Early action, early decision, regular decision - benefits and drawbacks

In this blog I will be breaking down what the college application terms of Early Action, Early Decision, and Regular Decision mean as well as discussing the benefits and drawbacks of applying during each of these cycles. For me as the eldest sibling, I had no idea what these terms meant and neither did my parents. Hopefully this blog can give you some insights on whether you should apply earlier or later.

About 450 colleges have early decision or early action opportunities. However, other schools, like the University of California Public School system, only offer regular decision.

What is Early Decision (ED)?

• Type of early admission.
• Early decision is binding, meaning if you are accepted, you must attend this school and withdraw all of your other college applications.
• You can only apply early decision to one school. You would apply to other schools during regular decision.
  
  

What is Early Action (EA)?

• Type of early admission.
• Early action is not binding, so you do not have to commit to this school once you hear the admissions decision.
• Apply to other schools during early action or regular decision.
  
  

What is Single Choice Early Action (also known as Restrictive Early Action)?

• Schools like Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton use Restrictive Early Action.
• You can only apply to this one school during early action.
• Apply to other schools during regular decision. Typically you can not apply early decision to another school if you applied to a school under restrictive early action.
• Restrictive Early Action is not binding, so you do not have to commit to this school once you hear the admissions decision.
  
  

You should apply early if:

• You know 100% that you love a school and want to attend. You can apply early to show the school that this is your top choice - you have done your research!
• You meet or exceed the undergraduate admissions profile for standardized test scores, GPA, and class rank.
• Have solid grades throughout your high school academic career.
• Have enough time to write your essays and be proud of them.
  
  

You should not apply early if:

• Are not sure of what schools you want to attend and are not fully prepared to commit to a college - take time to do your research!
• ​Your application would be stronger if you waited for regular decision, for example:
  • You need senior year fall semester to help bring your grades up and raise your GPA.
  • You are retaking a standardized test and could potentially get a higher score.

Benefits of Applying Early:

• If you are accepted early, you can save time and money from having to apply to other schools.
• Higher Acceptance Rates - however, higher admission rates during this period may be due to the application pool being stronger.
• You show that you are very interested in the university.
• Your admission result could be: acceptance, rejected, or your application will be deferred to regular decision and reviewed again.

Drawbacks of Applying Early:

• It may be stressful for students to try to complete applications by November.
• You can not compare financial aid packages from different schools.
• Early decision is binding, so if you fall in love with a different school later, you can not apply or attend.
• It may be more difficult to be accepted when applying early if your scores, GPA, grades, essays are not as good as others who are applying.

In the end, choosing whether to apply early or during regular decision for a school is something that you need to think about and discuss with your family. It may be the right choice for some, but not the right choice for others. You should do your research on the early action and early decision requirements from the schools that you are potentially interested in, so that you can make the best decision for yourself.

RACHEL

Rachel is the founder of Study Hall College Consulting. Rachel graduated from UC Berkeley in the Class of 2020 where she double majored in Cognitive Science and Legal Studies. For more college application and essay tips, check out our Study Hall College Consulting website at: shcollegeconsulting.com.

I used these websites to gather this information:

• professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/early
  
• www.petersons.com/blog/early-action-vs-regular-decision-myths/
  
• www.cappex.com/articles/applications/understanding-early-decision-and-early-action-applications#:~:text=EA%20can%20come%20in%20different,attend%20if%20you're%20accepted
  
• blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/early-action-vs-early-decision-vs-regular-decision/#:~:text=About%20a%20quarter%20of%20colleges,agreed%20to%20enroll%20if%20admitted.&text=You%20can%20apply%20early%20decision%20to%20only%20one%20college