What’s the difference between early decision and early action?
If you and your child think the early decision process is too limiting, one alternative might be for your child to apply to college under an early action plan.
Early action plans are similar to early decision plans, but are less restrictive. First, a student can apply to more than one college early action. Second, if a student is accepted under an early action application, he or she can either commit to the college immediately or wait until the spring to do so.
Early action thus offers a huge advantage over early decision–your child gains the peace of mind that comes with early acceptance (and may even have several early acceptances by December or January), but can take a wait-and-see approach to making a commitment to any one school. This gives you and your child the opportunity to review the financial aid packages that come in from all the colleges your child has been accepted at, both under the early action process and the regular admissions process.
Not all colleges offer early action (or early decision) applications, however. In fact, in recent years, a handful of highly selective colleges have dropped their early action and/or early decision programs, believing that the process favors affluent students who are less likely to rely on financial aid. For a list of colleges that offer early action or early decision programs, visit www.collegeboard.com.
Considering the flexibility of early action plans, why would a student apply early decision? The answer is commitment–colleges likely consider the early decision applicant more committed, since he or she is bound to attend if accepted.
Students who apply either early action or early decision will need to have all applications and teacher recommendations completed by October or November of senior year.
Should my child apply to college early decision?
In the college early decision process, your child applies early to a particular college (typically in November of senior year), and hears back early (usually by December or January) as to whether he or she has been accepted.
For the student who has his or her heart set on a particular college that’s also a good fit, applying for admission early decision can be a favorable way to get a leg up on the competition. It’s also a good way to try to avoid the anxiety that typically comes with having to wait until spring for an acceptance letter. A student who gets accepted early may better enjoy his or her senior year, since there’ll be more time for hobbies, courses, work, or activities that he or she might not otherwise have the time or inclination to pursue.
However, there’s a catch: an early decision application is a binding contract. If the college accepts your child (and offers an adequate financial aid package), your child must agree to attend that college. Consequently, a student can apply to only one college early decision.
There are two situations where applying early decision may not work in a student’s favor. First, if a student needs senior year grades or extracurricular activities to boost his or her chances of admission, early decision will preclude consideration of these items. Second, if a student wants or needs to compare financial aid packages from several schools, early decision is not the route to go. Not only will the student have just one financial aid package to review, but the package may not be as generous as it would be for a traditional applicant. Why? Because the college knows that it’s the student’s first choice–in effect, the student has shown his or her cards.
Keep in mind that if your child does apply to one college early decision, he or she can still apply to other colleges through the regular admissions process as a backup–those applications are typically due by December or January.
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