Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision: What’s Right For You?

Webinar Transcription

2026-08-10-Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision – What’s Right For You?

Lonnie: [00:00:00] Hello everyone. Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar, “Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision: What’s Right for You?” My name is Lonnie Burrell, and I’m gonna serve as your moderator for this webinar. To warn everyone with the webinar timing, we’re first gonna begin with our live presentation, and then we’ll have the opportunity to answer your questions through our live Q&A.

Lonnie: Also, we’re gonna be sharing quite a bit of information, and you may have a question about like, “I didn’t catch that thought.” Well, you can actually download the handout by visiting the handout tab, and the slides are readily available to you at any time. If you have any technical difficulties, please reach out to myself, and again, please direct all your questions to the Q&A tab.

Lonnie: With that said, let’s now meet our presenter

Dr. Aya: I’m muted. Hi, everyone. Good morning, good afternoon, or [00:01:00] good evening. I am Dr. Aya Waller-Bey, and I will be your presenter tonight for our session on Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision. Um, just to say a little bit about me, I always like to begin with I am a proud first-generation college student, which means I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from a four-year university.

Dr. Aya: I went to Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Hoya Saxa, where upon graduation I became an admissions officer and coordinator of multicultural recruitment. After my tenure in admissions at Georgetown, I moved across the pond to begin my education at the University of Cambridge in England as a recipient of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, so a scholarship that Bill and Melinda Gates fund.

Dr. Aya: And, uh, after that, I moved all over the place, moved back to DC, then moved to, to Phoenix, and then shortly after started my PhD in sociology at the University of Michigan, where I study college admissions, particularly the college admissions essay. So I’ve been with [00:02:00] CollegeAdvisor going on my sixth application cycle, and I’m super excited to be able to engage with y’all and answer any questions you might have about the various application cycles to determine what’s the right fit for you.

Lonnie: Great. Awesome. I love hearing your background, Dr. Aya. Thank you for sharing that with our audience. And in summary, she is experienced, and so you all are in store for some great information as you all decide, you know, which application type are you going to do. So with that said, I actually wanna launch our first poll.

Lonnie: Um, and it should say what grade you are in. So please go ahead and submit that. It allows us the opportunity just to know who is with us in our live audience. And so I launched it just a few seconds prior to me speaking, and I see the responses are starting to roll right on in. I’m gonna give it just a few more seconds, and I’m gonna go ahead [00:03:00] and share the results with Dr.

Lonnie: Aya. Okay, we’re ready. They’ve all started to come in. So we have, to no surprise, 78% of our live participants are in the 12th grade, and congratulations to you all entering your final year of high school. We know that it’s filled with so many emotions and of course, the stress of thinking about your college application for some.

Lonnie: Uh, followed by that, we have 12% that are in the 11th grade, and then we have under 7% that are in the 9th and 10th grade, and then 3% other. So thank you all for participating in our live poll. And with that said, I now will turn it over to Dr. Aya to share what do these terms mean as it relates to early action, early decision, and regular decisions.

Dr. Aya: Thank you so much, Lani. All right, folks. So as we dive in, we- of course, we have to define our terms. Okay? So [00:04:00] you might hear language describing early action, early decision, and regular decision. You might even also hear ED2 as well, early decision 2. So early action is a non-binding application plan. That means you c- apply early, which is usually November 1st, but there are some varying early action deadlines.

Dr. Aya: However, if you get accepted, you do not have to commit, right? It is a non-binding application plan. Students receive an admissions decision earlier, as I mentioned, but are not required to enroll. And students can usually apply to multiple early action schools. So multiple, I mean, I actually tell the students that I work with, apply early and often.

Dr. Aya: As many schools you can apply early to, if you have a competitive application and you’re ready, and I’ll talk a little bit more about what that means, I say apply and apply early. Students can, again, usually apply early. However, there are some schools that have restrictive plans. Uh, restrictive early action, which means you can only t- apply early to [00:05:00] specific types of schools, maybe only early to specific private institutions, et cetera.

Dr. Aya: But generally, early action, non-binding, you can apply to multiple. Then you have ED, early decision, right? And I was just- I just left an event where I was talking to some of my colleagues who talked about early decision at University of Michigan, which, you know, as of last year, adopted a ED plan. It is a binding application plan.

Dr. Aya: If admitted, students agree to enroll and withdraw colleges from other colleges. Uh, uh, excuse me, withdraw applications from other colleges. So again, you apply early decision, you get in, you’re telling them, “I’m coming,” right? And you have made a commitment. You have signed a policy that says, “Once-” Uh, admit it, I’m going to go.

Dr. Aya: Typically best for students who have a clear first choice college and have a clear understanding of what finances are gonna look like. And w- again, we’ll talk more about pros and cons. But again, if you have a clear first choice, I want to go here. If I’m, if I get accepted, [00:06:00] I’m going there. And you’ve talked extensively with family about what does it mean as far as affordability And again, ED has now a ED1, early decision one, and some schools are now offering early decision two, a second option, which means they know that some students are not gonna get in early decision in December.

Dr. Aya: So they’ll often have a ED2, which usually occurs in January, which is again, another binding decision, but it’s a slightly later deadline. It’s not that November 1st deadline. And then you have regular decision. Traditional admissions timeline, when I applied to college 100 years ago, I applied only regular decision.

Dr. Aya: Um, students apply by a later deadline, typically January, some schools February, but they receive decisions in the spring by April 1st. Uh, it provides the most time to strengthen applications and compare offers, and it gives you time if you need to retake standardized test or if you just need that first [00:07:00] semester of your senior year, if you need those grades to boost that GPA, then apply regular decision.

Dr. Aya: So these are the three primary application plans. Also note, not mentioned here is rolling decis- uh, rolling application programs, which students are applying currently. The Common App opened on August 1st. So some schools, they don’t require essays, you just submit that application. You can get that dec- uh, decision, you know, after you, uh, apply.

Dr. Aya: So there are some rolling decisions, um, applications as well. But these are the three main ones, and the ones particularly for schools that are more selective. So as I mentioned, there are, you know, four primary types of application deadlines, asterisk five, including that rolling decision, but these are the main ones.

