Early Action vs. Early Decision: Which Should You Choose?

Applying early to schools is a great idea, unless it isn’t.

Not helpful? The problem is, everything depends on circumstances. Before we get into those, the first thing to realize is that there are two types of early applications.

Early Action (EA)

The first, and relatively harmless type, is early action, or EA. Some schools allow students to apply early (usually with deadlines between October 15 and November 15) and also accept students early, usually starting in mid-December. On a personal level, I hate EA, because I think that it allows students to start checking out before midterms during their Senior year. And yet, from a student’s perspective, it can be a great thing. After all, the stress and worries of college applications go away if you get acceptances in December.

Early Decision (ED)

The second, and far more complicated early application process is Early Decision, or ED. The important word is unspoken: binding. If you apply ED to a school, and they accept you, you MUST go there (there are some loopholes having to do with financial aid, but they’re rare). As such, you can only apply to one school ED, and you’ll find that most of the top schools tend to have only ED programs, not EA ones. Thus, if you know that you REALLY REALLY want to go to Stanford, you apply Early Decision there, because it is your top choice and even if you got into, say, a rival school in Berkley, you wouldn’t go. But later, if you change your mind and decide that you’d rather go to USC, if you get into Stanford ED you actually can’t go anywhere else.

Is there an advantage to applying early?

There are some funny statistics about early applications, and particularly ED, that make people think they should apply early. Statistics say that people who apply early are more likely to be accepted than people who apply during the regular decision period. The actual differences in percentage vary each year, but it is often significant. So, is there really an advantage to applying early? Well, the problem is that statistics can be misleading. If, for example, you are a recruited athlete being supported by a coaching staff, they’re going to try to get you to apply early. The odds of a recruited athlete being accepted are fairly high, so it probably doesn’t matter if you apply early decision or regular decision, but because the coach is showing faith in you, applying early is a way to show faith back, and most athletes do. This, in part, skews early decision numbers to make it look like it’s easier to get in early. Add to that the fact that, if you are applying in October or November, chances are you’re more prepared for college admissions than someone just starting to put things together over Christmas break. In other words, top students tend to be the type of students who apply early, so that it looks like students who apply early are more likely to get in, when in fact such students would probably get in regular decision anyway and are just skewing the numbers.

At the same time, if a school has ED, and you apply ED, they KNOW that they are your top choice. If you think back to my dating analogy, colleges don’t like getting rejected any more than you do. When you apply regular decision, you could be a player, so to speak, just trying to get as many acceptances as possible to as many schools as possible. However, if you apply ED they know that you’re focused on them, and only them. Sure, you might admit that some other cute college is a backup choice if they say no, but they know who you’d rather go to the prom with. Part of how colleges are ranked involves the percentage of accepted students who attend. The higher this number is, generally the higher the ranking. Since a school knows that you will attend if you get in ED, they have a reason to let as many qualified ED applicants in as possible, because it makes their overall percentage rise. Thus, there is at least some advantage to apply ED even if that advantage is slightly inflated by the other factors I mentioned.

So, which should you apply for?

If you’re considering applying ED, it depends on how committed you are to a school. My seven year old son decided, when he was two, that he wanted to go to Yale. Don’t ask - neither my wife nor I went there. Five years later, it is still his goal. I’d bet quite a bit of money that he applies ED in eleven years, because it takes a lot for a seven year old to be committed to the same thing he wanted at two, and if we drive through Boston he already makes rude noises out the window at Harvard students just in case. Most of my clients, however, are not nearly so sure about their futures. If you have a dream, go for it, but don’t ever commit yourself if you’re not positive.

Whether or not you should apply EA depends, I think, on two factors: whether your test scores and your grades are likely to improve between November and January. If they are, maybe wait to apply early, because you’ll actually be a stronger candidate for regular decision. But, if you think you’re going to hold steady, or even go down a bit, then apply now.

If you’re confused about this, I understand.

When it comes to making choices about where to apply and when, the different factors that I’ve discussed, plus your individual circumstances, muddy the waters. That’s one of the reasons I offer a free, half hour consultation, because even if you’re not sure you want to hire someone like me, at least I can answer some of the questions you might be facing.

Mr. K

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