Considering Early Decision

Careers and Colleges, Sept, 2000 by Nancy Fitzgerald

* YOU MAY STILL HAVE A SECOND CHANCE. If you are deferred in the early admission process you can still gain admission later on. According to NACAC, of those deferred, an average of 43 percent are eventually admitted.

It was that second chance that did the trick for Andy Shiner, 25, of Cleona, Pennsylvania. He applied early decision to Columbia University, and though he was deferred in the first go-round in December, he was admitted with the regular applicants in April. At that point, he was able to compare offers from other schools, but he stuck with his first choice, Columbia.

(An important note: Although most colleges will reconsider you again in the regular pool, some, such as Wellesley College in Massachusetts, will reject you outright in December.)

THE CONS

* You MAY GET LESS FINANCIAL AID. Tara Zuardo, 19, was a senior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, with her heart set on attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It had evetything she was looking for-- a top-notch psychology department, an excellent track program, and a beautiful campus. So early decision seemed like a great option. But when all the forms were filled out, she was plagued by some nagging doubts.

"I'd heard a rumor that you don't get as much financial aid when you go early decision," she explains, "because the college knows you want to go there so badly and they offer you less. And Penn is so expensive that I was really worried -- what if I got in and T couldn't afford to go there?"

After ruling out Penn because of financial concerns, she applied and was admitted to the more affordable University of California at Berkeley.

It's important to talk with the admission people at your first-choice school to find out exactly what their financial aid policies are. Some schools, such as Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, actually offer their best financial aid deals to early deciders. But a binding early decision acceptance prevents you from comparing one school's aid package with another's. "Those who need a lot of financial aid should definitely keep their options open [and apply regular decision]," says Bill Elliott, vice president for enrollment at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Note that if you do decide to apply early, you may have to fill out some financial aid forms, such as the early version of the College PROFILE, in the fall.

* You MAY HAVE TO HUSTLE IF YOU'RE REJECTED. If your early decision choice rejects you or awards a financial aid package that simply doesn't meet your family's needs, you'll need some backup applications ready to mail out at the last minute. "And it's tough emotionally," says Sarah Pruden, a college and career specialist at Tamalpais High School. "You have to rev yourself up to send out another round of applications just when your pride is hurt and you're feeling rejected."

That's how Lindsay McDonald was feeling when she got the thumbs-down from Stanford, right before Christmas 1999. "I took it harder than I thought I would," she recalls. "I hadn't put much effort into thinking about other colleges -- I was pretty sure I would get into Stanford. And then I had a lot of work to do in a couple of days before winter break."