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Ask the Guru a question.Early Decision
My friend's daughter got accepted on the early decision plan. However, one of the colleges that she applied to prior to the early decision acceptance gave her a full scholarship. Her early decision school offered her no money. Her parents are refusing to finance her education in her early decision school. Can she break out of her early decision binding offer?
I suggest that your friend and her daughter read the contract again carefully to see if there is an "out" for financial reasons. Some early decision contracts require a commitment only if it offers an adequate financial aid package. No matter what the contract says, the daughter should speak with both of the schools and explain the situation and see what can be done. However, she should be prepared to go to the early decision school if they offer a reasonable amount of financial assistance. If they don't, then hopefully they will "let her out" of her commitment. As a practical matter, I doubt that the ED school would do anything to "legally" keep her from attending the other school, although they could technically hold up her final transcript. This probably wouldn't happen if she explained the circumstances to them. This once again illustrates the general rule that you should not apply for early decision unless you are prepared to pay the full fare to attend.
I’ve heard that it is slightly easier to get into a top-notch school if you apply under an early admissions plan. Is this true for most schools?
I wouldn’t say it was “slightly easier” to get into a top-notch school early decision. I’d say it was “slightly tougher” since you’re probably not being compare to the total applicant pool but a select portion of it. At any rate, as for the average school, I’d say “no” again. However, I do think applying early (not necessarily early decision) can enhance your chances since some colleges have a rolling admissions policy, that is, they don’t wait to a certain date and admit the entire class, but rather admit as applications are received. This is usually the less competitive schools. If they run out of places and you apply late, it’s your loss.
My desire is to attend the University of Pennsylvania. One possible advantage I possess is my mother being alumni of the school, although this is not in any way a decision my parents have rendered upon me; I have decided upon this school wholeheartedly with my own judgement. However, I have a question: Should I apply for early admission, thus increasing my chance slightly and giving me a competitive edge, or work hard for the first semester of my senior year, increasing my GPA, to allow the institution to view my additional course work?
Great choice. Anyway, many students feel that early decision means that they will not only be told “yes” sooner, but that they could be told “no” sooner as well. This is generally not the case. In the early decision process, you apply by some earlier date, usually November 1, and you get a response by around mid-December. In the process, though, you sign a statement saying that if accepted, you will attend, so this is an option for only one school to which you are applying. However, if you are not accepted, your application is generally deferred until the final acceptance decisions are made. So even if you don’t get in early decision, you still might get in. If Penn is your top choice, I would encourage you to apply for early decision. Oh, and your mom being an alumna will matter. Make sure they know it. (Many schools send a much more personal rejection letter to children of alumni, for whatever that’s worth.)
To the wise and magnificent guru: If you’re accepted under an early action plan, does that mean you won’t be accepted anywhere during the regular admissions? Methinks those Ivy League bigwigs share the admissions information.
Flattery will get your question answered first. When you apply for early decision, you agree that if accepted, you will matriculate. While some of your other applications will likely be out the door, it may be wise to withdraw them once accepted to your early decision school. I don’t know what they do to you if you don’t fulfill your obligation to come, but there is probably some kind of terrible financial disincentive. Methinks they don’t.
I have just been accepted under Early Decision to a very selective school. How important are my final year grades? I feel that I am slipping in several subjects, due to various whatnots of the senior year. I want to know how much weight the colleges place on my final report card? And do they act upon withdrawing acceptances, if I am contingent to my performance?
Why are some colleges early-decision? There's one school that I would really like to attend that is highly selective and also early-decision, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with a "binding contract." However, if there's a better chance of gaining admission, maybe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. What are your thoughts? I appreciate all your help!
Applying to a school on an early decision (binding) basis can be an advantage to both the student and the school: The student demonstrates a sincere interest in attending the school and has his application considered among a smaller group of candidates, and schools get early commitments to attend from a generally more highly qualified batch of applicants. If you're admitted to a school on an early-decision basis, you will normally know whether or not you're accepted by December or January--a significant four to five months earlier than the rest of your classmates. You'll be expected to keep your grades up, but the worry of "which college will I go to?" is lifted. If you're counting on financial aid, you should be sure come to an agreement with the school that your enrollment is based on getting the financial aid that you need.
If you know there is a certain school you wish to attend, applying early-decision can be a benefit. It’s hard to say whether you have a better chance of being admitted by applying for early decision. You may have a slightly better chance at some schools because the pool of early decision applicants is smaller. On the other hand, the early decision applicants tend to be a stronger group of candidates. I would check with the schools in which you’re interested to see if they can give you some idea of whether your chances are improved (but keep in mind you can only apply to one school for an early decision).
I can’t think of any disadvantage to applying early decision if you know there is one particular school you want to and are able to attend (subject to the comment above about financial aid and assuming that your credentials are in the ball park for admitted students at that school). At most schools, if you’re not accepted under early admission, your application is put into the regular admission process so you'll still have a shot.
No school, however, is only early decision. However, some schools also have an “early action” plan whereby you’re notified earlier of the admission decision. However, unlike early decision, you’re not bound to attend if you’re admitted under early action.If you’re considering early decision or early action, make sure you meet all the deadlines for submitting your application and other materials.If one applies early decision, can the application be withdrwn prior to receiving the decision by mail?
