Applying to an ED or EA plan is most appropriate for a student who:
Has researched colleges/universities extensively.
Is absolutely sure that the college or university is the first choice.
Has found a college or university that is a strong match academically, socially and geographically.
Meets or exceeds the admission profile for the college or university for SAT scores and GPA.
Has an academic record that has been consistently solid over time.
Applying to an ED or EA plan is not appropriate for a student who:
Has not thoroughly researched colleges or universities.
Is applying early just to avoid stress and paperwork.
Is not fully committed to attending the college or university.
Is applying early only because friends are.
Needs a strong grade 12 first and/or second trimester/s to bring grades up.
The benefits of applying early
For a student who has a definite first-choice college or university, applying early has many benefits besides possibly increasing the chance of getting in. Applying early lets the student:
Reduce stress by cutting the time spent waiting for a decision.
Save the time and expense of submitting multiple applications.
Gain more time, once accepted, to look for housing and otherwise prepare for college or university.
Reassess options and apply elsewhere if not accepted.
The drawbacks of applying early
Pressure to decide: Committing to one college or university puts pressure on students to make serious decisions before they've explored all their options.
Reduced financial aid opportunities: Students who apply under ED plans receive offers of admission and financial aid simultaneously and so will not be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges and universities. For students who absolutely need financial aid, applying early may be a risky option.
Time crunch for other applications: Most colleges do not notify ED and EA applicants of admission until December 15. Because of the usual deadlines for applications, this means that if a student is rejected by the ED college or university, there are only two weeks left to send in other applications. We encourage students who are applying early to prepare other applications as they wait to receive admission decisions from their first-choice college or university.Â
Senioritis: Applicants who learn early that they have been accepted into a college or university may feel that, their goal accomplished, they feel they have no reason to work hard for the rest of the year. Early-applying students should know that colleges may rescind offers of admission should their senior-year grades drop.
Does applying early increase the chance of acceptance?
Many students believe applying early means competing with fewer applicants and increasing their chances for acceptance. This is not always true. Colleges and universities vary in the proportion of the class admitted early and in the percentage of early applicants they admit.
Higher admission rates for ED applicants may correlate to stronger profiles among candidates choosing ED. Students should ask the admission office whether their institution's admission standards differ between ED and regular applicants, and then assess whether applying early makes sense given their own profile. Students should also find out the percentage of the class that gets admitted on early rounds for the different universities.
The ethics of applying early decision
The Common Application and some colleges and universities application forms require the student applying under early decision, as well as the parent and counselor, to sign an ED agreement form spelling out the plan's conditions.
Our school policy for early-decision applications is to send the student's final transcript to one college or university only: anything else is unethical.
Keep in mind:
ED and EA program specifics vary, so students should get information as soon as possible directly from the admission staff at their first-choice college or university.
ED and EA applicants who must take the SAT, must take the October SAT in order for these scores to make it to the college or university in time.
Source: https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/early (accessed on the 20th February 2020)