Dr. Aya: And for ED1, deadlines are typically in November. Decisions are released in December. Okay? Early action, again, that non-binding program, deadline’s typically in November. Typically, but not always. Sometimes it can be in [00:08:00] October. Decisions are released primarily in December or January, okay? ED2, deadlines are usually in January, and that’s because they want students to get those EA, ED decisions.

Dr. Aya: So if you got in or didn’t get in, they want students to have that information. And then they typically then require you to submit in January, and decisions are released in February. So again, still before the, uh, regular decision folks. Those deadlines vary, but they’re typically between January 1st and 15th.

Dr. Aya: Some schools go all the way into February as well. And the decisions are released between March and April for RD. And again, students generally have until May 1st to make a final decision. However, students are making decisions earlier than that if housing is on the line, if they have to secure fi- you know, first-year housing.

Dr. Aya: Some students will, you know, deposit as soon as possible. If there are scholarships Or awards that require earlier deposits or decisions. Some students are also doing that. And again, early [00:09:00] decision admits. If you get dis- uh, admitted on December 6th, they might tell you you need to make a decision by January 1st, okay?

Dr. Aya: Because they’re trying to get an understanding of how, you know, how many regular decisions or ED II students they’re going to admit. So the, these are the typical or standard timelines for each Now, popular question. This is probably one of the most popular questions we receive for students thinking about early, uh, application or application plans.

Dr. Aya: Does applying early affect the likelihood of being accepted? Well, at many colleges, ED admission rates are higher than RD. So early decision admission rates are slightly higher than regular decisions. So for some people, they apply early because of that. They say, “My chances are a little higher, so let me, you know, let me increase the odds,” right?

Dr. Aya: Higher admit rates, however, do not mean applying early guarantees admission. I often like to tell students that early applicant pools are [00:10:00] often higher income, higher prepared students with strong academic records. You’re competing against students with, you know, typically higher test scores, um, and who are incredibly strong or prepared.

Dr. Aya: Also, the sample, the rates are higher because it’s just you’re competing against fewer students, right? So 500 students apply early and 1,000 students apply regular, right? The percentage of, you know, the favorability, the likelihood of you getting accepted is higher because you’re competing against fewer students.

Dr. Aya: So just think about that. Colleges value ED also because it improves enrollment predictability, their yield. It improves how many s- yield, how many students they accept, accept the offer. So s- colleges like to boast and say 85% yield, 90% yield, right? That’s very hard to come by. It’s typically the more, the most selective schools in the country have higher yields, right?

Dr. Aya: But colleges want to improve that, right? They want to know the students they admit are [00:11:00] going to come. So that’s the value for ED for schools. Students should apply early only if their apps are truly ready. And I encourage students to look at their complete profile. Are those ninth through 11th grades strong?

Dr. Aya: Because if you apply early decision or action, you’re not really going to… The universities are not going to see that first semester of your senior year when they’re reviewing your applications, right? Because remember, decisions are typically made in December. In your families, I said this earlier, you need to be clear about financial obligations and will be able to attend without aid.

Dr. Aya: I cannot tell you how many wonderful, brilliant, delightful students and families I have worked with. They get those ED acceptances and they simply cannot afford, no matter how much they saved, they carried the one, they divide it, they dotted their I’s or crossed their T’s, and it’s still $30,000 a year and they just cannot afford it.

Dr. Aya: And it’s heartbreaking to have to talk to families and help them [00:12:00] navigate that, especially if the school was a dream school. So please, please, please, please be clear about your financial obligations. There is a asterisk here, however, and it’s always important for me to say this as someone who was a first-generation low-income student who was high achieving.

Dr. Aya: Because schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need, like the Ivys, like the top, you know, 30, 40 schools in the country, they will meet that need. So if you’re a low-income student applying to very selective schools, like, you know, again, the Ivys, very selective schools, they m- you know, they usually have a need-based policy.

Dr. Aya: So if you get in and are accepted, and if you need, you know, extensive financial need… I was a student at the time, it was called estimated family contribution. Mine was zero. So when I applied to schools, I intentionally looked at schools that met 100% of demonstrated need, and those schools gave me the most generate, uh, generous financial aid, which allowed me to graduate college without student loan debt.

Dr. Aya: So there is a [00:13:00] caveat there that I always wanna emphasize for students who might fit the first generation low income profile that also might be, you know, s- extremely high achieving. Okay? Now, pros and cons or pros rather of applying early decision. You know, as we’ve said earlier, it may increase admissions chances at some colleges.

Dr. Aya: Again, some colleges report very distinct numbers, right? There’s a huge disparity, uh, for students who applied early as opposed to regular decision… Or excuse me. Yeah, early decision as opposed to early action or regular decision. Um, it also demonstrates a strong commitment to the institution. Strong commitment, right?

Dr. Aya: Because again, when you apply ED, you’re saying, “If I get accepted, I’m coming.” Students also receive an admissions decision earlier. For some students, the sooner they know, the more relieved they are. They can go into the holiday season or the winter break season with a sense of relief, knowing that they have [00:14:00] their, their decision in tow, right?

Dr. Aya: It allows them to focus on the second half of senior year without having to scramble with applications or think about more essays. It can truly be a relief for a lot of families. And again, it reduces stress by ending the college s- uh, search process sooner. So you know sooner than later. And again, allows students to focus on academics and scholarships during senior spring.

Dr. Aya: Because you get into the school, you might say, “Okay, we have to come up with $10,000. Let me now invest solely into identifying scholarships that align with my interests, my background, et cetera.” So again, it could be a great relief for a lot of families. With that in mind, applying early decision also means you are committing to attend that school.

Dr. Aya: That’s why you only get one ED, right? You can only apply to one school early decision And ’cause if you get in, you’re saying, “I’m coming.” And that does not give you a lot of opportunities to compare financial aid offers from multiple institutions. It [00:15:00] also may not be ideal for families with significant affordability concerns.

Dr. Aya: I’m always thinking about that middle class family, right, where they can put a little something on it, but they can’t completely afford to pay $80,000 a year. So if you ED, again, you’re making that commitment to say, “We can figure this out.” And that’s a lot of financial stress and stressors for families.

