Fall has become the default college admissions season for many high school seniors, which is a significant shift from when their parents went to college. 

We dive into the difference between early action, early decision and rolling admission (which also carries the benefit of an earlier timeline if applicants want). 

The big hot-button early decision issue? As they try to manage their yield numbers, many more selective schools now fill as much as half of their class with early decision, which makes the urgency to choose this option even greater. Long the sole option of private universities, the pressure to commit to a binding early admission, through an early decision application, has now extended to some flagship public universities as well, like the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia.

An early admission in senior year can take a lot of pressure off and give families more time to evaluate choices if the student did not choose a binding admissions plan. In our tips segment we discuss the pros and sometimes the cons associated with applying to college in an early round.

In addition to having an impact on financial choices, applying early decision, in particular, may not be the best solution for every student. There are many students who may benefit from the later regular decision deadlines to focus on an upwards trending academic record or to spend more time evaluating their college decisions. Not every student is “late” if they choose not to apply early.

Time Stamps:

0:37 What Are We Learning This Week?  Whitney tells us about preparing for and evaluating pre-veterinary programs for undergraduates.  

6:34 Big Picture: We discuss the variation in early application plans and the differences between early action, early decision, and rolling admission plans.

22:40  “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)” How long has early decision been a part of college admissions?  When and where did early decision start?

26:51 Tips and Strategies to help you evaluate if early application options are right for you. 

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Thanks for listening!