With first semester finished and college application deadlines passed, many seniors find themselves stuck in a waiting period.
While some seniors are still hoping to hear back from regular decision admissions, those that applied for early decision are already receiving feedback.
According to the Princeton Review, applying early decision to colleges is a binding agreement that forces students to commit to a school if accepted there. Benefits, such as scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis, are accessible to those that choose to apply early.
Some seniors, like Josie Rutledge, apply early simply because they know where they wish to attend and want to lock in their commitment.
“I chose to apply early decision because I know the University of Alabama is where I’m supposed to be,” Rutledge said. “I fell in love with the campus, the honors college program and all the opportunities it provided for me.”
Others, such as senior Audrey White, apply early because they have done the research and want to end the ongoing college search.
“I would recommend applying early decision if you’re sure about the college you chose, it’s a right fit, in your budget and has the right programs for you,” White said. “It involves a little bit of research, but it is definitely worth it.”
After being accepted early decision, some committed seniors’ worries have shifted from their school grades to other important tasks, such as finding a roommate.
According to White, she is now less worried about her high school grades knowing she has already been admitted to her university of choice, Saint Louis University. She has instead been able to focus her time on searching for a roommate and dorm, which hasn’t been a hard process for her.
She now has time to also look for appropriate scholarships for her committed school.
“Scholarships have definitely shifted my focus away from school,” White said. “Since I chose a more expensive private university, I am always looking for suitable scholarships that might lower the overall cost.”
Although she has already been admitted, Rutledge still plans on doing well academically. While still balancing high school coursework, she’s prioritizing her friends, memories and cheerleading.
“I mostly spend my time enjoying being with friends and cheering for my last year,” she said. “I feel like the stress of getting into a college is now gone and I can soak up my time as a senior.”
While not fully committed, some students, such as senior Weston Marini, are just glad to have already been accepted somewhere and look forward to having less stress in the new semester.
“I’m definitely less stressed for second semester,” he said. “I feel a lot less anxiety about it all and I believe the semester will be more relaxing for me because of it.”
Since not everyone makes it into their top schools first try, some seniors that applied early decision are now having to look into alternative options.
One such senior is Xavier Wilson, who applied early and got deferred from Stanford University.
Despite not getting the response he would’ve liked, hearing back early allowed him to make adjustments and consider other schools.
“Luckily, I also applied to other schools I would love to attend and a few I’m pretty confident I’ll get into,” Wilson said. “In other words, I’ve thankfully had some alternatives planned for a while.”
Applying early decision can consist of hard work, but can also be a useful step for seniors hoping to commit to a school early in the year.
“Applying early was very helpful for me,” Rutledge said. “Taking the time to learn about the institute you will be attending early on and how you make it your own is super valuable for your future.”