<p>Hi all! So I'm currently a high school junior, but I'm very interested in college and applying. I'm a little confused on how the early applications work. How many schools can you apply to? Why is it better to do it that way? Is it true that if you apply early, you chances of getting admitted are higher?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Congrats on starting on college early! Hope I answer your questions well.</p>
<p>How many schools can you apply to?</p>
<p>When you apply ED to a school, you can send in as many Early Action applications as you want. If you get into the ED school, though, you have to withdraw all of your other applications. Applying ED means that you have to go to that school if it accepts you (unless you cannot afford it; then the school cannot legally force you to go there). Applying Early Action means that you send your application in (usually by November) and will receive decisions from those schools in December, but you have until May 1 to decide whether you want to go there or somewhere else. In other words, schools you apply Early Action to are non-binding, meaning you are not required to go there if you get in.</p>
<p>***The only time there is a restriction on how many schools you apply to is if you apply somewhere Single Choice Early Action (SCEA). SCEA says you can apply Early Action (which is non-binding) to a school, but you cannot apply anywhere else ED and cannot apply anywhere else Early Action; you can only apply to rolling admissions schools with SCEA.</p>
<p>Why is it better to do it that way?</p>
<p>If you get into your ED school in December, you are done with the college application/decision process early! And you do not have to worry about choosing among different schools. If you don’t get in, though, it does not really hurt you that much. The only thing you really lose is the time you spent filling out the application. But make sure that the school you apply ED to is your dream school because if you get in you have to go (unless you can’t afford it, like I said before).</p>
<p>Is it true that if you apply early, you chances of getting admitted are higher?</p>
<p>To a certain degree, yes. The school knows that you have to go there if it accepts you, and it wants your money, so it helps that school knows you have your heart set on it. That does not mean you will definitely get in, though; you still have to be a good candidate for the school. However, a lot of ED acceptances are for recruited athletes and the like, so the stats for the ED acceptance rate may be a bit skewed (depending on the school, of course).</p>
<p>Most schools restrict you from applying for more than one ED and some even may block you from applying EA of other private schools (sometimes even public schools). The same for SCEA/REA. For example, Stanford block you from applying other private schools EA but you may apply EA for public schools or if that is required for financial aid.
ED usually has a higher acceptance rate and may be less competitive. EA may have little advantage over RD for candidates with the same credential. SCEA/REA would be somewhere in between.
Since ED is binding and would guarantee near 100% yield, schools like to accept a larger pool from ED even students with slightly below average credentials. EA is non-binding, but usually students applying to EA are more determine to apply to that school and they may slighly favor that.
There are plenty of websites and books about college admission explaining this in more details (e.g.[Early</a> Decision & Early Action](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/early]Early”>Early Decision and Early Action – Counselors | College Board)).
Most important, you need to check out the ED/EA policy of each school as they are not universal.</p>
<p>thank you both so much! that really helped!</p>