What’s your plan for college? While for many students the school year has just begun, some seniors have already started looking at what their future holds. With the deadline for Early Action and Early Decision rapidly approaching, some may be wondering what those terms mean and how they could be beneficial to their collegiate future.
Early Decision is applying to a specific college or university by an early deadline and is a binding decision. If you get accepted into the college you applied to via Early Decision, you must attend.
“It shows advanced interest in certain schools, rather than applying to 20 schools,” Kathy Stallkamp, a counselor at the College and Career Center in the library, said.
Early Decision is only recommended for people who have one clear choice for college, and who have already toured their campus. Deadlines to apply vary, but typically applications are due between Nov. 1-15. Colleges release their results four to six weeks after the due date.
Early Action is applying to multiple schools early. What many don’t know is that you can apply Early Decision and Early Action at the same time. Once you’ve applied for Early Decision, you can start to apply to other schools. However, if you are accepted into your Early Decision school, you must decline all other offers and withdraw other applications in favor of your Early Decision school.
You may be asking, why should I do Early Decision or Early Action? Some colleges give those students priority in housing and choosing roommates. Some colleges also have a higher acceptance rate for students applying via Early Decision or Early Action, but others don’t.
“I will say there is supposed to be,an advantage to applying early, but I think the thing is the schools that students are applying to are really competitive schools, so maybe that student wouldn’t have gotten in anyway,” Stallkamp said
Another common question is, “How common is it for students to apply via Early Decision or Early Action?”
“None of the Oregon schools offer that, and many of our students go to Oregon schools, so they don’t have to worry about that,” Stallkamp said.
The most common school applied to for Early Decision is Stanford, she said, which is out of state.
Unfortunately, while applying via Early Decision or Early Action has its benefits, one of the major cons is financial aid. Students who need financial aid will likely have to commit to a school without knowing if they will get financial aid to pay for it.
So while we’re still at the beginning of a great school year, it may be time to consider your options for college. Whether you apply Early Decision, Early Action or in the regular application pool, we wish you the best of luck in your collegiate future.
