Now that applying to schools and deadlines are approaching, it is important to know the differences between the application decisions. There are three main options to select from in the application process, early action, early decision, and regular decision. Keep in mind not all schools offer early decision and early action, only regular decision. Here are the key differences between the three.
Early action is applying to a school early and hearing back from them early. When one applies early action, they most likely will submit their application on or before November 1 and hear back from them in December or January. This process is non-binding. A non binding decision means they can still apply to other schools during this, and they are not required to go to the school if accepted. Some people choose early action because they get their results early, may have a better chance of being accepted into the school and they can still apply to other schools after. Some may not choose this decision because they need more time on their application due to the early deadline.
Early decision is also applying to a school early and hearing back early, but this is a binding decision. Just like early action, one will most likely submit by November 1st and hear back in December or January. The big difference is if they are accepted into the school, they must withdraw from all other applications. This means they agree to go to the school once they are accepted. If one chooses not to attend after an early decision, the school may get into contact with the other schools they are applying to. Some people choose early decision because they are confident in knowing the school they want to attend, it has a higher acceptance rate, and your application process can be finished early. Others may not choose this option because they are unsure about where they want to go and are not ready for full commitment.
Regular decision is the standard application choice that is always offered. The usual deadline ranges from January 1 to the 15 and one will hear back in March or April. People choose this decision because they have much more time to strengthen their application and can apply to multiple schools. Also, if they are awaiting test scores from the fall the SAT or ACT, consider regular decision. The majority of people choose regular decision making it more competitive and possibly more difficult to get into. This decision usually has the lowest acceptance rate of the three due to the large pool of students.
Each of these decisions has its pros and cons to consider. For students who know 100% where they want to go, choose early decision or early action. But for those that are indecisive or waiting for test scores, choose regular decision. Ultimately, knowing the key differences between these decisions is extremely important in college decision making.
