When it comes to applying to college there are several options from which you can choose. How do you know which is the right one for you? Some things you should consider when picking which application you want to submit. I ALWAYS recommend applying in some form of EARLY for your top 5 schools.  Applying to college by EARLY deadlines lets the schools know just how interested you are in them! Many times the early deadlines are also necessary for the purpose of Honors College and Academic/Merit based scholarships.  (Individual rules apply at different schools)

So let's break each of the choices for college applications down!

Early Decision: This is probably the one that causes the MOST worry for students and parents.  Applying Early Decision is BINDING. What exactly does that mean? It means, if you get in, you are going (as long as the school can meet 100% of your demonstrated need...from your FAFSA). Early Decision is like a contract between you and your school.  Typically you can only do ONE Early Decision.  So why would you WANT to enter into this type of contract for a college? Early Decision is the ultimate I LOVE YOU when it comes to college applications. You are saying, "You are the only one for me!" "This is my top choice school!" This sets your application a part from other student applicants.  But it's the BINDING part that is scary.  What if you get a better offer from another school? It is possible to get out of the contract, you may have to pay, but if you truly have  a better offer then it would be worth it.  Use this option for your #1 top choice school. 

***not all schools have an Early Decision***

***You will see this option for the more competitive or IVY League colleges.***

Early Action: This is non-binding. What it means in the simplest of terms, the school will act early on your application.  You will know sooner (Dec/Jan) what the decision is from the school.  This is still a great way to demonstrate your interest in one of your top schools.  This says, "I'm very interested in coming to your university." I recommend using this form of application for your top 5 schools. This deadline is normally around Nov 1. I recommend students shoot for Halloween! This gives you a built in 24 hour grace period for any last minute changes you want to make to your application without feeling so pressured.  Definitely use this strategy if you are prone to procrastinating.

Regular Decision: This application deadline is typically later in the school year and is also a non-binding option.  Students typically submit Regular Decision applications after the start of their spring semester. The downfalls to this type of application is that you will receive your decision even later in the school year.  Typically these decisions come back in March or April.  Which may not give you as much time to visit or compare your offers of scholarship.  Regular Decision may also be too late for some Honors College programs as well as *some* scholarship offers.  I recommend using Regular Decision for top 6-10 colleges.  The schools that you would just "consider" going to, if you didn't get into your top choice schools, or based on the amount of scholarship that you are offered.

Rolling Admission: Many colleges are stretching out their admissions calendars by offering a Rolling Admission offer. This means that once you hit submit, you should receive your admissions decision within 3-6 weeks.  This is a great option if you hate waiting! Rolling Admission decisions are also non-binding.  Sprinkle a few of these into your college application submissions so that you are constantly getting feedback.  It's a double win if one of your top choice schools also happens to offer Rolling Admissions.  You will still want to be careful in reading any fine print for deadlines for Honors College and Scholarships.  Even Rolling Admissions schools have some earlier deadlines for programs such as those.

So which choice is right for you? The best part is, there truly is no wrong choice! It's all about what you want, what you want to be in the running for and how quickly you want your decisions back.  I'm a fan of earlier rather than later because it gives you more time to be able to make that FINAL decision! Decision Day is May 1st (students must deposit and decide where they will go to college for the next school year by this date.) You want to make sure you have enough time to visit, research and do an equal comparison of scholarship and financial aid packages so you can make the BEST decision for your future!