Should I apply early action or regular decision?

<p>To keep this short and simple, I've managed to maintain between a 3.8-3.7 GPA until Junior year, my GPA slipped to 3.58.. i know, horrible. The decrease in GPA was due to an inhumane amount of stress that was placed upon me junior year, and therefore, I became really disengaged with school and sort of just really depressed. WHAT A COINCIDENCE -_- cause you know, junior is probably the most important year in your high school career.</p>

<p>I really want to apply EA to a few of the schools on my college list to show that I'm dedicated and really love the school, but another side of me is telling me to apply regular decision or before the priority deadline for scholarships which is between EA deadline and RD deadline. I say this because if I manage to get stellar grades in my first semester of senior year, I believe that it'll show the admissions council that I'm a pretty good, and determined student.</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

<p>Also, i'm thinking of majoring in engineering</p>

<p>You’ve given us nothing in terms of vital info other than your GPA. What classes did you have each year, what grades did you get, and do you have any test scores. Plus, which schools are you considering? Without that info, any answers you get are going to be meaningless.</p>

<p>College recruiters who spoke at an event I attended addressed this question and all firmly stated that you should ONLY apply during the early application round if you’re able to present the absolute depiction of yourself then. It’s for the kids who are confident about their transcript and don’t feel like the grades from their first semester of senior year are needed to demonstrate their abilities and work ethic; are confident with their test scores and don’t need or want to retake them; and are confident about their accomplishments and don’t need to wait for more feathers to be added to their cap. You’re not confident, so I don’t think you should apply early. You have to remember that most decisions about whether to admit you will be based on facts about your performance in your high school career and how well you present yourself in your essays / responses rather than on emotions such as you demonstrating enthusiasm by applying early. </p>

<p>Use the first semester of your senior year to redeem yourself. You’re not the only junior who got overwhelmed from the pressure and downshifted gears to coast on. Spend some time this summer preparing for the classes you’ll take in the fall, like by getting a head start on reading so you won’t feel as stressed out by all the work you have when the classes are in session. Do some work on your application essays. Give the fall semester your best shot and then apply to colleges Regular Decision. </p>