Application season is in full swing, with many seniors feeling the full effect of their … College is stressful, even more so when applying for the first time. However, being equipped with your plans to apply is incredibly helpful, at least in my own experience. So, what are the three application options, and what do they mean?
Your first option is to apply to a college via Early Decision. An Early Decision plan is a binding restriction that ties a student to a university. If you are accepted into a school to which you chose to apply Early Decision, you must attend that school. The benefits of this choice are the increased chances of being accepted, more access to financial aid opportunities, and generally more structure in your day-to-day life during your senior year (if you are accepted to this one college, you will go, and there is no need to worry about choosing between multiple institutions). The most pressing downside to applying Early Decision happens to also be the benefit – the commitment itself. Many students do not yet know what it is that they want to do with their future, and a binding agreement can be extremely intimidating. I would suggest applying Early Decision if you truly want to attend that university and are willing to stick with that one option, no matter what.
The second application option is to apply through Early Action. Early Action is often confused with the Early Decision plan, but it is very different. Early Action is non-binding and does not require the immediate attendance of the student who is applying. Scholars describe Early Action as essentially a speed-run of the Regular Decision plan. The benefits of applying Early Action are the increased opportunity to secure reliable financial aid, generally a better chance of getting into a given university, and being given access to your acceptance letter faster. I personally do not believe that there are any downsides to applying Early Action, but many believe that the November 1st deadline can be stressful to students.
The final choice when applying to universities is Regular Decision. Regular Decision is just that – the normal option to apply. It is non-binding and gives students the availability slot from August 1st through January 1st to submit their application. There truly are no particular benefits or downsides to applying Regular Decision; it simply depends on the school itself. Some schools do not give as much aid to students who apply via Regular Decision, and some people report having a harder time getting into a school when they apply under this plan. However, this is the least stressful option of the three choices due to the extended amount of time available to submit everything that you need.
The college application process is well-known to be extensive and often confusing to many scholars. However, the way to surpass those feelings of confusion is through asking for help and asking questions. Students of Abington must be a community in the face of challenging and difficult times, and being there to assist in college applications is certainly one way to achieve that.
