Comments on: Early Decision or Regular Decision: Which is Better?

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:23:17 +0000

Solid tips for college life . Keep up the good blogging.

By: Katherine Price

Katherine Price — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:21:19 +0000

Hi Vicky,

Usually if you are being considered for the RD round they send you notice that your application has been deferred. Have you asked Gettysburg if you are in the RD round?

Katherine Price
Senior Associate

By: Vicky

Vicky — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:08:43 +0000

I was an ED2 international applicant of Gettysburg College and I was rejected. Maybe I should have read your advice about the need sensitiveness first, because I am fighting for a full schoolarship (which becomes more and more hard/ completely impossible for intl’s). However, on Gettysburg’s website is written: ” In most cases, students applying for ED who are not offered acceptance will automatically be considered for Regular Decision admission upon receipt of subsequent semester grades and test scores from the senior year.” What does it mean? How can I understand whether I am on the RD round now??

By: Mark Montgomery

Mark Montgomery — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:30:26 +0000

Hi, Raj.
You won’t like this answer, but “it depends.” On the college. On the student.
If the student does not need financial aid, is a legacy, and is highly competitive for admission, ED will help. IF the student needs heavy amounts of aid, does not have a “hook” at the college, or is not really all that competitive, then ED is no advantage. All things being equal (and they never are), ED gives a slight advantage. But the general rule never applies in a specific case.
Best of luck!

By: Raj Patel

Raj Patel — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:40:59 +0000

Does applying ED really give a student a higher chance to get accepted slightly or significantly?

By: Mark Montgomery

Mark Montgomery — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:48:33 +0000

Early Decision is a contract. Your parents have to sign it. More important, your high school counselor or other representative will have to sign it. Thus, if your high school signs the form and you are accepted ED, they are bound not to send transcripts to other schools–unless they see you are released from your binding ED decision by the college in question. If you accept another offer from a college that is not the one with which you signed the ED agreement, then other kids at your school will suffer in the future from your unethical behavior. Believe me, I’m not in love with all these ED/EA regulations. But they are the rules of the game. And there are consequences for cheating–for you, for other kids, for your school, and for the colleges in question. Play by the rules.

By: mas

mas — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:31:08 +0000

If a student applied early decision and did not withdraw their college applications from the other colleges they applied too; what would be the consequence? Further what would happen if a student ended-up accepting other offers from colleges?

By: Mark Montgomery

Mark Montgomery — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:15:12 +0000

aba,

If you apply ED and “don’t agree” with the offer, then you turn down the offer of admission and you must apply RD somewhere else. Keep in mind that international students, generally speaking, are offered little to zero aid at many US colleges and universities. There are a number that do offer international students financial aid.

If you need financial aid, the ethical thing to do is not to apply ED anywhere. You will have to compare financial aid offers. Some may offer you a lot. Some may offer you zero. If you want to get a low price, you have to wait until the RD round.

If you decide to apply ED, then understand that they will give you their best offer. If you “don’t agree,” you can ask for more. But they are unlikely to give it. If you find the package unacceptable, you will have to ask to be released from the ED agreement, withdraw your application from that university, and you will have to apply somewhere else. This is a BIG problem. And it will have a negative impact on anyone else from your secondary school who wants to apply to that same university. They will figure that students from your school are not serious.

If you need financial aid, don’t apply ED.

Hope this helps.

Mark Montgomery

By: collegefinder

collegefinder — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:45:09 +0000

I have read this article and can say that it was really helpful, but still have a question: If I apply to college on ED and I’m accepted, but did not like the financial aid package, can I without any problem don’t agree this offer and apply RD?

By: Educational Consultant and College Planner | Great College Advice | College Early Decision Agreements: Binding or Not?

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:12:44 +0000

[...] As Zac points out, Early Decision agreements can be ruinous for the family that will struggle to pay for college. I have written at length about how these ED agreements work. [...]