Dr. Aya: Students must be ready to submit their stronglest- strongest application earlier, and I’ve seen this a lot. Um, some students start school in, um, August. Some students start school in September. Fall can be just insane with classes, coursework, senior activities if you’re really involved, class president or student senate.

Dr. Aya: You’re planning homecomings. It’s, it’s a lot. So that means you have to be using this time now, the summer and the fall, to really get as much done. That personal statement by this point, close to finish. You want to have a strong college list. You want to have some plan because you’re [00:16:00] gonna blink and it’s gonna be Halloween and the applications will be due.

Dr. Aya: So it does force students to submit their strongest applications much earlier, right? And some students, again, need more time. And again, it limits flexibility if interests or priorities change later in senior year. So if you get accepted to that school, and then you’ll take some classes maybe in your high school or community college, and then you realize, “Oof, I actually don’t like finance.”

Dr. Aya: I mean, you have applied to this school because their business program, and you got accepted, and you’re like, “Wait a minute.” However, I do, I do want to say you can always change your mind. You know, once you get into the school, you can definitely change your major. Uh, most students actually do that. So but it does limit flexibilities if interests or priorities change later in senior year, ’cause you’ve already made that decision, okay?

Dr. Aya: So again, a reality of applying early decision. These are some of the cons. Now, when it comes to early action, you see some of the benefits of applying early. Uh, early decision, you receive your decision earlier without a binding commitment. [00:17:00] This is why I think EA, again, if your application is ready, I’m like, apply EA.

Dr. Aya: It’s not binding. You get that decision earlier. You get to, you wait to make a decision. You don’t have to make a decision in December or January. You can make the decision by May 1st like everybody else. You can compare those admissions and financial aid offers. It can reduce that uncertainty and stress during senior year, similar to ED.

Dr. Aya: It can demonstrate you’re organized and you’re prepared, and again, it provides flexibilities to apply to other colleges, right? ‘Cause you can get in EA and then decide, “I’m still gonna apply to some other schools RD.” Granted, if you’re applying EA to some places, hopefully there’s a strong interest and you get those decisions and you’re like, “These three schools I got in early action, that’s where I wanna be.”

Dr. Aya: Okay? But cons, right? Early decision requires students to complete apps sooner, and students may have fewer senior grades available to strengthen their applications. And again, some students need that last semester of their senior year to get that GPA up. [00:18:00] You know, maybe you’re te- teetering between, you know, a 3.7 and a 3.8 and you really want to have a 3.8, so you’re gonna wait until you get those senior year grades from that first semester.

Dr. Aya: As I mentioned earlier, some colleges do offer restrictive or single choice early action, which might limit your ability to apply early elsewhere. Not all colleges provide a significant admissions advantage through EA. So unlike ED, where you can see those numbers, for EA, there’s often not a significant admissions advantage.

Dr. Aya: And students, again, similar to ED, might feel pressured or to rush applications because they’re like, “I gotta get in early, I gotta get in early,” even if it’s not necessarily the best fit for them

Dr. Aya: What are the pros of applying regular decision? Well, it provides the most time to improve grades, test scores, and application materials, right? Because you’re typically applying in December, or, or excuse me, January, and for some [00:19:00] students, they like to use that time during that winter break to work on applications because they don’t have classes, responsibilities are different usually around that period, around the holiday time.

Dr. Aya: So it gives more time. It allows students to comple- uh, to continue to explore colleges and refining their list, right? So it gives you more time, more flexibility. You can compare, you know, decisions and financial aid, right? Because you don’t have to make that decision typically until May 1st. And then senior year achievements and coursework may strengthen the application.

Dr. Aya: So you might accomplish something amazing, right, in the first semester of your senior year. So that can be incorporated. And as always, it does offer some flexibility throughout the process, right? You have more time to settle into your senior year, which for a lot of students is really important. But with that, like the other application plans, there are cons, right?

Dr. Aya: Um, their admission rates are often [00:20:00] lower than ED at highly selective institutions. That’s because you’re competing against more students. You know, again, I use the example of you apply to one school and there’s only 500 EA or ED students, then you apply during regular decision and now you’re competing against 10,000.

Dr. Aya: So the competition, it’s just more s- applicants, right? Students wait longer to receive admissions decisions, and that process can be grueling for some folks. Instead of waiting a month and a half, some p- you’re waiting two, three months sometimes, and folks are like, “Let me know,” right?Um, the spring decision period can be more sh- uh, stressful and competitive.

Dr. Aya: More applicants, everyone’s talking about it. You know, there’s articles in s- you know, newer times. Everyone’s making TikToks about it. It’s a lot of pressure for students. And colleges may have filled a lot of their class with the EA or ED students, right? Students have less time between decisions and de- enrollment deadlines, so that becomes the kicker.

Dr. Aya: If you receive a decision on April 1st, you then [00:21:00] have to make a decision by May 1st. That’s not a lot of time. Some families like to use that time to visit schools. I mean, sometimes Easter or spring break is in that period, but not always, right? Sometimes that can be in May. So it can be a lot of pressure to figure out what the decision’s going to be in, you know, 28, 29, 30 days, right?

Dr. Aya: You also might miss earlier scholarship deadlines. There are some deadlines that are internal to universities that require earlier applications. You might not be ED or EA, but it might say if you’re interested in, you know, merit aid, you must apply to this school by January 15th. Even though you’re applying regular decision, they might say you have to apply early if you want to take advantage of scholarships, and that could be, again, tough for folks.

Dr. Aya: That’s a con in a lot of ways if you’re waiting for a purpose to apply regular decision[00:22:00]

Dr. Aya: Also wanna note, if you do apply early decision, uh, and you are rejected, yes, you can apply early action or ED or regular to a, a, a school. I saw a, a comment there. So how can students make the best plan for themselves? So as always, you wanna assess whether you have a clear first choice. Um, some students don’t.

Dr. Aya: They say, “I just wanna get into the best school possible, but I don’t have a clear first choice.” So in that case, ED may not be the best fit for you, ’cause that’s a binding decision. You need to consider your family’s financial situation and so you can compare financial aid offers. I told this story earlier.

