Early Decision–A Choice You Might Regret Later?

decision written on a notebook

One of my favorite higher education bloggers, Mary Beth Marklein at USA Today, blogged yesterday about a new report that indicated that Many who get early admission to college regret choice later in life.

The research is a bit spotty, it seems. But it seems true that the admissions frenzy often appears to force students into decisions before they are ready to make them.

On the other hand, many students ARE ready to commit to a single college early in the process. I was, for example (many, many moons ago…).

I advise students to go Early Decision only if they are really, really, really, really (really!) sure that they are totally devoted to this one college choice.

Too many students try to game the strategy, and then come up with sub-optimal outcomes in their decision making. For more on this logic, see the book, The Early Admissions Game by Christopher Avery, Andrew Fairbanks, and Richard Zeckhauser.

The admissions frenzy results in some casualties, sometimes. And as the research seems to indicate, the wounds aren’t always apparent until much later.

Mark Montgomery
Independent College Consultant

Early Decision Acceptances Rise at Tufts: A Harbinger?

An article in the Tufts Daily indicates that the university has accepted quite a few more students from its Early Decision pool than last year: 12% more.

It could be, as the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions says in the article, that the pool of ED applicants at Tufts was just outstanding this year. Or it could be that Tufts is hedging its bets in a tough economy and taking more from this pool of students guaranteed to matriculate.

While most admissions officers have a tough time admitting it, their desks are heaving with applications from qualified students. At the margins, the qualitative difference between the student who is denied and the student who is admitted is negligible. (See my article here about the randomness of college admission–as documented by admissions officers themselves).

I will be interested to see if Early Decision acceptances are up at other selective colleges. I will not be surprised if they are. Nor will I be surprised if deans of admissions swear on stacks of Bibles that the reason for this trend is the increased quality in their applicant pools. (Was the Tufts ED pool really 12% better–qualitatively?)

Colleges are businesses. They have budgets. And admissions offices are the sales and marketing arms of these big businesses.

So we’ll see how things continue to shake out in this admissions cycle.

Mark Montgomery
College Advisor


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Early Decision Applications Up–Despite Economic Downturn

Yesterday Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed reported in a lengthy (but characteristically thorough) article that despite the economic downturn, the number of early decision applications to many expensive, private colleges is up this year over last. Mr. Jaschik offers the following possible explanations:


1.  Colleges are better communicating that college fit matters, so students are making decisions earlier about which colleges fit them best.

2.  Colleges are more clearly communicating that early decision applicants will not suffer by receiving smaller financial aid packages than their counterparts who are accepted regular decision.

3.  State colleges are sending out panicky press releases that not only will it be tougher to gain admission, but faculty will be cut, programs slashed, and class sizes increased–messages that send families running in the opposite direction.

4.  Parents are unwilling to sacrifice a quality education for their kids, no matter the financial burdens.


Frankly, however, nobody really can figure out why early decision and early action applications are up at so many expensive private colleges.  What everyone does agree on,  however, is this is shaping up to be one of the wackiest, least predictable admissions cycles ever.


Here are some sample increases of percentage increases in early applications at some private colleges.


Haverford: 13%

Richmond:  14%

St. Olaf:  50%

Dartmouth:  10%

Northwestern:  15%

New York University:  1%

Hamilton:  8%

Warren Wilson:  30%



Mark Montgomery

Educational Consultant




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