Early Deadlines Looming

One of the many decisions families must make during the college application process is whether or not to apply Early Decision (ED), Early Action (EA), or Regular Decision (RD). Early Decision is binding, so you should be 100% sure that a college is your top choice and that you can afford the cost of attendance if you are admitted. While Early Decision can definitely improve your chances of admission at many colleges, you won’t be able to compare financial aid offers from multiple schools, so you should make this decision carefully. Early Action is a popular choice because it allows a student the opportunity to receive a decision earlier, but it’s not a binding decision. If a student receives one or more early acceptances, stress is often reduced, but students should also be aware that they may still be deferred to the Regular Decision applicant pool, especially if applying to the most competitive schools. Another note of caution—EA/ED deadlines can sneak up on students during their busy senior year. If a student is rushing the application and/or essays in order to meet the early deadlines, it would be advisable to consider taking more time and applying RD in order to present the best possible application.