Making the decision: rolling, early, regular

Early decision allows you to apply and learn about your acceptance to a college before other applicants, whether early action or regular decision. By choosing this, your application deadline is most likely Nov. 1, and you will hear back in Dec..

However, by applying early decision, you are binding yourself to the college you choose, and, if accepted, that is the college you must go to. You can only apply early decision to one school. 

“Early decision was the most stressful process due to the shorter deadline, multiple essay revisions, the waiting, wondering if your resume is going to be good enough to get you into the school you love, and, most of all, the feeling that everything you were doing was going to have an effect on your future,” graduated senior Rebecca Grossi said. 

Early action allows you to apply and learn about your acceptance to a college before regular decision applicants. This is not a binding decision. 

Applicants have a similar Nov. 1 deadline as early decision students, but are likely to hear back about their admission decision in Jan. or Feb.. 

“Early action was no different than a regular decision, besides the fact that I had to have all my ducks in a row about a month earlier,” graduated senior Kelsey Sullivan said. 

Regular decision allows you more time to complete your applications, and encourages schools to look at the grades of your senior year more than they would if you applied early action or decision.  

The application deadline is often in early Jan., depending on the school. Applicants will hear back from their colleges in a March-April time frame. 

“My experience dealing with regular decisions was pretty standard and did not inflict any doubt,” graduated senior Natalie Elias said. “Stress was an underlying feeling I had, but it dissolved into relief after earning an athletic scholarship to play softball.” .

Rolling admission allows you to submit your application as early as Sept. 1. It is an option many choose because colleges will look at your application when it is submitted, and not after a specific deadline. 

“I loved it because it was simple,” graduated senior Marina McLean said. “I only applied to one school and got it, and now I don’t have to worry about anything else.”