Since the introduction of Early Decision, college applications have taken on a new light. Early decision, a branch of early action that signifies to colleges that if they accept you, you will attend the college, serves as a component toward making acceptance more likely.
As the early action season has passed, it was a large part of seniors’ lives. From teacher recommendations to writing personal essays, it served as a large time consumer for students and teachers alike.
“For some people, I have to do the early decision part, and then a counselor recommendation that I have to write,” Dean of Academics Todd McNeil said.
Not only do students have a large role within their applications, but so do teachers in helping their students fill up requirements of their application.
Since the application process takes up so much time, teachers recommend finishing the actual application with time to spare.
“If you’re going for early action, this weekend [Oct. 11], because if you want somebody to put fresh eyes on it, you need to give them time. If the deadline is Thursday, Oct. 15, then you’re wanting somebody to be able to have a chance to look at it,” Director of Student Services and Guidance Counselor Jennifer Kinney said.
This process adds on to the growing workload of seniors throughout their first semester.
“I was very stressed during the process because it felt like there were a lot of confusing steps. Every school has multiple deadlines for different portals and requirements, so figuring everything out was stressful,” senior Anson Books said.
With such an extensive application process, some wonder whether the Early Action deadline is at a good time.
“I think so, because most of the seniors don’t have senioritis at this point quite yet. They’re not feeling the burnout… so they’re kind of driven and motivated.” AP Literature teacher Shannon Axtell said.
With both early decision and early action, it’s a process requiring attention to detail and lots of free time. This demanding application causes teachers to urge students to put in the adequate time and effort to fill out their application.
