Question on applying early but not ED

Parents Forum
1

<p>Is it possible to apply early someplace you are fairly interested but not choose an ED option, or do all applications that come in before a certain date become ED? I don't want my son to go the ED route but I wouldn't mind get some apps out of the way at the beginning of the school year if it wasn't too early. </p>

<p>I see some have rolling admissions so I assume it would be okay to do that at those places, but how long then do you have to decide if you are attending or not? I'm just so in the dark about how it all works (I'm thinking we'll apply to at least a few and see what happens). I just want to get the timing right, I guess.</p>

2

<p>In addition to Early Decision some schools have Early Action plans which don't oblige you to attend the college. Unless you check off an Early Decision or Early Action box your application will be considered a regular decision application. There is no good reason not to check off an Early Action box if you send off the application early enough. It is not binding and usually gives you a somewhat greater chance of being accepted. Rolling admissions is also not binding and another good way to hear early. Some schools have other early acceptance programs. RPI had something called a "Priority Application" which they sent out to select students. (Either because they had expressed an early interest or they looked like good prospects.) They let you know within 3 weeks of receiving first quarter grades. I have heard they are no longer doing it. Finally there are schools like Bard have programs where you attend a special seminar and they give you a decision the next day.</p>

3

<p>There are basically four-and-a-half different systems in place for early applications (with some differences in how each of them is applied):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Rolling admission. You apply, they consider, they may or may not act on it quickly -- anywhere from a couple of weeks to making you wait until April for a decision. This is mostly used in public universities and colleges. There are no "early" and "regular" applications; they are all regular, whenever filed. However it is commonly believed that standards are a little looser, and scholarships easier to obtain, the earlier one applies.</p></li>
<li><p>Early Action. Early Action colleges say that if you apply by X date (usually November 1) they will give you a yes-no-deferred until April answer by December 15. If you are accepted, you are not committed to enroll. Most Early Action colleges do not mind if you apply to a whole bunch of Early Action colleges early, or even if you apply Early Decision one place and Early Action others. (Georgetown is an exception to that, and there may be others. It does not want you to apply Early Decision somewhere and Early Action to Georgetown. There may be others, and see below. Early Action colleges include MIT, Georgetown, the University of Chicago, Cal Tech, Notre Dame.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>2.5 Single Choice Early Action. This is the deal at Stanford and Yale, and nowhere else. It's the same as Early Action -- apply by date X, hear by date Y (although one of the things you may here is that you are deferred into the "regular" round of decisions), and, most importantly, no commitment to attend if accepted. However, the SCEA colleges do not want you to have any Early Action or Early Decision application in at any other college besides the ONE SCEA college to which you apply. (But rolling admissions applications are treated as non-early applications, so they are OK.)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Early Decision. Apply by Date X, hear yes-no-deferral by Date Y, but with Early Decision if the college accepts a student by Date Y, the student has agreed in advance to enroll there come hell or high water (or disappointing financial aid package). Because Early Decision may keep a student for shopping for the best scholarship deal, or applying to a dream school, Early Decision colleges get relatively fewer early application, and they tend to accept a much higher percentage of the applications they receive. Almost every private college that doesn't have Early Action has Early Decision, and some state universities, too.</p></li>
<li><p>Nothing. No early application program. This is what Harvard and Princeton, and others, do.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Usually, a college that offers Early Decision does not also have an Early Action option (except I think Cal Tech may) or rolling admissions, and vice versa.</p>

4

<p>orangepop-mom ( haha--now that I know your gender ;) )</p>

<p>JHS has it all covered, but may I add that if you are seeking merit scholarships, etc. make sure you note the schools' app deadlines for consideration--some are much earlier than the RD app deadlines.</p>

<p>Invest in a big calendar or make a spreadsheet to keep track of all deadlines--whichever you and your S are more comfortable with. A lot of people create some sort of "command center" in order to stay on top of everything. Organization really helps in navigating the process.</p>

