By: Austin Curwen 8.16.22
College counseling is no different from many processes with lots of small parts making up the larger whole. One of the primary reasons families will hire an independent consultant is that IECs do this for a living and are far more facile with all of the moving parts and have a deeper understanding of how these pieces interconnect and influence the larger whole. This article will explore one of the more straightforward steps of the process with some explanations of how the various options can be employed along with the myriad qualifiers that seem to be part of the process. Namely, application deadlines.
The short version is that there is Early Decision (ED) which is binding, Early Action (EA) which is non-binding, Regular Decision (RD) which is typically the final application deadline and Rolling admissions. We will be exploring what these mean in greater depth, including advantages, disadvantages and things to know about each.
To some, Early Decision is wonderful. The student may apply to one school ED (with ED forms signed by parents and school counselors) and if accepted, they are obligated to enroll. ED deadlines are usually Nov. 1 or Nov. 15 (always double-check a schools’ admissions website in terms of deadlines). The beauty of this is that the ED pool looks like it draws a higher percentage of applicants than RD and gets the process over with earlier in the school year. Having worked with many students interested in applying ED, typically the following criteria must be met. First, admissibility; ED is not a magic bullet and will not vault a student who is clearly below profile into an admit. Second, there needs to be clear interest and fit. While buyer’s remorse isn’t typically part of an ED application, students need to remember that if admitted, they will attend. The correct ED application will be to a school that the applying student will be thrilled to attend and all of the other schools’ applications will be canceled without a second thought. Third, in the case of EDs the money needs to be right. If you are a fortunate family that can pay a particular school’s sticker price, moves ahead with confidence. If you are applying for financial aid, an ED acceptance will come with a financial aid package, and if you are hoping to maximize financial aid potential, ED may not be your best route.
Pros ED can simplify the college process and have a decision in hand by mid-year. Applying in the ED pool shows clear interest, and in some cases, may leverage a slight advantage (see ‘Things to know).
Cons ED is not great if the student isn’t 100% committed to attending. Financially, the package that comes with the admission is likely the best deal a student will get. In my experience, appeals will yield a small, but not a significant change.
Things to know Many students and families look at the admissions percentages and believe there is a clear advantage. Do remember that (especially) at selective schools, many of the ‘hooked’ students will be in the ED pool. This will include all recruited athletes, other special talents and groups like musicians, students from CBOs, and the occasional legacy or development admission. Once all those have been taken out of the mix, there is typically still an advantage, but not nearly as large as families assume. Also, there is the rare occasion when a student will ask to be released from their ED agreement and how schools handle this is on a school-by-school basis.
I’m a big fan of Early Action. This allows students to submit their applications earlier in the cycle and have a decision earlier in the cycle. EA is non-binding and a way for students to get into the cycle early and also have some buffers against possible bad (deny) or not great (defer) news from ED. EA deadlines have been creeping up and these days, they can go from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 or Nov. 15. As always, check a school’s admissions page for specific deadlines. Also, there are a handful of schools that offer both EA and ED options, make sure you have ticked the correct box before sending your application. The one wrinkle to this whole thing is something called Restrictive Early Action (REA). This is the preserve of the most selective schools (Harvard, Stanford, etc.) that ask that if you apply to their school REA, you will not apply either EA or ED to other private institutions, but most will allow you to apply to public universities. On the face of it, REA supposedly will tamp down on the application frenzy of applying to the most selective schools, at least until RD. These policies followed on the heels of getting rid of the ED options at these schools, but the not-so-subtle whiff of exclusivity remains.
Pros EA allows students to apply to and get decisions from numerous schools ahead of the February/March RD dates.
Cons With the exception of REA, there is no serious downside.
Things to know EA dates can vary greatly, so be sure to check and double-check actual deadlines on schools’ individual websites. I tell the students I am working with to plan to have many of the EA/ED applications ready for a Nov.1 submission. REA is its own universe. Students applying to schools with REA often will also be chasing the most selective public universities (UCs, UNC, UVA, U Mich, etc. etc.).
Regular Decision is exactly what it sounds like. For many schools, this is the final application deadline for a student enrolling the following school year. RD dates are set to lag slightly after most (but not all) ED and EA decisions have been released. RD dates will typically range from Jan 1 into March. As with all things, check the schools’ admissions deadlines on their website.
Pros RD applications give a student more time to consider and polish their applications and really fine-tune their lists. Additionally, some students feel rushed to meet EA/ED deadlines.
Cons For the impatient, this means all decisions may not be received until March or even April. As well statistically speaking, for most schools, their RD pool may be more challenging and increasingly, selective schools are filling 30, 40, and even 50% of their incoming classes through ED.