Technically speaking, you may be able to withdraw an early decision application before receiving a decision. However, it’s not something I would recommend. First of all, I assume that this is something you’re considering doing within the next few days since most schools send out their early decision letters by mid-December. The biggest problem here is that it’s too late. Schools have almost certainly already made their decisions, even if you haven’t received a letter yet. Consequently, your withdrawal may violate the agreement to matriculate to the school in question if they’ve already made a decision in which case you would be subject to the consequences of breaking that agreement.
Applying somewhere early decision is a huge commitment and responsibility — one of the biggest you’ll shoulder before you enter college. Withdrawing your application this late in the process virtually ensures that you won’t be able to get into that school regular admission. Moreover, when students back out of attending a school after applying early decision, that school tends to tell lots of other schools, which could make it difficult for you to get in elsewhere.
In other words, this is a big decision, and could reflect very poorly on you regardless of whether the school had admitted you. Consequently, I suggest you seriously rethink your idea. I recognize that there may be some good and unforseen reason why it would be a hardship for you to attend. If, after serious consideration, you have determined this to be the case, it probably is best to speak to the school first before trying to withdraw your application. Once again, though, I strongly encourage you to not make this decision lightly.What happens if I decide I don't want to go to a school I got into early decision? Is there any way to break it or if I want to go somewhere else do I have to attend that school and then transfer?
Applying to college early decision is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make this early in life, and recanting that decision is a move with consequences that could adversely affect you for years to come. If you’re toying with the idea of breaking your agreement, you better be absolutely certain that you’re making the right decision. After all, you are the one who will have to live with the consequences. Additionally, many students waver about where they want to attend college. If you’ve suddenly had a change of heart for whatever reason, it’s probably in your best interest to visit the school and speak with students and professors there before making a final decision, rather than acting impulsively.
Technically speaking, the school you’ve been admitted to early decision can’t “make” you attend that college. That said, there are some pretty steep consequences of breaking the early decision agreement—most notably, that school notifying other colleges of what you’ve done, and those schools, in turn, possibly blacklisting and rejecting you. Likewise, the school in question will blacklist you, thereby preventing you from successfully gaining admission to that school as a transfer student or graduate student at a later date.
With that in mind, it might be worth attending the school you’ve been admitted to as planned. You can always transfer later if you really hate it. However, you may end up loving it. After all, there was some reason you wanted to apply to that school in the first place. To learn more about the consequences of breaking your early decision agreement with the institution you’ve been admitted to, you’ll need to refer to the agreement you signed when you submitted your application and review your admission offer.Just last week, I got very disappointing news from a dream school to which I applied Early Decision. It is an extremely selective school (about a 23% acceptance rate), and I understand that virtually every applicant is an amazing student. This is why I wasn't arrogant enough to expect to get in, because the school can afford to be extremely selective and because I knew I was aiming high. Still, I'm not quite sure how to deal with my deferral. I've started beginning other applications now, since I have been released from my binding agreement. Unfortunately, deadlines are coming up so soon, that I must work harder to have everything in by their respective deadlines. The only thing that I wonder about is what did I do wrong, or what was deficient in my application that led to my deferral? I matched the school's profile in SAT scores, have had an extremely rigorous course load, managed to keep an A average despite a couple low math grades, am very involved in extracurriculars in which I've held positions, and received very nice recommendations! Is competition in highly selective schools so keen that admissions officers have to resort to looking at individual grades or something? I just wish I knew where I was lacking, or if I was lacking at all! I know that there's a possibility I may get in later, but I'm just so amazed at how competitive college admissions has become! There should be no reason for colleges to have to reject so many qualified applicants! Guru, what can I do to turn my deferral into an acceptance come April? Thank you for listening and responding to my questions!
First of all, you should be very proud of all of your accomplishments to-date. Wherever you end up attending college, I am sure that you’ll be a huge success.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you why you were deferred by the school you applied to Early Decision. Admissions committees evaluate a combination of grades, rigor of an applicant’s curriculum, class rank, essays, recommendations, extracurriculars (and leadership in extracurriculars in particular), and SAT/ACT scores. Each admissions committee also has its own logic for putting together a diverse entering class of students who are considered good “fits” for that particular school.
As far as improving your odds of being admitted Regular Decision at this school and others, it’s important that you don’t let this one minor setback get you down. The Early Decision process is now more competitive than ever, and most of the students applying ED are some of the top in their classes. As a result, admissions committees are forced to reject or defer plenty of qualified candidates. Not getting in ED is thus not a judgment on your intellect or your prospects for a successful college career. After all, you can get an excellent education at dozens of schools as long as you are willing to seize the opportunities you’re presented with.
For the school you applied to Early Decision, I recommend sending a brief letter reiterating your interest in attending and illuminating why you’re a good fit for that school. You could even have an additional person submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf, assuming that recommendation will add something to your application that isn’t already there. It’s also important that you make sure that this school promptly receives your fall 2005 transcripts so they can evaluate your application using your new grades and GPA.For the other schools you’re applying to, ask your parents, an older friend or sibling, or a teacher you respect to read your essays and make suggestions for improvement. Also ask them to look over your paper application to make sure you didn’t make any errors on the form. Once you’ve done these things, you should be able to hone your applications and submit them with confidence. Good luck!