The decision on early applications

Since my daughter Kayla occupies a lot of my mental space these days, I will continue to talk about her.  This past weekend was supposed to have been her personal deadline for deciding whether to apply early decision (ED) to one college.  Since the application creates a binding agreement between the applicant and the college, it’s not something that should be done on an impulse.  If she were admitted, she would be obligated to enroll.  She started the weekend fairly confident she would apply, but by Sunday she was wondering if she really had all necessary information.  She’s going to think about it for another day.  The application is due Tuesday, November 1, so her thinking time is limited.

Fortunately, for those who are thinking of applying to Fletcher before the Early Notification (EN) deadline of November 15, there’s no need to feel Kayla’s level of worry.  The application is non-binding, and while we certainly hope admitted students will want to enroll at Fletcher, you’re still free to apply to other schools.  The only factor that you need to consider is:  Will my application be complete by November 15?  If the answer is yes, then there’s no reason not to apply.

On the other hand…there’s also no admissions advantage if you do apply.  While there’s a perceived or actual advantage to applying ED for undergraduates, Fletcher is different.  We carry a consistent set of standards from November through March, and (so long as you’re not a PhD applicant for whom the only deadline is December 20) you can freely choose the EN deadline or the regular deadline — whichever suits you best.