For students who do not want to have to wait to learn if they are accepted into a college, but want a little while to decide where they want to go, Early Action is an option for them.
Talia Clash, a CHS senior who was recently accepted by Susquehanna University, applied Early Action so she would know ahead of time whether or not she could attend the institution.
“I applied Early Action to Susquehanna University because I wanted to know whether or not I was accepted to the University earlier than [Regular Decision],” said Clash. “It was great to get the process behind me and be able to focus on school and other hobbies instead of stressing about writing applications and essays for college.”
For some students, there are downsides to applying Early Action. Reese Bower, a CHS senior recently accepted by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, said he struggled with finishing his application so early compared to other students.
“I like holding off and waiting until the last moment, and then it was like “okay, today is the deadline,” said Bower. “So, I had to do it all in one day.”
Although timing can be an issue for some, for many, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Bower also said that knowing where he is going to college is a major relief to him.
“Early Action is nice because it’s the second marking period and I already know where I’m going,” Bower said. “I already got my roommate, I had my room assigned. I have very little I have to do now. Everything is already planned, which is a nice feeling.”
The period of time an applicant has to decide on a college when they apply Early Action is a major benefit for some students, according to Barone.
“Students will often choose early action because they know the college is of interest to them but are not ready to commit to where they’ll enroll until the spring,” said Barone. “The later reply date also means that these students can compare offers of admission, scholarship and aid before making a final choice.”
This was the main reason Clash chose to apply Early Action rather than Early Decision to Susquehanna University.
“I chose Early Action over Early Decision because the deadlines are relatively similar, and the decision arrives around the same time as well,” said Clash. “However, Early Decision is binding whereas Early Action is not. I chose this because although I knew I wanted to attend Susquehanna University, in the rare event that something happened and I couldn’t attend for some reason, I wasn’t bound by my decision.”
