Is Applying Early Always an Advantage?
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
Not long ago, I posted a blog that featured an email exchange regarding the merits of applying Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA). This has prompted a number of other conversations including one that explores the real advantages to applying EA. Here’s the question:
If I apply to a college that offers Early Action, would this be an advantage as my application would be seen earlier and, possibly, be considered more carefully? Also, I heard that a lot of colleges accept a decent percentage of students who apply early action. Can I apply to more than one school that offers early action? I’m not sure what I should do in this case.
The writer is clearly very perceptive about the potential advantages to being seen earlier in the competition. However, as you will see in my response, I am not sure that you can infer accurately that earlier reviews will be more thorough or advantageous to the applicant. The following are my responses to what really amounted to three questions:
Your Early Action question is a good one. My hunch is that applying EA won’t give you much of an advantage if any at all. If you were applying Early Decision, then you would probably have an advantage as ED is a strategy used by colleges to boost their yields and become more selective. In such situations, they tend to cut applicants breaks in order to get the number they want.
Since you are not obligated to enroll if accepted EA, admission committees are less likely to cut you a break. And, believe it or not, many committees tend to proceed cautiously early in their reading as they don’t want to “set the bar” too low. I have not seen any statistics that support the notion that schools accept at a higher rate in EA (as would be the case in ED).
You need to be careful about applying to more than one college EA. Most schools regard that as unethical and some are explicit with “Single Choice EA” application requirements. This means that while you may apply to multiple colleges concurrently, you can only submit one EA application. If you have a clear first choice and that school offers the EA option, you have nothing to lose. If they say “yes,” you’re all set. If they don’t, then at least you know you need to take your other options more seriously.
If you are a college applicant, you are no doubt feeling a great deal of pressure to narrow your list of schools and consider strategies that will help you get in. Using the ED option as a strategy is not a good idea unless you are dead certain that you will enroll if admitted (and that means you have put to rest any related financial concerns). I can’t tell you how many students get in ED and are already beginning to re-think their selections by April of the senior year.
Using EA as a strategy is not as risky largely because you are not committed to enroll if accepted. That is why, however, schools that offer EA are not as likely to think expansively about the applicants they might tag with an EA acceptance. Just make sure you read the not-so-fine print that describes the EA agreement at the school you are considering.
The “Getting In” Track of the “Straight Talk About College Admission” teleseminar series on November 20th will feature a further discussion of Early Decision. Go to http://www.theadmissiongame.com/college_planning_teleseminars.php for more information about signing up.
