It's never too early...or is it?

I have always considered August 1st to be the opening day of the college admissions season and with that date comes the all important questions: to go early or not? Before tackling that question, let's review what exactly "early" means. There are two early decision paths, Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). Some schools may have multiple ED and EA rounds (ED 1and 2 and/or EA 1 and 2).

Early Decision is a binding agreement. If a student goes Early Decision to a school, he or she cannot apply Early Decision to any other school. Students can apply Early Action in addition to the one Early Decision school but if accepted under ED must then withdraw all other applications. If your child wants to go Early Decision, it is important to note that ED requires signing a binding agreement (parents, student, and guidance counselor) that states if accepted the student will attend. One catch, there is no guarantee of merit or need based money and you basically remove the ability to compare aid packages from multiple schools. You must go into Early Decision knowing you will be able to pay the bill. Early Decision is a good choice for students who have a dream school, who know they will attend if accepted, and who understand the financial implications of the process.

Early Action is non-binding. Students can apply to numerous schools under Early Action and the main benefit is having a decision sooner than later with the ability to weigh all the financial aid packages, and scholarships if applicable before making a decision. The drawback to Early Action is that colleges will not have a chance to see first quarter or first semester senior year grades. If a student is taking a challenging curriculum and feels that the coursework will highlight skill sets and proficiency, he or she might be better off going Regular Decision, allowing for the time to boost their transcript. At the end of the day, grades matter greatly in the college's decision making process and students should want to show schools the results of their hard work.

There are pros and cons to the Early Decision/Early Action paths. Each family has to decide what works best for them. While both early routes show a school that a student has a high level of interest, it is important to make sure applications are done with great attention to detail and that the application package highlights the student in the best light. If more time is needed for that early in senior year or a student is not certain that the early paths are the right choice, then the Regular Decision path should be chosen. One last piece of advice, don't fall into the trap of "everyone is going early". This is not true. Students need to be sure they are doing what is right for them, and that advice goes for every step of the admissions process, not just the application paths. #doyourhomework #earlydecision #earlyaction #regulardecision #admissionsseason #earlyornot #commonapp #coalitionapp #haveaplan #organization #planning #collegeconsulting #collegeadvising