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NON-Restrictive Application Plans
NON-Restrictive Application Plans
Early Action/Priority: Apply early and receive a decision in advance of the institution’s regular response date.
Restrictive Early Action: Students apply to an institution of preference and receive a decision early. They may not apply ED to other institutions. If accepted, they have until May to confirm. Students still apply Early Action to other colleges.
Regular Decision: Students submit an application by a specified date and receive a decision in a clearly stated period of time.
Rolling Admission: Institutions review applications as they are submitted and render admission decisions throughout the admissions cycle.
Restrictive Application Plans
Restrictive Application Plans
Early Decision BINDING: Students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they must enroll. The application deadline and decision deadline occur early. Your parents AND counselor will need to sign the Early Decision agreement.
Early Decision vs. Early Action Responses: If you have been accepted Early Decision, you need to withdraw your applications from all other schools. If you have been accepted Early Action, you have until May 1 to commit to an institution.
HOW DO I BEGIN MY SEARCH? College Research Sites
Niche - This site gives you access to tons of statistics as well as student reviews and letter grades for different aspects of student life. You’ll also see lists of the best schools in different categories based on reviews. If you’re looking for a comprehensive overview of what’s offered by colleges, this is a great resource.
My Future - You know you want to go to college; now you have to pick one. Considering the thousands of schools out there, this can be a daunting task. Make it easier to find the right college by researching your options and knowing what to look for.
College Confidential - You can fill out your preferences in over 20 different categories, including location, majors, Greek life, party scene, and special services. Based on your answers and how important these factors are to you; you’ll get matched with schools that fit you best.
Coalition for College - An alternate to the Common Application for applying to college.
Big Future - A good place to find out about colleges if you’re starting out in your search. It caters to students who might not know where to begin and guides them through the research process. Students may use the "College Search Step-by-Step" if they are unsure of how to begin the search process. It asks specific questions about what you are looking for in a school and give you a "snapshot" of your preferences to help you decide where to apply.
College Insight - If you’re a more scientifically minded person, this site will probably appeal to you. You have the option to start your search with a specific college, a topic that interests you, or with building your own table of different variables to compare schools across any metric you choose.
Unigo - It has a modern design and includes tons of reviews in written and video format from students at the colleges. Based on student feedback, schools are rated on a scale of 1-10 for a bunch of different factors including campus safety, political activity, arts culture, Greek life, intellectual life, and more.
College Navigator - This site (from the National Center for Educational Statistics) doesn’t have the best interface, but it’s useful for finding reliable data about any college in the country. You can search for schools by name, or by state, degree level, or type of college (public or private, community colleges, or just four-year universities).
Counseling Office240-740-4800 7100 Whittier Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817 Resource Counselor: anne_h_fletcher@mcpsmd.org Counseling Secretary: samuel_m_sasu@mcpsmd.orgCollege & Career: sarah_h_kessler@mcpsmd.org Registrar: blenda_p_legrande@mcpsmd.org
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