SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?

When applying to highly selective schools, every advantage makes a difference. Why, then, would a student pass up one of the biggest multipliers in acceptance rate? Amy and Mike invited education consultant David Parker to explore the existential college admissions question: should I apply Early Decision or Early Action?

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What are all of the ways to apply early and why do colleges offer so many options?

2. What are the differences between early decision and early action?

3. What are the benefits and drawbacks to applying early?

4. How should a student know what is right for them?

5. By when should students have their target test scores for ED/EA applications?

MEET OUR GUEST

David Parker received his BA degree at Furman University and finished his MA and PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, all in English.

With twenty years of teaching in the English Department at Gardner-Webb University and ending as a department chair, he learned volumes about the college admissions process by visiting and talking to prospective students and their parents. 

David served for years on scholarship committees where he combed through applicants’ files, read their essays, and eventually interviewed the highest-ranking applicants.  He attended “behind closed doors” meetings where decisions were made about six-figure scholarship packages. After all those years of sitting on scholarship committees, he knows what makes one student stand out from the crowd.

Most importantly, year after year, David got to know first-year students. Some had chosen the perfect school for themselves and spent four marvelous years at Gardner-Webb. Some chose poorly, or hastily, or out of convenience, and were deeply unhappy at a school that didn’t fit. These students usually left: some went to other schools, and some, frustrated, never finished college.

In 2017, David left Gardner-Webb and in 2019 established Parker Educational Consulting. After many years in academia, it was the students, much more than the subject matter, that became his passion. He cares about their intellectual and emotional development and their preparation for the world beyond graduation.

Parker Education Consulting’s purpose is to introduce the right schools to students and then present those students in the best light to schools. The goal is to find that "good fit match" that David saw throughout his teaching career. 

David has a wife, Emily, and one son in college at SCAD and another who is a rising high school senior. He is not a bad guitar player and occasionally opens for traveling acts that come through Shelby, and plays at farmers' markets and private events

Find David at [email protected].

LINKS

Early Decision and Early Action – Counselors | College Board

Parker Educational Consulting

RELATED EPISODES

EARLY DECISION AND EARLY ACTION

POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

LETTERS OF CONTINUED INTEREST

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.