<p>The guidance dept at my son's school has informed the students and parents that applying early is very important for getting into the elite schools. They spoke about early action and early decision but did not give that much info as far as the advantages/disadvantages of one vs. the other. Can someone please enlighten me?</p>
<p>EA is not binding (ie if you get in you must attend), and unless it is single choice EA, you can apply to multiple schools EA. ED is binding, and while most ED schools allow you to apply to others EA, you can only apply to one school ED. At the very elite schools, applying early does not give you a huge advantage. At those a step down, it can give a very nice boost. It also makes second semester senior year much more relaxing.</p>
<p>I wish counselors would stop pushing early applications. Too many kids feel pressured to apply <em>somewhere</em> early, do a poor job of college selection, and end up having to transfer. Early decision is an advantage because colleges want to maintain a high yield, thus boosting them in the rankings. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, and Penn all fill about half (48%) of their entering class with early admits. Some schools, like Johns Hopkins, have an even larger percentage.</p>
<p>Applying early decision or SCEA is a benefit at ANY college, plain and simple. Harvard's SCEA admit rate was 20%. Its RD admit rate was 6%. </p>
<p>That said, it is an extremely bad idea to apply early decision merely to gain an advantage. If you need financial aid, it is very important to wait so you can compare financial aid offers. A few people know exactly what college they wish to attend, but not everyone is ready for ED. You shouldn't apply ED without visiting, preferably an overnight visit. </p>
<p>Applying EA, however, is a horse of a different color. It doesn't give you an advantage, but it does give you peace of mind if you're admitted- you can feel free to apply to more reaches RD. Similarly, schools that offer rolling admissions are a good idea. </p>
<p>ED schools: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/earlydec_brief.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/earlydec_brief.php</a>
EA schools: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/earlyact_brief.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/earlyact_brief.php</a></p>
<p>It makes me wince to see people posting about "Which one of these should I apply ED/EA to, for the best chances?" Over on the Stanford forum, there's someone posting about getting in ED to Rice. The student <em>really</em> wanted to go to Stanford, but didn't apply there for strategic reasons, and is now trying to figure out how to get out of going to Rice. </p>
<p>**<em>? It seems really simple to me. If you really really really love one school, and are sure that *that</em> school is the dreamy place you would prefer beyond all others, apply ED. If you don't have a clear favorite, just don't do it. And for goodness sake, don't apply ED to something that isn't your first choice. That's freaking insane.</p>
<p>I totally agree with warblersrule and trinsf.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input - so if I understand correctly, ED is ONLY for the one and only school the student really wants, but if he/she is not sure then EA is the way to go? ALSO, please clarify how SCEA works.</p>
<p>Early Action is great. An EA school will tell your child if they are admitted a full month before additional applications are due at most colleges. My S was admitted to one of his safety schools and one of his match schools under EA programs. Neither school expects to hear from him until May 1, 2006. </p>
<p>The Christmas break was fairly relaxed at our house. Those two admittances in hand meant that S did not submit applications and application supplements(and chase down rec letters) to several other safety schools and to one match school very similar to the match school that accepted him early. (In an interesting twist, the EA acceptances actually caused him to apply to a "super-reach" school to which he would not have applied had he not been accepted by, and treated well by, his EA match school.) For an applicant, I cannot imagine a downside to a thoughtful EA strategy. Your college counselors have probably seen this work with many kids.</p>
<p>ED is different. If your child really knows in the fall of their senior year of high school exactly where they want to go to college, ED is great. Statistically, if your child is otherwise a good match with the selected ED school, their chance of admission is greatly enhanced. And there is no denying that knowing early can make the second half of senior year more fun. However, there is no evidence that ED applications are a vehicle for getting unqualified kids into highly selective colleges. And, if you absolutely require significant financial aid, ED can put you and your child in a terrible box.</p>
<p>My S still has no "...first choice." However, he has acceptances from two good schools in hand while he waits to hear on the rest of his applications. To me, the EA approach has left him very relaxed this March.</p>
<p>As said, ED is binding, gives an advantage, and you can only apply to one college as ED. Whether an ED college will let you apply EA to other colleges depending on the college. The SAT scores of accepted applicants is lower for ED than RD, and some colleges fill up 50% of their freshman class with ED applicants. Of course, the applicant has less time to get higher SAT scores and better EC's if they are applying early. There are two rounds of ED at some colleges called ED I and ED II. These are the same as ED, but for different time frames. The main disadvantage of ED is that you give up your ability to compare finan aid packages and you may bind yourself to a very high payment. In particular, this adversely affects minorities. ED is in the colleges' favor because it helps them to control their yield. ED is particularly effective for legacies. High school seniors generally feel pressured to apply ED somewhere out of fear of not being accepted to a super elite college in any other way. This pressure forces many to make mistakes.</p>
<p>Because of the bad societal effects of ED; Yale, Stanford and Harvard converted from ED to SCEA (Single Choice Early Action). This is the same deal as ED but it is not binding.</p>
<p>There are other ways to apply early. EA (Early Action) is also similar to ED but it is not binding. EA doesn't seem to give an advantage in admissions. (It isn't totally clear about SCEA.) There is also Rolliing Admissions where the college will give you a decision a few weeks after you apply. There is no advantage to applying early except the slots may fill up if you apply too late. Also, some colleges, particularly public colleges, have Priority Deadlines where you may have a slight advantage to applying early.</p>
<p>The deadlines for RD (Regular Decision) are usually between the beginning of DEC and the middle of FEB. January 1st is a popular deadline for RD.</p>