Surprisingly, many colleges reported record numbers of early applications this year. Why is this a surprise? Because of the economy. In 2006 Harvard and Princeton joined UNC and U of Delaware in doing away with early admissions. Early Decision seemed to put so much pressure on students that schools were backing off of the practice. So why is it that this year, more students have applied Early Decision than ever before?
I had two students this year who applied ED to schools that are a bit of a reach for them. Just a bit. But most of my students did turn in Early Action applications as well. Students who are worried about finances do not usually apply Early Decision because the admission decision is binding, and students and families need to compare financial aid packages. BUT, students who are not concerned about the financial aid package do have slightly better odds applying Early Decision. Several schools, one example is Duke University, admit a significant proportion of their freshmen class from the ED pool. INSIDE HIGHER ED reports, “The advantage of early admissions for the applicant is a senior year without as much stress, and many counselors applaud the option for those high schoolers who have a clear sense of direction and who have had time to investigate options. Colleges benefit from binding early admissions programs because they can fill a portion of their classes without worrying about whether admitted applicants will accept the offers. A survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 30.8 percent of private colleges either admitted more students through early admissions this year or plan to do so next year.” I stress the words in bold: clear sense of direction and time to investigate the options. Students should ONLY apply Early Decision if they are 100% sure of where they want to go for college and they have investigated other options.
Well, the experts last year assumed that the economy would hold down the number of early applications and early decision apps this year, but they were wrong, at least at the most competitive schools. Students want to better their odds for acceptance, and many believe ED will help. It may, but with more and more students applying early, it may not. We will watch with interest!
