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Hello

I am an international not familiar with American school system. Can you help with this problem. What is the difference between these two ED and EA. Can you say that one of these is better for students? Thanks

By Blah1111 (Blah1111) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 06:21 pm: Edit

Both ED (Early Decision) and EA (Early Action) require you to submit your application (as the names imply) early, typically in November. ED refers to a binding early admissions, meaning that if you are admitted, you must agree to withdraw all the applications you would have submitted in January had you been deferred or denied, thus agreeing 100% to enroll at that school. EA is nonbinding; in other words, even if you get accepted, you may still apply to other schools in January. In my opinion, ED gives colleges a sense of how much you really would like to attend their school, while EA, although doing the same thing, does so not to the same extent, and is mainly implemented for convenience's sake.

As to which one is better, some colleges (such as Stanford) have recently switched to an Early Action program because they believe that Early Decision causes students to make quick (and oftentimes cursory) decisions of which colleges they would like to attend. If colleges have an early admissions program at all, they implement one or the other.

Hope that helps.

By Mzhang23 (Mzhang23) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 06:36 pm: Edit

Princeton is most likely switching to single-action EA next year.

By Ickyfoo (Ickyfoo) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 07:39 pm: Edit

Which is better? If you're sure about a school, ED is great, especially since there are a smaller number of applicants that are willing to commit to it helps your chances. But like mzhang said, they'll probably get rid of it next year.

By Ilabcurious1423 (Ilabcurious1423) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 08:55 pm: Edit

Why dod they want to get rid of it? Doesn't it help them figure out which people TRULY want to go to their school?