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 »

Tags: applying early, early decision
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I should probably add that I wasn’t all that traumatized by applying Early Decision. Once it was over and done with, and I was safely at school and settled in, things were fine. The point is that this decision of where to go and how to apply is a big one, and I want you to feel that you are able to make the best decision for you. There’s a lot of responsibility wrapped up in that last sentence but if you are reading this, you are probably more than aware of how this decision will impact your life. Good on you.

Now let’s say that you aren’t like me. You have some idea of schools that you feel are your best fit, but there isn’t one that really stands out from the rest. That is fine as well. Not everyone will follow the same path to college. But if you are in that position, there are other ways to apply so that it doesn’t feel like you have to make The Decision right then and there. You can pick a different early application/acceptance program so that you can spend the rest of high school making detailed charts and graphs and packing lists.

There are four early notification programs: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: early action, early decision, rolling admission, single choice-early action
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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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