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Does Early Decision increase your chances of getting into
universities of your choice?
Reema Dalal had 'good' SAT scores and grades, and was extremely
keen on getting into Columbia University - an Ivy League university.
Ordinarily, Reema's chances of getting into Columbia would
be around 14 per cent, but since she applied for 'Early Decision',
her chances of acquiring admission were close to 40 per cent
and she was offered admission to one of the most coveted universities
in the United States.
Does Reema's story demonstrate that Early Decision increases
your chances of getting admission? Few universities will actually
claim that a student has better chances of getting admission
if they apply through the Early Decision program. In fact,
Harvard University's website states, "There is no incentive
whatsoever for Early Action colleges to admit weaker candidates
early and then have to reject stronger Regular Action candidates.
Diminishing the quality of the student body would be antithetical
to the goals of any institution." However, statistics
speak for themselves. For the class of 2004, Yale University
admitted fewer than 16 per cent of applicants who applied
for regular admission as compared to 37 per cent of the students
who applied for Early Decision. Similarly Amherst College
accepted 35 per cent of ED candidates as compared to 19 per
cent of regular candidates. Again, at the University of Pennsylvania,
the numbers were 26 per cent and 47 per cent for regular and
early decision applicants, respectively. (Statistics obtained
from The Atlantic)
Early Decision has ramifications on the SAT scores as well.
Research by Christopher Avery of Harvard's Kennedy School
of Government and others, showed that applicants with a combined
SAT score of 1400 to 1490, who applied for Early Decision
were as likely to be accepted as regular admission candidates
whose scores range from 1500 to 1600. Similarly, an Early
Decision candidate with scores ranging from 1200 to 1290,
had a greater chance of being accepted than a regular admission
candidate with scores ranging from 1300 to 1390.
Applicants who are admitted under the Early Decision program
cannot initiate new applications and must withdraw their applications
from all pending universities. Also, keep in mind that you
are not allowed to apply to two universities for Early Decision.
Most schools have a deadline of November 15 for Early Decision
applicants.
Even though the Early Decision program works best for students
who don't require any financial assistance, many schools like
Dartmouth College will match the financial need of students
if admitted under the ED program. Other schools let you off
the hook if their financial aid offer does not match the financial
need you demonstrated.
James Fallows of The Atlantic has a contradictory view of
the entire Early Decision program. "Today's high school
students and their parents have no choice but to adapt their
application strategies to the way Early Decision has changed
the nature of college admissions. Tomorrow's students should
hope that the increasingly obvious drawbacks of the system
will lead to its elimination," states Fallows on his
website.
Fallows on his website claims that universities such as the
University of Pennsylvania have increased their number of
students through the Early Decision program. "When US
News published its first list of best colleges in 1983, Penn
was not even ranked among national universities. Last year,
it was tied with Stanford for Number Six - ahead of Dartmouth,
Columbia, Cornell, and Brown in the Ivy League, and Duke and
the University of Chicago. It also made unusually effective
use of the most controversial tactic in today's elite college
admissions business - the 'Early Decision' program. Early
Decision has helped not only Penn. It holds so many advantages
for so many colleges that its use has grown steadily over
the past decade and mushroomed in the past five years. Early
Decision, or ED, is an arranged marriage: Both parties gain
security at the expense of freedom. But the loss is asymmetrical,
constraining the student much more than the institution."
Despite Fallows' views, Early Decision and Early Action program
have their advantages. If you decide to apply to any school
for ED or EA, make an educated choice. If you are admitted
to the college under the Early Decision program, you will
have to attend the college, so be sure that this college is
your first choice.
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