<p>I will be a senior this year and I was wondering which colleges I should apply to as early action. Should I apply to my reaches, my safeties, my matches?</p>
<p>I’ve never heard these options considered in this way. I’m not sure I understand why you’re asking this question. Take a look at the CollegeBoard’s description of ED and EA and why one would apply using EA or ED and why one shouldn’t.</p>
<p><a href=“Early Decision and Early Action – Counselors | College Board”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/early</a></p>
<p>Any early admission to an affordable school makes that school a safety, which can allow you to drop applications to other schools that you would not choose over the early admission school. However, if you need financial aid or scholarships, an early admission does not turn the school into a safety unless and until a sufficient financial aid or scholarship offer comes from that school.</p>
<p>For early action (not early decision or restricted / single-choice early action) or applying early to a rolling admission school, there is generally no disadvantage to applying early, unless you believe that your early senior year academic (and extracurricular if applicable to the school) performance will be a significant upgrade over what you can show by the early deadline.</p>
<p>Obviously, early decision should only be used for your clear first choice where you do not need to compare financial aid with that of other schools. Restricted / single-choice early action requires you to make a choice between applying to that school versus applying to one or more other early action schools that you would agree not to apply to if you applied to the restricted / single-choice early action school early.</p>