Early Admission Schools

I'm a junior and I'm already thinking about applying to college. I've heard about early admission schools, but I'm not entirely sure what that means. Can someone explain what early admission is and give me some examples of schools that offer it?

Early admission is a term that encompasses two different types of college application processes – Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). These options allow students to submit their college applications ahead of the regular submission deadline, usually during the fall of their senior year.

Early Decision is a binding agreement, which means that if you are accepted to a school through Early Decision, you are committed to attending that school, and you must withdraw all other college applications. This option is typically best for students who have a clear first-choice school. Some examples of schools that offer Early Decision are Vanderbilt, Duke, Cornell, and Brown.

Early Action, on the other hand, is not binding; students can still apply to other schools and are not required to attend the school if they are accepted. This option allows students to showcase their interest in a school and receive a decision earlier than the regular decision timeline. Some examples of schools that offer Early Action are Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Additionally, there is a variant called Single-Choice Early Action (or Restrictive Early Action). With this option, you are not committed to the school if accepted, but you can only apply early to that one school (unless it's a public institution, in which case you can still apply to other public schools early). Schools that offer Single-Choice Early Action include Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

It's important to note that applying early can potentially increase your chances of acceptance, but it also means having a polished application earlier in your senior year. Each school may set different deadlines for early admission applications, usually around late October or early November, with decisions being released around mid-December.

Keep in mind that your decision to apply early should take into account your academic record, the strength of your application, and your level of interest in the school. If you decide to pursue an early admission option, make sure you're comfortable with your decision and fully understand the implications of either a binding or non-binding agreement.