The college application season usually begins September 1 of the year prior to the fall session in which a student is seeking admission (i.e. if your student is seeking admission to college for Fall 2010, he/she could, theoretically, submit an application for admission as early as September 1, 2009). The benefit of submitting an early application, assuming the college your student wants to attend accepts early applications (not all of them do) is that you will typically find out much earlier (usually by December) whether or not your student has been accepted for admission to the college of his/her choice.
The downside to early acceptance is that you also have to take action on the acceptance rather quickly. This can be tricky for students who have not yet made the final decision as to which college they really want to attend? Why? If your student accepts the first offer to come through (usually because they’re very worried about the whole process and fear rejection from the other schools they applied to), the acceptance may be binding.
When is an acceptance binding? Usually, if you are offered the opportunity for early decision, this opportunity comes with strings attached. The university extends the offer of admissions to you on a contractual basis; and you actually sign a contract agreeing to withdraw all other applications from all other colleges in exchange for this one guaranteed admission. In other words, you opt out of all other opportunities—even before you know whether or not the other colleges you’ve applied to have accepted you. The early action option is similar to early decision, but with early action the contractual obligation is less. Under early action you can later opt to decline your admission and attend elsewhere; and you can usually keep applications to other institutions open, even though you have taken early action.
Is there a benefit to early application? Yes and no. Students who have pushed themselves to prepare academically for college admissions and have really good transcripts and test scores may have an edge if they apply early. Student athletes may also have an advantage, especially if they are already working with one of the college coaches, as early admissions may demonstrate the student’s commitment to attending that one school. But, again, you have to weigh any advantages against the possibility of locking yourself into a single school before you even know whether or not your other options have come through.
Where do you go from here? That’s something to think about. Many schools no longer offer early admissions options because they have found it creates situations of undue stress and high competition. Other colleges have found that it gives privileged students—those from upper middle and higher income classes—an unfair advantage as these students generally have greater academic assistance to complete the necessary admissions requirements by their junior year. Whether you choose to apply early or not, visit with the admissions officer at the college you wish to attend well before you actually apply. You really do want to know what all of your options are before you sign on the bottom line.
Until next time!
Lynn Byrne
Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:
- College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
- Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
- The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.
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