We have been so busy that it feels like the admissions cycle is flying by, and early deadlines are right around the corner. While some schools had their deadlines as early as October 15, the big date to watch out for is November 1, and we have been submitting applications with our students all week long.

For us, it is really important that applications are submitted well before the deadlines to give students peace of mind and to make sure that there is plenty of time to deal with any last-minute requirements, especially this cycle when schools are adding them left and right! We actually prefer to submit in late August or early September, but this year presented challenges upon challenges upon challenges relating to standardized testing delays.

Our original cohort or seniors finished up a little while ago and many of our late start seniors are done too! However, we’re still hearing from a lot of panicked senior parents whose students haven’t really started the process in earnest yet. They almost always reach out with the same first question:

How important are early applications?

Families who feel rushed by the November deadline start to wonder if it would be better to apply early at all costs, or to spend some more time on the application and submit a polished product by the regular decision deadline.

If you are a bit on the late side and find yourself asking these same questions too, read on for some considerations.

1. Know that applying early decision - yes, the binding one - does have a measurable strategic impact. This is especially the case during the current admissions cycle.

Understanding the reason for the advantage might help you decide whether ED is right for you. Colleges are concerned about a factor called yield, or the percentage of accepted students that enroll. Since ED forces students to accept admissions offers, colleges favor ED applicants because the large number of students bound to attend will inflate their yield numbers. This, in turn, will improve the institutions’ reputations and boost their rankings. Slick, right?

Early decision can provide a major competitive advantage in the application process in exchange for the binding commitment; however, applying ED only really increases your chances of acceptance at schools where you are “admissible.” You can get away with having qualifications that are slightly below-average for that school, but you can’t be much further off than that. 

If you’re in the sweet spot, though? You’re golden. In some cases, early decision applicants are two or three times as likely to be admitted than a regular decision applicant. As we’ve said before, these factors present a strong case for applying in the early decision pool.

Some students are initially scared off by the so-called “binding commitment,” but you will make a binding commitment to any school when you choose to attend. Early decision is simply a case of making that commitment sooner rather than later, so you can spend the rest of your senior year focused on school, extracurriculars, and planning your dorm room décor. 

And yes - you’ve heard all of this from us before. But this year, early decision may have an even greater impact for applicants. Colleges are all dealing with new uncertainties due to the pandemic, and the certainty that an applicant will attend if admitted is extremely valuable to institutions concerned about enrollment. 

So if you’re on the fence between submitting an early decision application vs. regular decision application to your top choice school, it’s worth putting your social life on hold for a little bit to maximize the rest of October.

2. Early action requires some more thought.

The truth is that it’s very school dependent, and we can see an example of the different institutional approaches right here in Virginia with our state universities! At UVa, there is no question that applicants are better off waiting to apply in the regular decision round if they will be more qualified at that point. So if you’re on the fence between an EA or RD app at UVa but could an extra few weeks or months to perfect your essays, RD is a no-brainer.

At Virginia Tech, however, that’s not the case at all. In fact, VT encourages all students to apply early decision or early action, and clearly states on their website that regular decision “will have less open spots available” because of the “large population” of EA applicants.

Make sure to do your research and know which kind of school you’re dealing with while making this decision. And if you aren’t sure? Pick up the phone and call the admissions office to ask! You don’t even have to give your name.

3. Be strategic (and realistic!) about your plans to improve your test scores and grades.

In previous years there may have been a case for holding off on an early application for a student who was hoping to retake a standardized test and submit a higher score, or a student who expected that their GPA from the first semester of senior year would elevate their overall transcript. 

This year, though, that gamble is very different. As our friends over at McLean High School are learning the hard way, there is no guarantee that students will even be able to retest as planned. Even if testing occurs smoothly, you can’t bank on a markedly higher score without a markedly higher level of commitment to test preparation.

We are also seeing that students have reported more challenges with virtual learning this year in terms of course difficulty. Last spring’s “Easy As” are no longer happening at most schools. And BC Calc over Zoom is a challenge!

4. Traditional campus visits may simply not be possible this cycle.

Yes, we know it is difficult to tell if you are willing to commit to a school without the chance to visit campus. But will this really improve in the short term? While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend a binding application to a school far away in a city with which you are completely unfamiliar, a few more months in the middle of cold and flu season isn’t going to open up too many doors for you in terms of campus visits. It might be time to accept that your postponed April 2020 spring break college tour is not going to happen anytime soon after all.

Did you visit the campus a few years ago, but remember that you had a good feeling about it? Do you have friends or family in the city who could drive over and walk around for you and share their feedback? Can you take a virtual tour of the campus and the surrounding area? Keep an eye out for our future blog post about how to get to know a campus virtually - it is not impossible! 

5. There’s rushing and then there’s rushing. Make sure you can still realistically put together a strong application.

So you’re convinced that an early application may be the right choice for you. This doesn’t mean that you should scramble to put together your application the day before the deadline. It does mean, however, that the hard work begins NOW!

If you have already filled out the Common Application and made some progress on your main essay, you want to focus on your supplemental essays and make sure you have a chance to ask your parents and school counselor for edits before you submit.

A sloppy, rushed application with noticeable errors or missing components will not help you get into the school of your dreams, and there’s a big difference between starting a week in advance vs. starting a night in advance. If you do not have time to focus on your application over the course of the next two weeks, this is a case where it is best to wait and apply before the regular decision deadline. 

If you do bypass the early deadlines and want some guidance on getting your application in “17-year-old perfect” shape by December, I heard a rumor that one of our favorite essay coaches is willing to pitch in again over Thanksgiving week if needed!

Go ahead and book a Meet & Greet now to learn about how we can help!