternatively, apply early action if youre interested in a school, but dont want to make your choice right then. This would give you time to: plan a campus visit get in contact with current students or professors ask advice of people who know you and whom you trust Its also a more appropriate path to take if you have a few schools you like, but cant decide between them. 2. How will early action or early decision affect yourfinancial assistance? If youre asking questions about financial aidand seekingfinancial assistance, whether through scholarships or FAFSA, early action might be better for you. Offers of financial assistance often are not made until the regular decision season is over, and sometimes, even later in the spring. If you have your heart set on one school, but dont have the means to pay for it, early decision might be temptinghowever, it will commit you to the school before you know all of your financial options. In that case, it may be wiser to apply early action so you can still look for and hear back from scholarship opportunities. This advice is most relevant to students whose ACT and SATscores, grades, and qualifications are high. If you are hoping to bring your grades up in the first semester of your senior year, you may want to wait to apply regular decision. 3. Which schools offer which early action versus early decision? Not all schools offer early action or early decision. For example, your dream school might have early action as an option, while other schools you feel lukewarm about may offer early decision. In such a situation, you might seethese asreasons not to apply early decision. You can apply all early action if youd like, or apply for other schools later during regular decision. Also, some schools offer a single-choice early admission, which means you can only apply early to that school. Check with the specific school about their policies; it varies from school to school, and you dont want to have missed out because of the fine print. Below are five schools, from a report via U.S. News World Report, that had some of the highest acceptance rates for early action and early decision applicants in fall 2015, compared to those who applied regular decision. School Percentage of Early Action/Decision Applicants Admitted Meredith College 100% University at AlbanySUNY 94.50% St. Lawrence University 90.40% Denison University 88.20% American University 87.20% As you decide whether to apply early action or early decision, keep in mind that you may change your mind during the application process as you learn more about the school, yourself, and your wants and needs as a college student. Ask your current teachers, your school counselor, an older friend, or a family member for insight. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us atblog@varsitytutors.com.