<p>Can you really only apply to one school EA, or is that just what they say? I would rather do more that way, but don't want to jeopardize my chances of getting into any of the schools... thanks</p>
<p>Stanford and Yale have Single-Choice early action, which means you can only apply to 1 school early. All other early action schools such as Georgetown, MIT and Chicago allow you to apply to more than one.</p>
<p>oh ok that makes sense, but there must be other schools with the same policies as well. for example, i know on upenn's website it mentions that you "must enroll if accepted" and "Cannot aply to more than one EA" but i was just wondering if these were softer rules.. and if there are any consequences of applying to more than one EA even if they say not to</p>
<p>01jttma, Penn does not have EA ("Early Action"), which is non-binding. It has ED ("Early Decision"), which is binding. Please be very careful to distinguish between the two.</p>
<p>Other than the SCEA schools, you can apply to multiple schools EA because it's not binding. You can only apply to one ED school, because you make the commitment to go there if you get in. </p>
<p>Additionally, some EA schools, like Georgetown, do not allow you to apply there EA and somewhere else ED.</p>
<p>Carefully check the websites of the schools you want to apply to.</p>
<p>General EA:
At colleges like MIT, Chicago, Caltech, etc, you can apply early and hear back early without having to attend the institution. You can also apply ED to one school if you so choose</p>
<p>Restricted EA:
At schools like Georgetown and BC (?) you can apply EA there, EA anywhere else, but cannot apply ED anywhere</p>
<p>SCEA:
At Yale and Stanford, you apply EA to one school and one school only. No ED. No EA anywhere else</p>
<p>ED:
There are many schools who use ED. If you apply ED, you can only apply ED to one school and you have to go to that college upon acceptance. However, at many of these colleges, including Penn (or I broke the rules) you can apply EA at other colleges. Princeton used to have restrictive ED where you only apply ED there and EA nowhere else, but that doesn't apply to you anymore (but other schools may practice this)</p>
<p>Rolling:
Big 10 schools and other colleges have rolling admissions where the sooner you send in a completed application, the sooner they give you a decision. Rolling admissions schools do not break any EA or ED regulations set by any college because no college will penalize you for finishing applications early.</p>
<p>Note, try to get any rolling admissions colleges done first because they tell you sooner, and generally it is easier to get in if you apply early and harder if you apply later. I recommend a student have at least one rolling safety (regardless of whether they want to attend) because 1 acceptance early on feels good, and try to apply at least EA somewhere if any colleges on the list have EA. The only advantage of EA is that you hear back earlier. Do not apply ED unless you are 100% sure that you want to attend the college and that finances are in order. If you do not qualify for need based aid, talk to your parents to make sure that they are going to pay and work out a loan plan. If you qualify for need based aid, talk to the college's financial aid office and get an estimate before applying ED. ED does have some advantages because you are telling the college that they are your #1 and it can be a tip factor. Do not look at the average SATs of early admits because these statistics are skewed by developmental admits and athletes who may have slightly lower stats, but are going to get in no matter what. Also, early pools tend to be more self selected because ED pools have applicants who know 100% that they want to go, and EA pools tend to have very strong applicants who are very organized. Also, remember to read any early contracts and do not break any of the rules.</p>