By William Cayer • 09 Oct, 2019 •

As November 1 draws near, many students are wondering if they should submit their applications under an Early Decision agreement with a college. This type of application is binding, meaning that you can only apply to one college as an ED applicant, and if you are accepted you agree to attend that university. This may seem daunting for most applicants, but the measurable boost you will receive in your likelihood of admissions may be worth it. Colleges love to admit students that truly want to be on their campus. By applying ED, you send this message clearly to admissions offices. They honor this commitment and admit students at a higher rate than in the Early Action and Regular Decision pools. You probably shouldn't apply ED to colleges that are Matches and Safety's on your list because you will be giving up your ability to compare admissions offers with no necessary benefit to you or your family. ED is for your REACH school! This will give you the best shot at being admitted and having the privilege to walk onto campus as a freshman next fall. You should only apply ED if you are certain that if admitted, you will attend that school. You will not have the opportunity to see if you get into other schools, shop around, or compare financial aid packages. When you apply ED, you are agreeing to pay the bill as requested by the college that will be outlined in your financial aid award letter. You will not have this information when you are signing the ED agreement. Colleges will include an opt-out clause if their offer is financially out of reach for your family, but this can be avoided by completing the 'Net Price Calculator" for the college you are considering. Every college in America has a 'NPC' on its website to help you predict with reasonable accuracy the cost for you to attend. Once you have completed this calculator for the college, had a realistic discussion with your family around the estimated price and confidently settled on your #1 overall college, then Early Decision can be considered. Although ED1, ED2 and Restrictive Early Action give applicants a bump in admissibility, Regular Early Action does not have the same impact. Early Action does signal to the school that you are highly interested but does not carry the weight of an ED agreement. If you find a school that offers Restrictive Early Action, this is a wonderful option because although you can only submit one REA application, you are not committed to attending if admitted. Confused about these deadlines and struggling to decide which is best for you? Give me a call for a free conversation regarding your college process today!