Early Action vs. Early Decision: What's the difference and should you bother?

by Holly Lazzaro

Essays, recommendations, SATs, transcripts—getting all of these college application materials together by mid-December is no easy task. So why in the world would you want to aim for extra-early “early action” (EA) or “early decision” (ED) deadlines?

The short answer is that, for the right type of student, there are benefits to applying early. For one thing, you get your acceptance (or rejection) early! This means that you don’t have to spend months and months waiting for (and stressing over) letters of admission. You also may save time and money by submitting fewer applications; however, this only holds true if you are accepted (because otherwise, you’ll still need to send applications elsewhere). Finally, applying early could increase your chances of being accepted . . . but this is not a given...