Decisions, Decisions: Admission Plans

Applying for college is full of decisions: Do I want a public or private college? Close or far away? Big or small? If you're a senior, hopefully some of those decisions are made and you have a list of colleges you are thinking of applying to. Now you face another decision: Do I apply in the early admission round or wait till the regular round? To make that decision, you need to consider the types of admissions processes and what will best fit your plans.
Many schools have early admission deadlines, but their policies vary depending on the type of early admission. The two basic kinds are early decision and early action, and they are not synonymous.
Early decision is usually binding, meaning that if you apply in that round, you are guaranteeing that you will not apply to any other schools in early admission and, if you are accepted, you will enroll at that college and withdraw any other regular applications. This type of admission should only be used if you are absolutely sure that this is the college you want to attend. It does limit your ability to compare financial aid offers from different schools, as you have to respond well before any offers will be available from that school or any others.
Early action differs in that it is not binding--you don't have to commit to enrolling in that school. It lets you know early whether you are accepted, and may give you an edge in being accepted, as you are usually being compared to a smaller group of applicants. You are able to wait to hear other decisions and financial aid offers before enrolling, which can be helpful.
A new type of early admission is single choice early action, which allows a student to only apply to that school by early admission, but it is not binding and the offer does not have to be accepted early. this gives you a chance to see what other schools accept you in their regular decision process, and to compare financial aid offers from the various schools.
So is early admission worthwhile? Maybe. There can be a slight edge in acceptance rates for binding early decision, but not with early action. It can be nice to have the process done and not be stressed out with applications during senior year. It could also be pretty discouraging if you are denied admission. If you change your mind about wanting to attend the school, being locked in to a binding admission could be a definite problem.
If you have questions about a college's admissions policies, contact the admissions office and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have.