Amidst the college application season, seniors are working endlessly to juggle their academics along with their extracurricular activities. Familiar to seniors, the deadline Nov. 1, for most early applications and early decisions of the majority of schools has passed. Amongst the applicant pool, students applying early decide to stand out due to the unique qualities of this particular pathway.
Unlike other applicants who are applying through early action or regular decisions, early decision plans are binding, meaning that a student who is accepted as an early decision applicant must attend the college and withdraw the rest of their applications to other schools.
Many applicants who are fully dedicated and are certain they want to attend a particular school will choose the early decision pathway. This would mean that a student has thoroughly researched the community and academics the school offers and ensured that it fits perfectly within their criteria of preferences. Another aspect that makes the pathway for early decision attractive is that it is inclined to offer higher admission rates compared to other admission options.
Senior Alexander Levy is applying to the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN), specifically, to the Wharton School of Business for early decision in hopes of pursuing his passion in business, marketing, and computer science. Known for its rigorous curriculum and status as an Ivy League university, Levy hopes his choice to apply early decision helps attract the attention of the admissions office.
“UPENN is very prestigious and a difficult university to get into so you need to show your commitment to the school and you need to show that you really want to go because having good grades, good test scores, and extracurriculars is not enough so [early decision action] just increases your chances of getting in by so much,” Levy said.
Another senior, Daniel Ribeiro, is applying early decision to Brown University, another Ivy League school.
“I’m relying on ED-ing to give me a better chance of getting in and I know 100% that I want to go there which is why I chose to ED,” Riberio said.
While the idea of applying early decision is the choice for some, other students, have chosen against applying early decision due to some factors. The possibility of insufficient financial aid and merit scholarships that are offered only after the acceptance letter may make one hesitate.
“Even if I really liked a school, I didn’t want to submit an early decision application because I don’t know how much aid I would get so I didn’t want to risk not being able to pay for it,” senior Julia Fiening said.