Dr. Aya: I’ve worked with so many talented, amazing young people, and then those decisions come down and that financial aid rolls out, and it’s $60,000 a year, even with a small scholarship. So you really need to be honest and have honest conversations about your fa- family’s financial situation. You wanna evaluate whether you can actually complete a high quality application [00:23:00] by ED, by early deadlines, by EA deadlines.

Dr. Aya: If you know you are a procrastinator and you will not have your ducks in a row by those EA and ED deadlines, maybe those are not the best, um, application plans for you. Talk with your counselor, college counselor, family, trusted advisors about your options. What makes the most sense? And choose the timeline that best balances your strategy, affordability, and your personal readiness.

Dr. Aya: Again, we want you to be ready. We want you to be prepared, okay? It’s gonna be a stressful, busy time regardless, but we don’t wanna add any unnecessary, um, stress for you if you are still trying to balance out what’s a good fit. Take your time. Think thoughtfully about the decision you make. And again, consider…

Dr. Aya: I, I know you’re like, “She keeps saying the same thing,” but please, please, please consider your family’s need to compare financial aid offers. If you need to look for the best financial aid offer, if you’re not just [00:24:00] bankrolling, if you know you’re gonna need scholarships, if you know you’re gonna need need-based aid, please, please, please seriously consider whether or not ED, early decision in, in, in particular, is a good fit for you.

Dr. Aya: Now we’re gonna transition to, to questions, I believe.

Lonnie: Yes, we are. Okay. Thank you so much, Dr. Aya, for sharing this great information with our audience. And while you were speaking, we definitely started getting some questions, so we are ready to dive on into our live Q&A. So for those who have not already placed their question in the Q&A tab, this is now the time to do so.

Lonnie: We’ll take the next half hour to answer as many questions as possible. Wanna just give everyone a reminder that everything that Dr. Aya just went over is available by visiting our handouts tab and downloading it accordingly. So with that said, we’re now gonna move to the first question, and it says, “Do colleges prefer ED1 [00:25:00] over ED2?”

Dr. Aya: Is there… From my knowledge and my background and my experiences, no. It isn’t, there’s no, there’s no preference. It’s a different timeline. It just means that a student perhaps wasn’t ready or may have gotten a decision from a EA school or another application plan a- and wasn’t, you know, didn’t love those options, so they wanted to commit or show commitment to another kind of ED option.

Dr. Aya: So from my experience, no. And I, I’ve worked with students here with CollegeAdvisor who, uh, may have gotten deferred, uh, from places ED, and then ED two somewhere else, and they, they were able to have successful applications. So no, there is no… If they offer that opportunity, take it, if you really am committed to that particular institution.

Lonnie: Okay, great. We’re gonna move to the next question, uh, which has to deal with the financial aid-

Dr. Aya: Got it …

Lonnie: piece of it. So it says, [00:26:00] “If financial aid is an important consideration, how should a student balance the possible admission advantage of ED against losing the ability to compare financial aid offers?”

Dr. Aya: So you said, “If financial aid is an important consideration, how should a student balance the possible admission?” Mm-hmm. Well, I mean, it … There’s no advantage if you can’t afford to go,

Lonnie: so. Correct.

Dr. Aya: Correct. So that’s, that should, that should reign supreme. That should be the priority. Um, I think the s- potential of a admissions advantage is not enough if you may not, if you cannot afford it anyway.

Dr. Aya: So I think you should think about finances first before you think about, um, the potential admissions advantage. That is my professional opinion.

Lonnie: Correct. Correct. And so just kind of a second part, and I can imagine you probably have a few questions very similar, so everyone, I’m gonna definitely do my best to [00:27:00] filter through all of them.

Lonnie: Um, so if you get in and you end up not being able to afford it, can you still go to another school that’s affordable?

Dr. Aya: Yes, great question. So this is a very popular question because unfortunately it happens quite a bit. So when you make a decision to apply early decision, you are making a commitment to say, “If I’m accepted, I’m going to go.”

Dr. Aya: That’s why it’s a binding offer. There’s a, you know, you, you, you sign it. There is a commitment there. However, if it comes down to it that you absolutely cannot afford it and there is financial hardship, you can back out of that decision. Um, w- is it frowned upon? Yes, I think culturally, and especially folks on admission side, we would question why did you kinda decide to apply if the financial situation wasn’t clear.

Dr. Aya: But you can, and students do, and they [00:28:00] go on to attend amazing institutions and live happily ever after. That’s not the preferred, right? This is a question you wanna ha- a conversation you wanna have before you apply. If, you should ask yourse- if I don’t receive financial aid based on my financial situation, based on the net price calculator, based on this school’s financial policy, can I afford to attend?

Dr. Aya: That is a question you should ask before you apply. If the answer is no, ED may not be the best fit for you. But if you absolutely cannot afford it and it is a financial hardship, you can back out of that agreement and apply to somewhere else, which students do and have done because we know financial realities are, um, a part of the process.

Lonnie: Okay, thank you. Um, this next question has to do with pre-admission. So, uh, one of our participants has been receiving loads of emails about pre-admission, and asked [00:29:00] if you didn’t mind kind of explaining the process of what that is and how this process works for those who are receiving information about pre-admission.

Dr. Aya: I’m not sure what pre-admission is exactly. So am I… If I’m hearing correctly, you are receiving Just correspondence from universities perhaps encouraging you to apply, which is very popular at this time of the year. Um, there are s- students, because of their academic profile, I was one of those students, I would receive, uh, admissions decisions from schools I did not apply to saying, “Congratulations, you got accepted to,” insert university, “with a $25,000 a year scholarship.”

Dr. Aya: I was like, I don’t even know where this school is located, who these people are. But because of my test scores or something, maybe a SAT, I was admitted. You know, those were schools that were not necessarily aligned with my academic interests and et cetera, so I ultimately did not decide to enroll. So I [00:30:00] did receive that type of correspondence.

Dr. Aya: I can’t for certain know what they mean by pre-admissions, but I know this is the season where people are going to receive a lot of correspondence via email or in the mail, um, because of standardized tests or maybe some of the honor societies you were a part of. Mm-hmm. Um, but I would need a little bit more clarity to, uh, truly understand what they mean by pre-admissions.

