College Admissions Help Blog

For some students, there is no question about where they want to go to college. I was one of those students. I fell in love with one college and I knew that if I did not apply or get into any other school I would be happy.

For students like me most colleges have either an early decision or an early action application option. Early decision and early action allow students to apply to the college of their choice early in November and usually find out if they have been admitted before Christmas. Early decision is binding, meaning that you have to attend the school if you get in. Early action on the other hand is not binding. It allows you to receive an admissions decision early, but still decline the offer if you so choose. This option also gives you the opportunity to apply to more than one school early.

With early decision and early action you have the possibility of being accepted, rejected or deferred. Deferment means that the school is not sure if they should admit you and you will be reconsidered with the regular pool of applicants.

Early decision and early action have many benefits. First of all, they usually have a higher acceptance rate than regular admissions. Secondly, if you are accepted you will not have to worry about the college admissions process for your entire senior year of high school. After you find out you will be able to concentrate on other things. Finally, if you only apply to one school you can save hundreds of dollars in application fees.

If you decide to apply for early decision or early action it is extremely important to have a plan B in place in case you do not get in. When I applied I made sure I had three other applications ready to go out in case I did not get in.

For me early decision worked out great.  I applied to my first choice school in November and found out that I got in a few days before Christmas. The rest of my year was stress free and I was able to concentrate on my school work and applying for scholarships.