{"id":16690,"date":"2021-08-31t16:54:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-31t23:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=16690"},"modified":"2021-08-31t17:35:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01t00:35:15","slug":"early-action-vs-early-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/early-action-vs-early-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"early action vs. early decision: understanding the difference"},"content":{"rendered":"
early action vs. early decision…how are they different? first, let’s start with the basics of early admissions:<\/p>\n
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okay, now that you’ve got a general sense of the two ways to apply early to college, let’s look a little closer at the main differences between them. <\/p>\n
think about the actual name of each option for a moment. <\/p>\n
“early action” simply suggests that you’re taking action steps<\/strong> toward applying for college earlier.<\/p>\n “early decision,” on the other hand, has the word “decision” right in the name<\/strong>. it means that your mind is made up. you’ve decided that if you get into this school, you’re going no matter what—it’s your first-choice school. and that’s why early decision applications are binding<\/strong>. when you apply early decision to a school you are making a promise that you will attend if accepted<\/strong>. <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n a really important thing to know about early decision applications is that they aren’t legally<\/em> binding. this means that you can’t be taken to court if you apply early decision, are accepted, and then want to back out. but—they are binding within the college system<\/em>. so if you change your mind and decide to attend another college where you did not apply early decision, you could face having your admission revoked. <\/p>\n on the other hand, early action applications are non-binding<\/strong>. you’ll find out if you got in earlier, but you can still weigh your options. you’ll typically have until the regular commitment date (may 1st) to make a choice.<\/p>\n when you’re deciding whether you want to apply early action vs. early decision, here’s the biggest factor:<\/p>\n how badly do you want to attend a particular college? do you have a true dream school<\/strong>? do just know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is the school for you? if so, applying early decision is the way to go. <\/p>\n but before you take that plunge and commit, it may be worthwhile to spend some time really reflecting on the factors that make this school your #1 choice. <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n for instance, you may be dead set on a particular school on account of:<\/p>\n if you don’t feel “all-in” on a college because of any combination of the above reasons, but you’d still like to apply early, then early action is likely the better route for you. also, if you’re a competitive applicant (great grades, class ranking, test scores, etc.), then early action or early decision may be a good choice for you.<\/p>\n still unsure? check out our quiz on whether you should accept early decision<\/a>!<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n of course, there are pros and cons to early action vs. early decision<\/a>. on the upside, you’ll be better able to make your college plans earlier, which can be less stressful and more cost-effective. on the downside, you’ll have to assemble your application materials quickly, which could be stressful if you’re not prepared. <\/p>\n let’s look at some key points of early action vs. early decision.<\/p>\n early action:<\/em><\/p>\n early decision:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n early action:<\/em><\/p>\n early decision:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n okay so once you have an idea of which early application route you’ll be taking, how do you decide schools to apply to?<\/p>\n you can read more about how to choose the right college<\/a> here!<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n when it comes to the odds of getting into a college or university by applying early decision, the truth is that your chances depend on the school. ask an admissions department directly about their acceptance rates and if early decision candidates are given any sort of priority, or take a look at their most recent class profile. also, consider that:<\/p>\nbinding vs. non-binding<\/h3>\n
what to consider when choosing early action vs. early decision<\/h2>\n
factors to consider<\/h3>\n
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pros<\/h3>\n
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cons<\/h3>\n
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how do i decide which schools to apply to?<\/h3>\n
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does early action or early decision increase chances of acceptance?<\/h3>\n
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