Dr. Aya: If these are schools offering admissions based on the numbers, the test scores or GPA, which happens. Um, and you don’t have to attend those schools, right? They are just trying to entice students with high academic potential, um, to accept their offers because it helps build up their, their profiles. But that, that’s my response at the base level based on the context of that, that question.

Lonnie: Great. Great. Okay, thank you. And again, for, um, the person who asked that question, if you wanna add a little bit more insight- Yes … and clarity, um, so that we can make sure that we’re, we’re answering it accordingly. But, um, thank you so [00:31:00] much, Dr. Ayah. So I’m gonna move to the next question, and it says, “Does it matter when you apply during the early action or regular decision period, like when the application opens versus when it’s like the last day to apply?”

Dr. Aya: Great question. No. So for schools who have hard deadlines, early decision, early action deadlines, they are typically not reviewing applications until after the deadline. When I worked in admissions at Georgetown, we had EA at the time. We did not review applications before November 1st. We were traveling, we were visiting high schools, we were hosting alumni in res- in our respective kind of regions.

Dr. Aya: So no, you can apply on Halloween, on October 31st. You can apply on September 1st. If it is not a rolling admission school or rolling decision school, then if they have a hard deadline, typically, particularly the schools who have ED, they are not reviewing applications until after the, the deadline. [00:32:00]

Lonnie: Okay, next question.

Lonnie: How important is the GPA when a student has an amazing extracurricular resume, shout out to you, uh, and schools… Because schools are always mentioning they’re looking for the whole picture.

Dr. Aya: GPAs are the most important part of a application, I would say, and my colleagues will probably say this. When I interview admissions officers for my research for my PhD, I asked them how important the essay was, the GPA, and the resounding, uh, response was, first and foremost, the GPA.

Dr. Aya: The high school transcript. Your record of achievement over time in various levels of courses, um, is one of the better indicators for how you might perform in college. So the GPA and the, the transcript, the grades you earned, even more important than a GPA, the grades you earned and the classes you’ve taken are con- considered, uh, one of the most important parts, uh, or [00:33:00] points of data in the a- uh, admissions process.

Dr. Aya: Having strong extracurriculars is incredibly important, um, especially for more, um, selective universities that practice holistic admissions. But a amazing record of extracurriculars still does not outweigh how you have performed in the classroom, um, over time. So GPA is still, uh, one of the most important parts of the application.

Dr. Aya: The high school transcript in particular is one of the most important parts of the application.

Lonnie: Okay. If you are rejected from an ED or EA, do you have to resubmit your application for regular decision at most schools?

Dr. Aya: So you are not resubmitting. So l- l- let’s clarify this. If you are rejected by a university, you’re rejected.

Dr. Aya: So you don’t get to apply to that school in that same application cycle. You might try to apply as a transfer student, but you [00:34:00] don’t get to apply in that same cycle. If you’re rejected, that means just move on. Um, now, if you apply early decision, early action, November 1st, you get rejected from some schools, you absolutely can apply ED2 to schools in January and/or, uh, regular decision to other schools.

Dr. Aya: So you still have plenty of options. But if you are rejected, like rejected, not postponed as, um, University of Michigan did this past year, not deferred, not wait-listed, rejected, that means you need to move on to other schools. And yes, you absolutely can apply ED2 where appropriate and regular decision

Lonnie: Okay. Um, does regular decision give you less scholarships

Dr. Aya: So that, that’s a qu- um, there’s a asterisk there because it depends on the school. So if it’s a selective [00:35:00] university that doesn’t provide merit-based aid anyway, there isn’t really a big difference because the most selective universities don’t provide scholarships, only need-based.

Dr. Aya: They don’t, you know, they don’t provide merit s- aid. A d- you know, so r- that’s a caveat there. Um, if you are a need-based student, if you need ba- if you have need-based aid determined by your FAFSA, um, and what your SAI, your Student Aid Index is, if a school admits you and they’re selective and competitive, they’re still going to fund you.

Dr. Aya: Otherwise, you know, they, those schools tend to meet 100% of demonstrated need. Um, for some schools, regular decision might, uh, negatively impact your merit aid options. I mentioned this earlier, some state schools in particular, large public universities, land grants, from my experience, applying earlier is better, um, because they might say there is a regular decision deadline could be February 1st, but if you want aid or scholarships, that [00:36:00] deadline could be December 1st.

Dr. Aya: So if you wait till February 1st, you’ve already missed those aid deadlines. So to a certain, depending on the school, it may very well negatively impact your ability to get merit-based aid. For some schools, it won’t make a difference. So it is a very school-specific, uh, circumstance, if you will.

Lonnie: All right, let’s move to the next question.

Lonnie: Does the SAT score play a role if it is optional to submit your score for, for early decision or early action? So if

Dr. Aya: you don’t submit a SAT score or if you do submit a SAT score to a school, to a optional, um… Yeah, so, okay, so the SAT matters for schools who require it and for schools who are test optional. And it matters for the test optional schools, if you submit it, they’re going to review it. So for test optional schools, whatever data, [00:37:00] whatever information about yourself you give them, they’re going to use that as they make determinations about your candidacy.

Dr. Aya: Um, if you submit, if you choose not to submit test, um, to a school that’s test optional, you give them one less piece of information about you, but that means they are then going to prioritize that high school transcript more, those grades more, those essays more, those letters of recommendation. So essentially they shift, instead of giving them five pieces of information, you gave them four, so they’re gonna hone in on the four that you did give them.

Dr. Aya: Um, and, and you c- you know, one thing students tend to do or families tend to do is, you know, just look at the common data set to see how, like, what the outcomes are if students are more likely to submit or not to submit. But if schools require you to submit something, whether it’s a personal statement or a supplement or test scores, that means it’s, it’s important to them, right?

Dr. Aya: The b- the level of importance might vary, but it is important. It’s something they’re going to evaluate. If a [00:38:00] school is test optional and you choose not to submit your test scores, that means they have made a commitment to not, you know, um, put you at a disadvantage. That means they’re going to hone in in what you do submit.

Dr. Aya: So you wanna make sure you have strong grades, strong essays, strong letters if you’re gonna choose to go test optional. And I’ll say this caveat. This past application cycle, I worked with quite a few students who were test optional, and they got into some of the best schools in the country. So I just want to let you know that it is not an end all be all.

