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You may have heard that applying to college early gives you a better chance of getting admitted. Many statistics indicate that as a percentage more students are accepted who apply early than through the regular admissions schedule. Colleges offer early admission programs to be able to get a better picture of their entering class earlier. However there can be some major strings attached to these early bird specials. Some, like Stanford's early decision, require that if you are accepted you must withdraw all other applications and go to Stanford. This is fine if you know that Stanford is definitely your first choice. Before you decide to apply early, consider the following advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of applying Early Action or Early Decision are that: 1) You demonstrate to the college that it is your top choice; 2) You will find out sooner if you are accepted and thus may not have to apply elsewhere; and 3) Colleges usually admit a higher percentage of those applying early admission than regular admission. The disadvantages are that: 1) If you are deferred (neither accepted nor denied), your application may not be as favorably looked upon in the regular admissions process; and 2) For Early Decision, you are committed to attending the school if you are accepted and must withdraw your applications to all other schools. (For Early Action, you don’t have to make this commitment.) We recommend that you use these early bird specials, especially Early Decision, only if you are sure that the school is your first choice and you definitely want to go there. Otherwise, stick with the regular admissions schedule.
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