Should your child apply Early Decision?

This time of year we get a lot of questions from high school seniors and parents about Early Decision. Applying ED has become the norm, particularly when applying to top-30 uber-competitive universities.

The crazy thing is, ED hasn't even been around forever. Once upon a time, there was only one application pool: Regular Decision. In fact, it wasn't even really referred to as 'regular decision', since it was quite literally, the "only decision" pool.

Then in the late 1950's, a bunch of small New England colleges (Amherst, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Wesleyan, and Williams) decided to band together under an overly-elite sounding name ("the Pentagonals") as the first five colleges in the country to offer this thing called "Early Decision."

If you are reading this, you likely have an idea what this is by now: in essence, these five schools provided slightly easier admissions odds in exchange for a binding admission commitment. It allowed admissions reps to have a guaranteed student-body before the regular round of applications and, on the applicants side, if they truly had a #1 choice, it gave them slightly better odds of admission.

How this affects you:

If you have a high school senior, this really affects you. Most ED due dates are either 11/1 or 11/15, which means it's right around the corner. If you have a high school junior, this also really affects you. As you work through the complicated college admissions landscape (only made more complicated with a global pandemic), you should keep in mind that, these days, there are multiple admissions rounds.

A rule to follow when deciding to ED or not to ED (assuming, for these purposes, financial aid is not a driving factor):

*If your child has a clear #1 choice and that school offers ED, your child should absolutely apply in the Early Decision pool--There is no excuse here. ED offers your child a greater chance of acceptance. Your child has a #1 choice school and, if she wants the best chance of going to that #1 school, she should apply ED where she will have a lower admissions bar.

*If your child does not have a clear #1, your child should absolutely not apply in the Early Decision pool--This rule may be even more important. Every year I have those over-achieving students that know ED provides a better chance of admission so they don't want to leave their one ED chance on the table. However, if you do not have a clear #1 school, do not send a binding admissions agreement out into the world. It's not worth it. You don't have a #1 and that's ok. Keep your options open. Apply EA (non-binding) and RD. Yes, your chances will be slightly lower, but you'll thank yourself when, in early April, you have several schools to choose from and get to take your pick.

If you have a high school junior and haven't started the college search process, we recommend you start now. Particularly this year, starting the college search process in the fall of junior year is paramount to give proper time to explore schools, come up with an appropriately-balanced list, and eventually apply (perhaps one application in the ED pool).

Do you need help navigating the college search process (or know someone who does)? Click here to see if and how we can help (or pass the link along to your fellow parent that might be able to use it)!

To your college planning success,
Jack Delehey
Founder, CollegeConsulting.us

P.S. - Have a high-performing high schooler w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny.  Seriously.  College admissions isn't rocket science...but it is a science.  And we've cracked the code...year, after year, after year.  You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.

P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!"  The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).