Dr. Aya: So many students think, “Man, test optional, if I don’t choose to submit those scores, they’re gonna mi- that’s going to signal that I’m not competitive or that I’m not smart.” And I just want to reassure you that is not true, that a lot of brilliant students choose not to submit test scores for a number of reasons, and they still get into some of the best schools in the country.

Dr. Aya: So I just wanted to highlight that.

Lonnie: Okay. Um, from your work in admissions, could you give us insight on what admission officers see first when looking at a student’s [00:39:00] profile?

Dr. Aya: What they see first. That’s a great question. And I know you guys hate when we say this, it depends. Because schools have different metrics, right?

Dr. Aya: Some, um, you know, increasingly universities are masking kind of biographical information. Um, but they might know, they might see first that you’re a first-generation college student. They might see parental educational attainment. Um, based on the way the application is, like, downloaded in the system from the Common App or various Common App portafos- portals, they will see the biographical information, and then they, they see it almost in the order of the Common App, right?

Dr. Aya: So then you have the extracurricular activities, and then you have the honors and awards, and then you have the essay. Now, whether or not universities read it in that order is a different question, but I want you to use the Common App almost as a guide as far as that packet is what they’re looking at.

Dr. Aya: Like, literally you can download the PDF once you submit or f- complete that information. That is actually the packet, um, [00:40:00] admissions officers have when they’re reviewing applications. So look at that as your guide of like, okay, they see biographical information, what’s appropriate, right, given the Supreme Court decision in 2023, and then they have your extracurricular activities, and then they have that personal statement, then they have letters of recommendation.

Dr. Aya: So I want you to think about it, um, in that way, because that’s typically how we read. We read, like, almost based on how the packet is presented us through the various CRMs and portals

Lonnie: Okay. Uh, does ninth grade matter? What if a student receives a B in ninth grade but earns As in all subjects for the rest of high school?

Dr. Aya: Okay. Folks, Bs are fine, okay? Everybody calm down. A B in ninth grade is, is, is perfectly fine, okay? We all… I, I, I, I’ve gotten a B or two in the past, okay? You’ll be fine with a B. Um, ninth grade does matter. Every, uh, grade that is on that high school transcript [00:41:00] before, you know, while admissions officers are reviewing it matters.

Dr. Aya: Um, but we always look for a upward trajectory. So say you ha- ninth grade can be a really rough adjustment for a lot of students. Middle school is still a bit of hand-holding. In ninth grade there’s a lot more independence. High school is m- a lot more independence. So if you got a B or two and then it’s been up and stuff ever since, then that’s what they’re gonna look at.

Dr. Aya: Upward trajectory is something admissions officers love to see, ’cause it says as the classes got more competitive or more rigorous, you still perform quite well. So you’ll be fine with a, a B in, in ninth grade, especially if your grades continue to, um, improve and you got all As after that. You’ll be fine.

Lonnie: Okay. We’re gonna take a short pause, provide Dr. Aya a little break as well, for me to share some of our real student success stories. So these are students who have worked with us through our CollegeAdvisor platform. Okay, so the first student that I would love to highlight is [00:42:00] DJ, who had always dreamed of becoming a physician.

Lonnie: Although he has strong grades and an impressive healthcare-related experiences, he needed help turning his long, detailed writing into concise and personal college essays. His advisor also helped him narrow his college list, manage deadlines, and navigate the financial aid process. DJ was accepted to several highly selective schools, including Emory, Georgia Tech, and Johns Hopkins.

Lonnie: He ultimately chose Johns Hopkins, where he received approximately $61,000 per year in institutional aid and plans to study neuroscience and molecular and cellular biology. I have another student that I would like to highlight, and her name is Abby. Abby knew she [00:43:00] wanted to attend a highly selective college, but she felt she would have to navigate the process largely on her own because her school counselor was very busy.

Lonnie: She began working with CollegeAdvisor as a sophomore, giving her advisor time to understand her interests, goals, and personality. Together, they explored colleges and helped Abby recognize that Cornell’s Nature Center campus and academic opportunities were a stronger fit for her than her original top choice.

Lonnie: Her advisor then helped her strengthen her essays and complete an early decision application. Abby was accepted to Cornell, where she could pursue her passion for animals and her goal of becoming a wildlife biologist.

Lonnie: These are just two examples of the 10,000 clients CollegeAdvisor has guided through the application process. Our [00:44:00] team of over 300 former admissions officers and admissions experts is ready to help you and your family navigate the college admission process in 1-on-1 advising sessions, 1-on-1 advising sessions, and also essay editing.

Lonnie: To learn more about how you can get started with CollegeAdvisor, please scan this QR code to sign up for a free 60-minute strategy session with an admission specialist on our team. During this meeting, you’ll receive a preliminary assessment of your academic profile, along with some initial recommendations on what you can do to stand out.

Lonnie: At the end, you’ll also learn more about the premium packages we offer that will pair you with an expert who can support you in building your college list, editing your essays, and much, much more. We are here for the whole process. So I will continue to have the QR code on the screen in ca- in case you did not catch [00:45:00] it, and then we’re gonna go ahead and continue for the next few minutes with our remaining questions.

Lonnie: Dr. Aya, are you ready?

Dr. Aya: Yep, I’m ready.

Lonnie: Okay. So let’s move on to our next question. What is an ideal timeline to stay productive for college applications if you are applying early decision?

Dr. Aya: That’s a great question. So we are in August, which is a great time to be working on personal statements and, and essays.

Dr. Aya: Um, the personal statement is such an iterative process. It’s also one of the first pieces of the application component that the student solely has control over, and I actually think it can give students a lot of confidence to finish that so then they can move on to other components, especially other essays if they’re applying to schools that have supplements.

Dr. Aya: So I think right now you should have a college list. Um, so the list of schools, 12 to 15, uh, is often the sweet spot for me. [00:46:00] 12 ideally. Um, and then a, a draft of that personal statement. Um, created a profile in the Common App. That application portal opened or reopened on August 1st. So have that in there.

