BLOG: Early Application Deadlines Closing In for HS Seniors

Okay seniors, summer fun has come to an abrupt end and you are beginning one of the most critical and hopefully enjoyable academic years of your lives. As you begin to mentally adjust your focus back to class work and senior year activities, there are already deadlines in the form of early college admissions programs staring you in the face. Most “early” programs have a deadline between Nov. 1-15 with some “priority” deadlines around the same time or soon thereafter.

Why should you create stress for yourself and perhaps your parents before you need to by applying to colleges through these programs if schools offer them? The primary reason is that in some cases it can significantly improve your chances of being admitted, especially through “early decision”. Early Decision is the program where you agree in advance to attend a particular school if they should be so kind as to offer you admission. Once accepted, you must withdraw all applications to other schools. Applying through ED, which could provide you a significant  boost in getting into a school, does have its drawbacks especially in terms of potential financial aid offered by a school.

Another early program, “Early Action”, is where you apply by a certain date and receive a decision on your admittance before  “regular” admission applicants.  In my view, applying in this manner can be nothing but a plus. In most cases, you will know by Dec. 31 if the school is offering admittance without any binding obligation on your part. You can also compare financial aid offers from all schools where you’ve been accepted before deciding where to attend. When considering applying through the EA option, compare the college’s acceptance rate through early action and regular admission. If you can not find it published, ask them. In some cases, the percentage is almost identical so there’s no real advantage to you applying early other than receiving the college’s decision sooner and if affirmative, perhaps your financial aid package as well. Some schools are said to offer more aid to EA applicants and although I have not seen statistical data to support this, why not apply early just in case?  For various reasons, at certain schools, there is clearly a higher percentage of applicants accepted through early action than through regular admission. With these, it makes perfect sense to put some extra effort into meeting the early action deadline.

Seniors, although you may still be a little foggy coming out of your summer activities, there is much to be done in the college process. It is time to finalize your college list, develop your application/financial aid strategy and consider whether it’s beneficial to apply through these early admission programs if the schools on your list offer them. If you decide you are going to apply through any early programs, start right now towards accomplishing the following tasks:
1) Understand the requirements and ramifications of any early programs offered and document the deadlines for each school on your list
2) Research the application/essay requirements and establish specific time frames to finalize them
3) Register to take the next SAT or ACT exam one last time
4) Ensure your letters of recommendation are requested, completed and submitted in time to meet all deadlines
5) Work hard to earn great first term grades

Good Luck!!