<p>Do you recommend applying early action to your top school(s)? If your application gets waitlisted to be looked at again for regular decision, will that hurt your chances of getting in knowing the committee has already looked at it?</p>
<p>I don’t think early action is harmful. It’s non-binding, and the school will know that you’re committed. You can only apply with early action to one school, though.</p>
<p>From Petersons:</p>
<p>Early Action is non-binding, meaning that you can apply to other colleges even if you admitted EA. You can in most cases also apply to more than one EA college simultaneously. This is not true with “single-choice” or “restrictive” EA programs (see Harvard, Stanford, Yale) that prohibit you from applying to any EA or ED college if you apply EA to them.</p>
<p>It shows a great interest in that university. Just make sure you are ready, do not just apply because you want a greater chance of acceptance. Make sure your app is something you would want to put forward early.</p>
<p>College admissions officers often factor level of interest. Since colleges like to keep their yield rates high, accepting early action applicants gives them greater chances of offering admission to kids who will actually attend their school. If you really want to go to a certain school that offers early action, and you do not want to be bound to ED, I’d go for it.</p>
<p>EA’s effectiveness can vary. At places like MIT, where it is non-binding, the acceptance rate is not that different, though your application will get a second look. At Harvard, it can multiply the overall chances by many times (though many EA admits are athletes, children of super-legacies, etc.). </p>
<p>I’m trying to decide between 1 SCEA school and three schools EA, but in any case there is nothing wrong with applying early (non-binding) anywhere. It certainly doesn’t hurt your chances, as you seem to suggest.</p>
<p>If you apply to EA, do you have to make a decision early? That is, if you are accepted, can you wait until you hear from other colleges in March?</p>
<p>Applying EA to every school that offers EA will only give you advantage. There are no disadvantages.</p>
<p>Read my post #3 again. It depends on what school you apply to.</p>
<p>Early Decision is just that, and early decision which is binding. If you are accepted, you have already accepted as part of the application, unless they cannot provide adequate financial aid. The kicker is that you don’t get to compare that aid package with others, because you won’t have them in time.</p>
<p>Early Action means the school is taking early action and giving you THEIR decision early. You usually have the same deadline to decide as for regular decision. Some EA schools will give you a financial aid estimate with your decisions, other will not. The real advantage to EA is knowing in December, and not having to complete other applications if it’s your first choice. </p>
<p>You can be accepted, deferred, or rejected with an EA application. If you’re rejected, you most likely would have been rejected during the regular decision process. If you’re deferred, you may have to opportunity to fine tune your application, particularly if you have a newer, higher set of scores, or improved grades from the first marking period, which can be added to your file before it is reviewed again.</p>
<p>You don’t get waitlisted - that happens during regular decision, and means enough accepted students need to turn down their acceptance to make room for you. Deferral during EA means they are intrigued, but are not ready to make an offer yet. They want to see who else is interested.</p>
<p>You can apply to as many schools EA as you want. There is no disadvantage other that you have to finish it quicker, and that a few schools (only Stanford, MIT, Yale, and UNC as far as I know) will not let you apply to other schools EA. This shouldn’t be a problem if you start working on apps now.</p>
<p>Thanks, all, for your helpful responses!</p>
<p>Can I apply ED to one school and EA to others, and then withdraw my application rom my EA school if i get accepted with ED?</p>
<p>@Brouhahah Yes you can. However, most of the EA and ED responses will be released on similar dates (around Dec 15), so you might not be able to withdraw from those schools. As long as you just respond no to those school and withdraw from others when you can, you will be fine.</p>
<p>A correction to httr21’s post: MIT practices non-restrictive early action. If you apply to MIT through EA, you can apply to other schools EA granted that they aren’t restrictive.</p>
<p>If you are having a terrific senior year, you may want to consider that Early Action schools won’t be able to see that.</p>
<p>You should check each school for their ED/EA restrictions. Some ED would prohibit you from applying other EA too.</p>
<p>thank youu</p>
<p>Do some schools defer early action?</p>
<p>Yes, many schools accept EA applications, reject them, or move them to the regular-decision pile.</p>