Things to know Students applying to many or all RD schools is far from tragic. In some cases, there isn’t a clear ED choice and there is no shortage of schools that have just ED and RD, so RD is a better choice. In addition to more time to work on essays, RD also gives a later deadline for teacher recommendations. For some students, this extra time will give the teacher more time to get to know a particular student, especially if it’s a twelfth-grade class.
Rolling Applications are another excellent choice. The basic idea behind rolling applications is that a school will be continually reviewing applications throughout the fall and winter. Once an application is received, it is considered and students will have a decision (accept or reject) within 4-8 weeks. Schools that have rolling admissions are looking to fill their incoming class and some are sending out acceptances in August. Schools that will typically have rolling deadlines include larger state schools (Penn State, Old Miss and Alabama) and also art schools. The nice thing about rolling deadlines is the flexibility. The downside is not to wait too long. Once a class is filled, they stop accepting applications. In addition, more selective programs (engineering, business, etc.), can fill up quickly so get in those applications ahead of the curve.
Pros Rolling applications can provide a timely decision and for serious early birds, I have had students walk into my office in early Sept., proudly showing an acceptance, already in hand, which instantly alleviates the ‘Will I even get into college?’ worry.
Cons It’s easy to let time slip away and possibly get shut out. Especially with selective programs, I will ask students to treat this like an EA deadline with the goal of having materials ready for submission in early November.
Things to consider I like schools with rolling deadlines as I feel like this puts more control in the hands of the applicants. As with everything, check the fine print regarding rolling admissions. Especially with art schools, applications may include a portfolio submission or perhaps an audition. Be on top of the extras. How does one schedule an audition? What is the preferred (or required) medium to submit an art portfolio? Finally, for selective programs, a friendly conversation with either your school representative or an admissions officer about their experience of when various programs fill can be enormously helpful.
Larger Takeaways, Rumors and Misinformation When considering various deadlines, to me, ED can be helpful when there is a clear fit and all of the pieces of the puzzle fit. For some students, this is the case. For almost all students, I think EA is a great option. It gets some applications into the mix early and also provides a nice trickle of decisions in December and January. Rolling admissions are another great option similar to EA. Both of these get students into the mix earlier. The caveat here is that students will want their applications and all materials polished and ready a bit earlier.
The other piece which hasn’t been discussed much here is working with your school counselor and school counseling office. Each office will have their systems of the basics like transcript request forms and also teacher and counselor recommendations along with notifying the office of your upcoming deadlines (EA, ED, etc.). All of these are critical parts of the equation and please, please, please work with your counseling office and don’t just avoid surprises…. be slightly ahead of the curve. If you can manage, have your various requests to the counseling office and to your recommenders well ahead of the deadlines. In some cases, these are done the summer before senior year, in some cases after the term starts, but nobody wants a hastily written recommendation, teachers, counselors or students. As the student, make everyone involved well aware of when your first deadline will be.
These days, all of this is electronic. If you can, hitting ‘send’ a day or two ahead of the deadline will result in your application being received and processed smoothly as the tidal wave has yet to hit. Once you are at the deadline day, systems will bog down and processing time will start to stretch to hours. I have never seen an application get lost or marked as ‘not on deadline’, because of timestamps and backups, but I have seen anxiety start to rise quickly when processing isn’t immediate. Be slightly early or be patient.
The final piece is my favorite bit of grist from the rumor mill. Is it helpful to submit an application slightly ahead of the deadline? Yes, if possible, just for peace of mind and to avoid delays. Is there a clear advantage of submitting an application well ahead of the deadline, i.e. getting an application a week or two or three ahead of time? No. Despite persistent rumors that one might be read first and not ‘lost in the shuffle, this isn’t the case. Counseling offices and college admissions offices work towards deadlines. Admissions counselors are working right up until the last minute, visiting schools and talking with students, not reading files. In addition, as files are read by multiple readers, they are far more interested in learning about the applicant, not checking submission dates. The final part of this is that if a student submits their application in very early, they are working well ahead of their counseling office whose systems are aligned with the actual deadline. When families and students assert that by not having the materials ready weeks ahead of time, their student is being disadvantaged, this is simply not true.
Once the application is submitted, take a deep breath. This is one of the big hurdles now behind you. Depending on what portal you are using (Naviance, Common Application, MAIA, etc.), you should have confirmation that your application has been received. As there are multiple parts that students are not aware of, sometimes it takes a week or more for all of the parts to be assembled and checked off. Most schools will say that it takes 7-10 working days for all parts to be processed and that is pretty accurate. As different deadlines pass, have a mini-celebration for each step and then keep working hard in your classes (senior grades count!).