October is the beginning of the early decision period for many schools. While the option to apply for early decision may seem attractive, there are many things to consider before taking this route in the college admission process.

Are you 100% confident the school you are applying to is your best fit?

Remember, you can only apply to one college for early decision, and if you are accepted, you are contractually bound to attend that school next fall.  You’ll be required to withdraw any outstanding admission applications from other institutions and may need to put down a substantial deposit, as well. Once you are accepted, that’s it. Read the rest of this entry »

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So you want to apply early to college? That’s fantastic. I did. It was a good time. While many of my friends spent the winter gnawing on their cuticles waiting for their Dream School to accept them, I spent the winter being lackadaisical about pretty much everything. It was lovely and my only worry was my AP test(s) at the end of the year. I’m sounding like some sort Class A overachiever, and believe me I was not, but I knew in my heart of hearts that American University was the school that I wanted to attend. Applying early decision just meant knowing earlier rather than perpetuating a cycle of anxiety.

I was the type of person for whom the Early Decision option was made for. I had spent years thinking about college; specifically how far I could get away from Upstate NY without ending up at the University of Fiji. There were spreadsheets made with pros vs. cons. I am freely admitting to the world that I would spend night after night researching my top choices and practicing essays, and wondering if I could grow to love Ithaca (I applied to Cornell) even in February. The answer was a resounding no, I could not. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: applying early, college admission, early decision
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