<p>Early decision applications are up this year all around the country. </p>
<p>What a one-sided article.</p>
<p>Why don't some of these authors bother to talk to kids who have done their homework, carefully researched their favorite school, taken advantage of overnight visits, and gotten themselves accepted to their early decision school?</p>
<p>These articles always take the tone that these poor kids are being led to slaughter by early decision. In reality, they may well be the kids who have done the best job of identifying a real fit with a school and have extremely positive attitudes about their upcoming college experiences.</p>
<p>23 College Confidential members applied ED to Swarthmore this year. As of yesterday, 18 were accepted, three deferred, one rejected, and one still waiting in a year when EDI applications were up 44%. These were clearly very well-targeted ED applications -- win/win for the students and the college.</p>
<p>I agree, with i-dad. We are still waiting to hear on my D's ED (overseas) but which ever way it goes, it was the right choice. If she's in, then she gets her first choice school ( probably thanks to better odds than RD, my guess is it's a reach/match , not a super reach) , if not, then she's no worse off--she has some very attractive next-best choices for the RD round. CC helped us to select colleges and application types that best suit her situation and needs and we are fortunate enough to have some flexibility on the financial side. First choice is not D's "dream school" --she never found one, but it is the school that maximizes the criteria that were important to her.</p>
<p>We're another ED success story. I accept that ED is not appropriate for those who feel that they need to compare financial aid offers. This is a valid consideration that affects many families.</p>
<p>I really don't buy, however, the complaint that ED pressures kids to make decisions before they're ready to do so. Being prepared to make a decision depends on when the student starts his/her research. If s/he just starts thinking about college at the start of senior year then no, s/he may not be able to make an intelligent choice by November 15. But if s/he takes reasonable care to start the narrowing in process about mid-way through junior year, s/he should be in good shape to choose a top school a year later. </p>
<p>To me ED is a win-win proposition for schools and for students. Schools get committed students and the foundation of a well rounded class. They can lock in most needed profiles -- whether they are athletic or arts or diversity slots. </p>
<p>Kids get a leg up on their first choice. Families have a lot less stress and aggravation.</p>
<p>Although EA allows kids to hedge their bets, it isn't as beneficial for the colleges (except for those with extraordinarily high yields) so I don't see EA becoming universally adopted.</p>
<p>I also think that an early deferral or rejection can help kids and families become more realistic in their RD round. Sometimes it's just the wakeup call that forces kids to add a few more matches and safeties so that everyone sleeps better in the next four months.</p>
<p>I also agree. My daughter worked very hard to look at schools and programs. And we spent significant $$$ traveling and visiting colleges. When she decided to apply ED it was only because her choice was SO CLEARLY above the other schools she targeted. And, fortunately it worked out for her.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with the statement that "early" rounds are not too early for many students who have been thinking about college for a while. After all, early round deadlines are after the start of a student's senior year in high school, only months before the regular round deadlines. The one counselor quoted in the news article who spoke about how much a high school student can change in months is mostly describing the kind of high school student who didn't start thinking about college applications until the beginning of senior year.</p>
<p>The article spends a lot of time talking about the South. ED is just beginning to catch on in the South, so those changes it describes are real. Vandy in particular is becoming much more competitive for Southerners, and the response is ED - both for the gamesmanship, and because there are a lot of legacies and kids who just have always wanted to go to Vanderbilt. Savvy parents are beginning to realize that the kid from Atlanta or Birmingham who has always assumed that he would go to Vandy, might be well advised to apply early.
DD's school is very similar to that of one girl interviewed for the article - fewer than 10 of 140 seniors applied ED last year - I personally know of only 4 binding ED, but I think there were a few more. Lots of rolling admission apps.</p>