Dr. Aya: And then if you have not started school yet, just make sure you already have a list of s- uh, teachers that you plan to ask to write letters of recommendation for the schools that require it, and then have a resume that lists, you know, your activities. You know, the Common App allows you to list 10 activities and five honors or awards.

Dr. Aya: So have a list of that, whether it’s in a, a spreadsheet, so you can be ready to input that in there. Um, but for students who are applying ED or EA, again, those deadlines are typically November 1st, and I always encourage students to try to submit two weeks before the deadline. That is usually not the case.

Dr. Aya: A lot of folks procrastinate because they’re applying to multiple schools or fall of senior year is really busy for a host of reasons. But I always say try to submit those applications by, you know, two weeks before, um, November [00:47:00] 1st, because it can get just… There’s… I mean, the amount of things that go wrong, the, the printer breaks, the internet goes out, there’s a storm.

Dr. Aya: We see the, the current of our world. It could be a, a forest fire. There’s just so many things that could go awry, right, if you wait till the last minute. So giving yourself two weeks to breathe is often what I recommend. But right now, if you’re a senior right now, make sure you create your Common. Um, make sure you create your, um, Common App, um, por- portal.

Dr. Aya: Make sure you are working on that personal statement. Make sure you have a resume or a list of 10 activities, five honors and awards, and just really start working on those things and get ready to start requesting letters of recommendation where, when your school year resu- resumes if they haven’t already done that.

Lonnie: Okay. We’re gonna move to the next question, and it, for some reason it disappeared. But basically the question asked, um, that a lot of their options require [00:48:00] them to have a letter of recommendation from their counselor. However, their counselor doesn’t really know them that well. So would it be, you know, frowned upon if the student did not provide a recommendation from the counselor even though it is saying that it’s required?

Dr. Aya: If a letter of recommendation is required from your counselor, it needs to, you need to provide a letter of recommendation from your counselor. It is re- it’s required. However, there are additional… There’s parts of the application where you’re able to submit additional information. I think it would be appropriate to say, “Our counselor is new,” or, “This counselor just started.”

Dr. Aya: That was the case in my high school, actually. We had, I had three high school counselors by the time I graduated, and the counselor I ended up with, we were not aligned. Um, but, um, I didn’t talk about that in my application. But I think if, if there’s truly a case where, um, the counselor may not know a lot about you be- be- maybe your school is really large, maybe there’s one counselor for 400 students.

Dr. Aya: Um, maybe she just started the job. Um, I think it’s, um, [00:49:00] you can say, you know, you might can suggest that the- there’s a new counselor. I also would say counselors tend to be really honest about that. Um, universities tend to understand the dynamics of schools, especially public schools. Y- your counselor may not know you because there’s just 400 people, and coun- and, and high school, uh, excuse me, admissions officers have context.

Dr. Aya: We look at high school profiles. We also know counselors’ letters are pretty standard. They’re pretty standardized. Very few counselors know students really well. It’s the teachers who tend to know s- students really, really well. So I would not let that worry you. I would let the counselor write the letter that they need to write, and then I would focus on getting teachers, um, to write letters that are thoughtful, that are more specific to you.

Dr. Aya: But if it was truly, truly a situation like your counselor did not know you because it’s 400 students, they just started a job, I think you could flag that. But if it’s just your counselor not knowing you because you didn’t talk to your counselor or that might just be the nature of [00:50:00] the culture of your school, I don’t think that’s something worth pointing out.

Dr. Aya: The letter will speak for itself. The, uh, college admissions officers will have context about your school. Focus on, uh, getting the strongest teachers’, uh, letter of recommendations as possible. That’s how I would kind of think about that process.

Lonnie: Great. Thank, thank you. This next question says, “If a student has ADHD and works hard to improve academically, but does so at the expense of extracurricular activities, should they disclose their ADHD in their college essay, or is it generally better not to disclose a disability in a college application?”

Dr. Aya: That’s a great question, and it’s something increasingly, not just ADHD, but anxiety… Well, anxiety is a part of it, but just students who have just solely, uh, anxiety or other disabilities or students who are differently, um, differently able, there’s a lot of [00:51:00] angst, um, for folks to think about that. I’ll say this, um, it really is optional.

Dr. Aya: You know, colleges technically cannot legally ask about your disabilities. Um, and then is this a student who has like a, a IEP, individual education plan? Have they received accommodations? Um, colleges, again, cannot ask about those things in the application process, so it’s completely up to you to disclose those things.

Dr. Aya: I know some people feel like they might be discriminated against, even though, again, legally, they’re not supposed to do that. Um, and then this idea of they have to work extre- extremely hard and, and that has made it difficult to participate in extracurricular activities, there’s often so many students because of familial obligations, financial obligations, other realities, that cannot participate in 25 clubs, right?

Dr. Aya: That is not the reality, I would say, as the, of the average student, [00:52:00] frankly. So I think it’s okay if you don’t have 10 activities or, you know, 25 activities or you haven’t invented something or started an organization. That is perfectly fine. You can still get into a really competitive college. Back to the question about should you disclose it, again, that is a decision up to you, so I cannot say absolutely.

Dr. Aya: I think the conversation and the language around ADHD and anxiety and disabilities have changed. I used to say, I mean, 10 years ago, I would tell students not to disclose things like that, um, because I don’t think we were as sophisticated and thoughtful in the admissions processes. I think we have come a long way.

Dr. Aya: Um, but you don’t want even open yourself up for the possibility of being , I don’t, I won’t use the word discriminated against, but you wanna give yourself as many options as possible. So in short, it’s up to you entirely whether or not you choose to disclose whether or not you have a disability. Again, legally, colleges cannot ask you, even if you’ve gotten accommodations for standardized tests and et [00:53:00] cetera, they, they are not supposed to ask you those questions.

Dr. Aya: If you feel like your ADHD has really contributed to the person that you are, and therefore you choose to write about it in your personal statement, it’s, that’s a decision you have to make entirely. Um, but I, I would not, I wouldn’t want you to frame even how you understand it as a hindrance to you.

Dr. Aya: Think about all the good and the value it has given you, and I would lean into the positive as opposed to what it might have hindered you from achieving, because it seems like you’ve done exceptional given your circumstances.

Lonnie: Great, great. Thank you so much. So moving to our next question: How strong is an ED applicant pool compared to that for the regular decision pool?

