Hi all! I'm a high school junior, and I'm trying to decide whether I should apply for Early Decision or Early Action at my top choice college. What are the pros and cons of each? Thanks for your help!
Hi there! It's great to see that you're already planning ahead for your college applications. Both Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) have their own advantages and disadvantages, so let me help you understand them better.
Early Decision is a binding agreement, which means if you're accepted, you're committed to attending that college. Pros of ED include a higher acceptance rate and less stress since you'll find out earlier if you're accepted. The cons are that you're locked into that school if accepted, so you won't be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges, and if you're not accepted, it might sting a little more.
Early Action, on the other hand, is not binding, so you can apply to multiple schools and compare offers if accepted. Pros of EA include still getting an earlier notification than Regular Decision applicants and having more options overall. The cons might be less of an acceptance rate boost compared to ED and more applications to complete. I’d also recommend looking into this CollegeVine blog post on whether to apply early decision or early action: https://blog.collegevine.com/what-are-the-differences-between-early-action-and-early-decision/
Ultimately, the decision depends on your personal preferences and your level of commitment to your top choice school. Good luck!
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