EA/ED College App Deadline

EA%2FED+College+App+Deadline

Eliana Posin, Journalist

The date of November 1st has a big red circle around it in many seniors’ calendars. The date is labeled with a big; “EARLY ACTION/DECISION APPLICATION DUE!” As juniors, sophomores, and freshmen see November 1st as just any other day, seniors who choose to apply to colleges with Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED) stress to submit their very first college applications. 

 

What are EA and ED applications, and what is the difference? Firstly, applicants choosing to do ED can only choose one college to apply to. If accepted, they are “bound” to the school and have to commit. EA applicants can choose as many colleges as they want to apply early too, and if accepted, it is not mandatory that they commit. However, not every college offers the option to EA or ED. Around 450 colleges in the US offer the option to either EA or ED. Some offer only one, some offer both. 

 

Many students choose EA or ED, and many don’t. Everyone has their reasons. Senior Eric Lee opted to EA to 6 colleges, making sure he got his common application, essay, and supplemental essays to each college by November 1st. “Honestly, I just wanted to get the applications over with. Early application, early answer, earlier I can commit,” Lee shared. Although the EA deadline was November 1st, Lee said he finished by early October. Even though he made sure not to procrastinate, Lee emphasized how stressful the process was. 

 

Senior Irasema Loredo agreed with Lee on how tedious it is to apply early. Like Lee, Loredo also chose EA. Early Actioning to four universities, Loredo wanted to take advantage of the scholarship opportunities. Students who apply early have a boosted chance of obtaining an academic scholarship, since those applications are the first to slide across the desks in the admissions offices. 

Trident wishes all of the seniors who crammed in their first applications the best of luck when both EA and ED decisions come out in December-January. As for juniors, while everyone still has lots of time, the seniors at CdM recommend starting researching prospective colleges and hopefully avoiding stress in the year to come. Happy deciding and good luck!