Most families confuse the options on the Early Bird Admissions Menu: Early Admission, Early Read, Early Decision, Early Action and Early Notification. Learning these and other admissions strategies will determine where your student will spend their college years, and how much it will cost.
Early Admission:
Typically, the student applies at the beginning of the junior year and goes through the entire process earlier. However, Early Admission is only recommended for the most exceptional students who complete all high school requirements prior to the 12th grade. The student must demonstrate a college level of social and emotional maturity before implementing this strategy. Schools often get into a bidding contest for the truly exceptional student. Some even offer full scholarships for the privilege of having such an accomplished young man or woman. Use with caution!
Early Read:
Many colleges offer to calculate your EFC, (Expected Family Contribution; the minimum the federal government determines your family will pay at any college). Without obligating the student to apply, you simply send them all your financial information at the beginning of the 12th grade. If the student eventually applies, the aid offer has already been predetermined. Surely, you wouldn't want the IRS to calculate your taxes, so why let a college determine your EFC? Avoid this at all costs!
Early Decision:
A program with earlier deadlines and notification dates than regular decision. Students sign a binding contract and commit to attending that school. If accepted, they must immediately notify all other schools and withdraw their applications. If money is not an issue, Early Decision is highly recommended because it will give the student a decided advantage in the admissions process. However, if financial aid is an issue, be aware that the student must attend that college regardless of the aid offered! ED is always recommended at Princeton, as they meet financial need 100% and no longer offer loans. Use with extreme caution!
Early Decision II:
Virtually identical to Early Decision but with later deadlines, usually January 1st. As with Early Decision, only one school can be applied to. Use with extreme caution!
Early Action:
All students are encouraged to apply for Early Action, usually November 1st to January 1st. Due to the increasingly fierce competition, the sooner a student applies the better. For the barely qualified student, this is the only way to go. Such a student would not fare well in the general applicant pool as they would be competing against far too many honor students and would pale by comparison. Also, any grades beyond mid-term may not count. Always implement this strategy.
Early Notification:
Similar to Early Action except some schools ask for a financial aid commitment well in advance of the traditional May 1st deadline. Unless they make an offer you can't refuse, ask them to extend their deadline so your family can consider all offers. Families are advised against negotiating for more aid, because of the serious disadvantage of having no other offers to compare. Avoid this like the plague!
Open Admissions:
Some four-year, most two-year and virtually all community colleges offer admission on a come-as-you-are basis. If they have room you're admitted. Always Implement.
Reecy Aresty has been a financial advisor since 1977. He has authored the critically acclaimed, "How To Pay For College Without Going Broke," an invaluable, parent/student admissions/financial aid manual. Arguably the most revealing book ever written on the subject, it is the only book of its kind also available in Spanish. In a career spanning more than three decades, Reecy has helped thousands of families send their kids to the school of their choice for less than they ever dreamed possible.
Reecy has been interviewed by financial experts on radio and television, and by many of the nation's most respected publications including Money Magazine, US News & World Report, Bloomberg News, Scripps Howard, The Washington Post, Terry Savage (personal finance columnist for the Chicago Sun Times) and Consumers Digest.
Recently, Reecy created The College Information Network™ including The High School Blog, The College Blog, Payless For College and The Way To College dot coms. A Google search for "Reecy Aresty" will result in thousands of links to sites all over the world that feature his articles, advice and methods.
Reecy presents free seminars coast to coast, and his innovative appeal/negotiating techniques have turned unappealing award letters into millions of dollars of additional financial aid. Reecy's book is a warehouse of information that makes it possible for virtually any family to beat the colleges and the federal government at their own game.
For further information contact Reecy Aresty at: 561.477.9639, or visit www.paylessforcollege.com, and never loose sight of the fact that, "The money to send a student to college IS available. Paying for college is the easy part. Getting admitted is the tough part. All the financial aid in the world is useless without an admission ticket."
