<p>Hello, everyone. I'm sorry if this was discussed elsewhere on these boards; I'm sure it's a fairly common question, but I wasn't able to find a definitive answer. I feel kind of silly after all of the info sessions I've attended and books I've read, but I still don't quite understand the risks of early action. Not decision, action. For example, could I theoretically apply early action to every college on my list that offers it? If I just want to get my applications DONE and not worry about them my entire senior year, are there downsides to this plan -- will I face harsher selectivity? Thanks.</p>
<p>There are no risks of early action, except in the case of single-choice early action (only because you can’t apply anywhere else early). Actually, most early action pools have lower selectivity than the regular decision pools. Another thing to think about is that your first semester senior grades won’t be considered, and you’ll be rushed to finish your applications by November 1st or whatever - these are personal things to think about. However, if every school you have offers EA (and not single-choice), and you are able to present a great application by the deadline, then go ahead and finish them all off! Good luck!</p>
<p>5 schools on my list offer nonrestrictive EA - I will be applying EA to every one of them.</p>
<p>I don’t see why you wouldn’t. Frequently, it’s slightly easier to get in EA, you have more opportunities for merit aid, and you don’t have to worry about college apps for quite as long.</p>
<p>The only risk is that of having a rushed application. The rewards are so much greater. </p>
<p>My son applied to three nonrestrictive EA schools and was accepted to all. It made the long long wait until he heard about his first-choice school much more bearable, because he had good second choices in the bag. It also saved us the money of application fees and him the hassle of additional applications in December.</p>
<p>OTOH, if you do early action and DON’T do well, you have a few extra weeks to get yourself in gear and fix up your essays or re-evaluate your school choices so you’ll do better in RD. If you do badly in RD, you can’t fix it.</p>