010 | college application deadlines/contracts
So, in my previous post, I made a schedule for you guys when applying to college and it was mainly centered around whether you will be doing Early Action, Early Decision I, Early Decision II or Regular Decision. However, you guys may not be familiar with these terms and their meaning. So, here is a general definition of each of these terms.
Early action is a type of early admission process for admission to colleges and universities in the United States. Unlike the regular admissions process, early action usually requires students to apply by November 1 of their senior year of high school instead of January 1. Students are notified of the school’s decision by mid-December instead of April 1. (Wikipedia)
Note: Some schools do have programs called restrictive early action or single early action
Restrictive Early Action/Single Early Action:
REA is a non-binding early action admission option in which a student may not apply to any other private schools’ early program, except:
A college outside of the US
A non-binding rolling admission program
A public college or university whose admission is not binding.
An ED II program, if notification of admission occurs after January 1
Like EA applicants, a student has until May 1 to decide if she/he wants to attend the college or university. Schools that offer REA programs are Boston College, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. Applicants are asked to sign a statement stipulating that they agree to file only one early application. (Huffington Post)
Early decision or early acceptance is a common policy used in college admissions in the United States for admitting freshmen to undergraduate programs. It is used to indicate to the university or college that the candidate considers that institution to be his or her top choice. Candidates applying early decision typically submit their applications by the end of October of their senior year of high school and receive a decision in mid-December. (Wikipedia)
Early Decision II is an early application option initiated by some colleges over the last decade or so. Early Decision II is a binding option, meaning students must attend the college if accepted under ED II. The difference between Early Decision I and Early Decision II is timing. Most colleges offering both options ask ED I students to apply by mid-November, and they render decisions in mid-December. The deadline for ED II, on the other hand, is on or around Jan. 1. Students typically have a decision in late January or early February.
Note that the application deadline for ED II is generally the same as the Regular Decision application deadline. But under ED II, applicants will have their decisions back from the school about two months earlier than Regular Decision applicants (just as colleges will have deposits that much earlier). The college is happy to fill its next class with candidates who want to be on that campus. (University Language)
Regular decision is the normal process by which students apply by published deadlines, with promise of receiving an admissions decision no later that April 1 of their senior year. Some colleges will give admissions decisions well before April 1, but the student is under no obligation to decide about whether to attend until the common response date of May 1. (University Language)
Now, the point of this blog is not to force you to apply early because it can have its benefits but also its cons. This is to mainly inform you on the different “contracts” that colleges offer when you are applying so you don’t confuse yourself when you apply. It is essential you look up terms you aren’t familiar with. You don’t want to think you are applying to a school for Early Action, but realize, you applied ED, meaning that you are binding yourself to that school, especially if it is not your number one but is a strong interest and can get more scholarship chances. You need to be confident in your decision making. Always talk to your counselor, they will be your best option. Hope this helps clears up some the lingo used in college applications. See you all soon.