Lonnie: Is it actually harder to get into ED even though the admit rate is higher because you are competing against a stronger pool of ca- candidates? Is this true for all highly selective schools? [00:54:00]

Dr. Aya: I think it’s actually, I think it’s more competitive. I do. The… It’s so funny because you’ll see the admissions rates, but I think you’re competing against fewer students, but the students you are competing against tend to be stronger and wealthier, um, because they have the resources to have a competitive profile by the time EA, ED, excuse me, by the time ED comes around.

Dr. Aya: So that is my take. That’s been my experience working in admissions for 10 plus years now. Um, it’s very competitive. I mean, because think about it, if a student is applying Early Decision, especially if they’re submitting test scores, that means they feel like they have knocked it out the park already, and that they feel confident and competitive with the scores that they have.

Dr. Aya: So you might, you know, be competing with students with, you know, 1450 and et cetera. Again, it’s not a blanket. There’s students who are applying ED and EA test-optional, so I don’t want to reduce it solely to quantitative factors, but I just wanted to let you know that students who are ready and feel prepared tend to be, you know, students who have, uh, done incredibly well, right?

Dr. Aya: Otherwise they wouldn’t apply Early [00:55:00] Decision. So that’s what we mean about it’s a smaller applicant pool because fewer students are ready at that time, but the students you are competing against tend to be, uh, high achieving because they feel comfortable enough in their ac- academic profile from so- freshman to junior year to apply in the first place.

Dr. Aya: So there’s not a blanket one size fits all. I would encourage you to look at, whoever asked that question, the common data set for the schools that you are interested in. Google Common Data Set and then insert that school, and that will give you a little bit more information about the competitiveness

Lonnie: Great.

Lonnie: Great. Thank you for sharing that resource as well. Common Data Set. Go ahead and check that out by doing a Google search. Our next question: “Is there an admission benefit to applying to Georgetown restricted early action?”

Dr. Aya: Uh, I’m only laugh- you know, I, I’m a Hoya, so I’m laughing. Like I ra- I rarely just get people asking about Georgetown like that.

Dr. Aya: I’m like, “Ah.” Um, w- it said, was there a [00:56:00] benefit to applying restricted- Yes … early action? I don’t know if I can necessarily answer that question in a sense of a true benefit. You know, when I worked in admissions there, we actually didn’t have REA, it was only EA. Restricted early action has come out, came out later.

Dr. Aya: Um, you know, restrictive early action operates in some ways as a non-binding ED option, where it allows you to get your decision earlier, and it also signals to the university that you’re very serious. That you’re saying like, “I really wanna go here.” And I do think that is beneficial because they’re like, “Okay, this student really wants to go here.”

Dr. Aya: Because it does restrict you from applying EA to other private universities typically. Um, so that’s the biggest, uh, factor. Again, similar to the previous question, go to, uh, Common Data Set and Google Georgetown University and see if there’s truly a statist- statistical advantage as far as like the, the admissions outcomes.

Dr. Aya: But I can’t say matter of fact it’s beneficial, but as I said early in the [00:57:00] presentation, applying early is beneficial because you get your decision earlier, and allows you to make de- you know, make different decisions about finances and scholarships, and enjoy the second semester of your senior year without worrying where you’re going to college and can you afford it, et cetera.

Dr. Aya: So there is an inherent benefit, in my opinion, applying early. Restrictive does restrict your opportunities to apply early to other places, but that can also signal, as I said, to the university that you’re serious about it, and that if accepted, you might heavily consider attending.

Lonnie: Okay. Someone asked, “Can we rely on the net price calculator as a determinant for what we may pay if we choose early decision?”

Dr. Aya: It’s pretty accurate. I mean, the… And you might notice N- NPCs look different from different types of institutions. They use those, they factor in their own institutional datas and formulas. So it should give you a really accurate picture of what you might end up paying, um, if accepted, given your current situation.

Dr. Aya: Again, once you get your, [00:58:00] um, Student Aid index from FAFSA, once that, when that opens in the fall, um, that will give you some more information about what the federal government suggests that you might be able to afford to pay. But the NPC is supposed to be a really, um, school specific indicator about what affordability looks like.

Dr. Aya: So I would definitely use that as your, as your kind of north star when thinking about finances, for sure.

Lonnie: Okay. Um, someone would like to know, how much time do admission officers usually spend reviewing the applicant’s file before they make a decision?

Dr. Aya: Whoo. That’s a hard one to answer because there’s so many factors.

Dr. Aya: If you’re a small liberal arts college or a highly selective school that says it’s 6,400 undergrads, maybe, you’re gonna spend a, a bit of time looking at all the factors. Like if a admission… If those schools tend to ask for a lot of stuff, so universities have to spend a lot of time reading all of that stuff.

Dr. Aya: Large public universities, not so much because they’re, the volume is 20,000, 30,000, 40 thousands of, uh, applications. So it really depends. [00:59:00] Um, it ju- it, it’s, it’s so hard to say. It really depends on the s- the size of the school and the amount of applications. But again, if they are asking you to submit particular things for application, they’re asking because they’re gonna consider it.

Dr. Aya: They’re gonna review it. So please take your application incredibly seriously. And again, sorry it’s, it’s so hard to answer that question because there’s so many factors involved, size of school, size of applicant pool, et cetera. Um, but we spent, I spent time reading essays. I spent a decent amount of time reading those, so please take all components required by the schools seriously.

Lonnie: Correct. Agree. Okay. So we have now entered our, we’re now at the end of our webinar. Thank you.

Dr. Aya: Oh, that was fast!

Lonnie: It, it went really quickly. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight, and thank you, Dr. Aya. We hope you gained some tips and strategies for applying to early decision, early action, regular decision.

Lonnie: We even talked about rolling admissions as well. Just a reminder [01:00:00] to our audience that once you exit the webinar, you will be re- redirected to a page where you can schedule the free call with an admissions specialist on our team. So stick around and that screen will pop right up. We hope that you’ll join us for a future webinar.

Lonnie: Until next time, take care and have a great evening.

Dr. Aya: Bye, everyone. Thank you. Good luck. You got this.

Lonnie: Bye