I was told that I was able to graduate early from high school and that I should apply to college for the spring 2015 semester rather than the fall 2015 semester. I’m taking it into consideration, but I would like to know whether or not getting into specific colleges is easier in the spring time (assuming less people apply). My whole decision is based on whether or not my chances are higher. Thank you!
This is not really a non-traditional students question. I’ll try to give you the start of an answer anyway.
It is, as you noted, entirely a matter of the “specific colleges” you are applying to. It is also almost impossible to predict.
Some schools may get a flood of applications for spring admissions while others get only a trickle. In general, most will size their fall class according to how many they expect to admit in the spring as well as how many transfer out to other institutions, drop out, or graduate in the fall. All of these variables are taken into account and most admissions offices do their best to predict these numbers in such a way that the admission rates for fall and spring are very similar.
Can you luck out by applying to a school that was expecting more spring apps than they received? Yes. Can you reliably predict which school that will be? No.
That being said, you have very little to lose by applying for spring admission to a school you are interested in. The one thing you often lose when actually <em>starting</em> your studies in spring is the full force of the traditional fall orientation blitz, and the camaraderie of beginning college with a large cohort of fellow students. In addition, you may have some schools on your list that do not admit students in the spring. And further, some schools may only teach part 2 of two-part course sequences in the spring, but those schools also tend to discourage or prohibit spring admissions.
You have one very big thing to gain by applying now, meanwhile: you are on a high school campus in the midst of a powerful network that will work hard to get you admitted. Take advantage of those teachers and guidance counselors while you can, as it becomes more difficult to get their time and attention when your status changes from current student to former student. In fact, stock up on sealed recommendation letters for any planned fall applications now, unless they are required to be mailed directly by the recommender.
For those reasons, my advice is:
- Apply now for any school that accepts spring applicants AND will allow you to defer your spring admission to the following fall. But don’t actually start in the spring.
- Make the most of your extra semester off. Travel, work, volunteer, all of the above.
- Apply in the fall for any remaining schools, hopefully with a couple of good acceptances under your belt to reduce the stress of your new applications. And with some new additions to your application from #2…
- Begin your studies in the fall semester, choosing the best school for you from both rounds of applications