Seniors: Does the early bird always catch the worm?

There can be a lot of pressure to apply early at this time of year -- from peers, parents and media. Students start thinking that they must apply NOW under an early action or early decision plan.  Before you succumb to that pressure, spend some time understanding how decision plans really work, what the numbers in the headlines actually mean, and whether it's a good idea for you personally. Check out the Decision Plan Chapter Excerpt on the Book page here on the website to understand how your grades and scores could figure into a decision to apply early and benefit from the input on decision plans from the deans at Johns Hopkins, Drake University, and Northern Illinois University, as well as others.

Next week we'll be back with more advice and some reasons why it might be a good idea to sit out the early round. And, in the meantime, for more information about decision plans, including rolling admission, restrictive early action, and why colleges offer different decision plans , see Chapter 15, "Decision Plans," in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.