5

<p>The bottom line is that you can send your RD application in at any point, and it is not automatically switched to ED. You must specifically state that you want an application considered ED, and must "sign" (electronically or otherwise) that you agree to the restrictions of ED.</p>

<p>My d submitted all her applications before the ED deadline. None were considered ED.</p>

<p>And orangepop, if your son is accepted to a rolling admissions or EA school, he still has until May 1 to make his decision. The only option that is binding is ED.</p>

6

<p>And, orangepop, we found that the ability to use the early admission, priority admission and rolling admissions systems made the college search MUCH less stressful for both parent and child. There was a little hairpulling early on (September/Oct) in order get essays finalized, transcripts ordered, etc., but by Christmas my daughter had already submitted 4 (of her eventually 5) apps, and had been admitted to 2 of those 5 colleges (thereby obviating the need to apply to an additional school that was going to be her in-state safety). There was still suspense but nothing compared to the despair and handwringing we saw in some other households. Having an acceptance or two under the belt makes possible rejections a bit easier to handle, and I strongly recommend it. Good luck.</p>

7

<p>In addition to the alternatives listed by JHS, there is also a fifth:</p>

<h1>5. Instant decision, also known as "snap-apps." Bard College gets credit for originating the instant on-the-spot decision concept, which a number of other colleges have now adopted. The applicant submits an application and visits the school for a required interview, and gets a decision the same day.</h1>

<p>Here's an article on instant decisions:</p>

<p>The</a> Chronicle: 4/12/2002: On-Site Admissions Programs Let Applicants Know Immediately Whether They Have Been Accepted</p>

<p>They are sort of like an extreme form of rolling decision. Some colleges don't even require the applicant to visit the college for the interview--instead, the admissions officer interviews the student at his high school guidance office and gives an instant decision on the spot.</p>

8

<p>The above posters have really nicely summarized the variants available.</p>

<p>And I would second mimom's point about the stress reduction involved in selecting one or more Early Action and/or Rolling Admission schools and having early acceptances in hand.</p>

<p>I would also expand JHS' comment on the belief that early birds at Rolling Admission schools often have a better chance of getting the worm of better chances and better $$ if you go early: several of us believe that this applies to choosing Early Action at the schools which offer it. Even if there isn't an actual earlier deadline for merit $$ (which there often is), submitting earlier may give an advantage.</p>

9

<p>Some colleges start accepting rolling admission applications in June. Our daughter received an acceptance phone call mid July after junior year. The formal letter came a week later with a nice merit award. It really gave her more confidence and took some pressure off.</p>

10

<p>op, I'm sure you have your reasons for avoiding Early Decision. The ability to compare financial offers is a good one and I'm certainly not disputing that.</p>

<p>However. . . if finance is not an issue, early decision has a lot of positives. It worked for my son and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.</p>

<p>The obvious point that is often overlooked is that if your number one school is on an ED plan, then applying EA or rolling elsewhere doesn't really help you with your favorite.</p>

<p>Secondly, schools that believe in ED use the early round to fill a large percentage of their class, up to 40%. They consider it a win-win proposition -- they get dedicated applicants, the applicants get a boost. How much of a boost can be debated till the cows graduate, but in my opinion, it's a substantial boost for underhooked bright white kids. </p>

<p>So, I think you need to consider the risk of NOT applying ED. College acceptance is a zero sum game and every strategy comes with some degree of risk. The way I see it, the applicant should envision getting a rejection in March. Would s/he then say, I shoudda applied ED? </p>

<p>ED doesn't mean NO financial aid. You will still get need-based aid. It doesn't mean that you can't go to the college and appeal what they give you. It just means that you won't have a comparison to help with your argument. I would also accept the argument that merit aid is not going to be generous for an ED acceptance.</p>

11

<p>This has turned into a great thread and I've learned a lot. Thanks for the ideas, everybody.</p>