E is for EA/ED

As we begin second semester, I want to give you a heads up on what kind of blogs you should be expecting. If you haven't picked up on the trend, I am working on A-Z college related blogs. The next three in the series are E is for EA/ED (or this one), F is Financial Aid, and G is for Gap Year. On Thursdays, I am sitting back with some sort of fruity (non-alcoholic!) drink out of a coconut as the other fantastic PCCs take turns being guest contributors. This Thursday is Ashley Huddson! This coming weekend, stay tuned for a very important special edition testing/scores blog. Now, let's talk EA/ED!

If you hadn't noticed, part of Uni High’s senior class was all flustered in the middle weeks of December. Some of them were like that because OMG finals and OMG end of semester and OMG I don't remember what it's like to relax. A big reason though were EA/ED decisions coming back. Today I want to discuss these two (separate) programs, the pros and cons, and what you need to do as a student in order to apply through these programs.

Early Admissions (EA):
I personally applied to an EA program, and heard back from my college in mid-December. Here are the facts about the program.
-They are Non-Binding, meaning if you get into the college you don't have to go and you still have until May 1st like regular decision folks to decide
-You can apply to multiple schools under the EA program
-Some colleges offer fee waivers/automatic consideration for scholarships if you apply early
-You get a decision back usually in mid-December
-If you are deferred*, you are put into the regular decision applicant pool for reconsideration
-Though applying EA shows a level of interest, colleges still accept vast amounts of their students in the regular decision pool, so don't feel bad if you don't apply EA

Early Decision (ED):
-One of the biggest components of the ED program that differentiates it from EA is that it is BINDING. If you get in, you have to go to that college.
-Some colleges offer fee waivers/automatic consideration for scholarships if you apply early
-You get a decision back usually in mid-December
-If you are deferred, you are put into the regular decision applicant pool for reconsideration
-Applying ED shows a different level of interest than EA because of the binding aspect. You should have a serious conversation with your parents and Lisa before pursuing this option.

For both programs you can continue to work on Regular Decision schools. If you get into a school via ED, you must withdraw your RD schools. If you get into a school via EA, you can still continue to apply to your RD schools.

Pros and Cons for both programs: (Like all aspects of the college process, there are a myriad of pathways that fit all kinds of students. Each pathway has its own strengths and weaknesses. I am going to provide a list of pros and cons, but keep in mind that often the pros can outweigh the cons and vice versa)
-Pro: You will be done applying to schools in December if you do ED and can be done if you do EA
-Con: Students accepted through an ED program must go without knowing their official financial aid package (that comes out for all students in the spring)
-Pro: EA programs allow you to get done with the process faster, without the binding aspect
-Con: Your college calendar will be shifted so that you will have to get things done earlier than other students
-Pro: EA/ED students often have priority when it comes to scholarship money
-Con: You have to be done testing in November of Senior year

There will be pros and cons more specific to the schools you look at, but these are the basic ones I can come up with.

The Timeline of EA/ED students: the college process is a little more structured and shifted earlier for those who pursue these programs.

Junior Year
January-May: You need to be taking the ACT/SAT during this period
May/June: If any of your schools take Subject Tests, or you think you might need them, this is the time to take them
Over the summer: Start working on your applications. The Common App for your class will become available in August

Senior Year
Late August-October: You need to be working on your applications, getting teachers to be writing recommendations for you no later than early October, and working on the CSS Profile if it is needed**. Note, if you need to retest either the ACT/SAT, the latest SAT test is October, and some schools will take the November ACT (though you won't see your scores).
November: Send in those Applications!

Restrictive Early Admissions (I like think of it as the kid of EA and ED) : Restrictive EA is a program with a little bit of EA and a little bit of ED mixed in. It is non-binding like EA, but you can only apply to that one school early, like ED. For example, Yale has a restrictive EA program. That means if you apply to Yale early, it will be the only school you can apply to early. If you get in however, you are not required to go.

*Deferrals will be discussed in a later blog
** CSS Profile will be addressed in the Financial Aid blog, which is the next one in the sequence

-Celinda :]