When the ED Advantage Isn’t Worth It
When the ED Advantage Isn’t Worth It
This is not a spoiler: applying early decision will increase your odds of admission compared to applying regular decision. Some universities admit upwards of 50% of their class through the ED round.
While the standards aren’t necessarily lower, the smaller applicant pool coupled with the added assurance that, if admitted, you will attend allows admissions officers to shape the class in specific ways. They are seeking to create a student body that represents the intellectual and personal diversity conducive to the best learning and living experience possible.
But early decision, especially round 1 (which typically has a deadline of either November 1 or November 15), is not right for everyone. In some cases, it can do more harm than good. Not being able to showcase your best self in your application would nullify whatever statistical advantage you’d gain from applying early.
So, when in the ED advantage not worth it? Read on to find out.
When You Need More Time to Write a Better Essay
You might not be ready or able to write your best personal statement by this point in the application process. Perhaps you started late or are writing about a topic you’re still living through. Or, perhaps, you came to the realization of your affinity for a particular college only recently and haven’t fully developed your responses to their supplemental essays.
If you need more time to write stronger essays, take it. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression with your writing, and it’s not worth rushing just to beat an early deadline. Remember, you will be competing in the ED pool against other students who share the same commitment to this school; to cut through the noise, your writing must be intentional and finely tuned.
When Your First Semester Grades are Crucial to Your Story
Are your grades on an upward trend? Have you been rounding into form with each passing year? Or perhaps you’ve had a hiccup in junior year because of circumstances you couldn’t control.
Not everyone’s transcript will be perfect. And beyond the specific number of your GPA is a story about how you came to achieve that number. If a strong first semester of senior year is crucial to demonstrating your academic readiness for the rigors of your top choice school, it’s likely in your best interest to wait before applying.
When You Aren’t 100% Sure of Your Decision
Many students feel pressured to “apply ED somewhere” because they know it will boost their chances of being admitted. But they aren’t ready emotionally to actually commit to a particular school. Unless you are sure you want to spend the next four years at a school, do not apply ED.
The success of your college process should be about finding the place most conducive to your happiness and, thus, your ultimate success. What school will challenge you to grow as a person and an intellectual? Which will equip you to be your best self upon graduation? Students who focus on answering these questions over the selectivity of a school wind up better positioned throughout this process and beyond it.
Do all the work and research you can to find a favorite school. But if you aren’t ready by the time ED apps are due, that’s OK.
Round 2?
An increasing number of institutions, like NYU for example, offer a second round of early decision – early in the sense that you’ll hear sooner, but the applications aren’t due until the regular decision deadline in January. For students who need more time to complete their best application or who come to a decision about their top choice late in the process, ED2 is an ideal option.
As with ED1, ED2 applicants should remember that while it will give them a bit of an edge in the process at their top choice, it will not eliminate the work and thought that must go into the remaining applications they’ll submit. There are no guarantees with either early decision round. But with careful planning and self-assessment you can put together apps that maximize your potential for success in this process.
The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.
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