9.08 "The Decision That Hurts Your Chances of Getting Into Harvard"--and what you can do about it

9.08 "The Decision That Hurts Your Chances of Getting Into Harvard": the WSJ reports

Are you wondering just how much difference it makes to apply to a highly-selective university in the Early Decision/Early Admission round? You may have heard the advice that only students who are absolutely sure of their first-choice school should take on the added stress of getting their application in by the early deadline.The Wall Street Journal analyzed the data for the current round of admissions. The results in the chart below are rather eye-opening.Credit: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-decision-that-hurts-your-chances-of-getting-into-harvard-1522229400As higher-education journalist Melissa Korn observes in this article, "The admission rate for early-round candidates . . . is often two or three times that of regular applicants."Do you think that applying in the early round is only for super-achieving nerds? Korn documents: "Last year roughly 50% of Common Application users applied to at least one school through early-decision or early-action programs."

Gates of Harvard University. Photo credit: Marlena Corcoran

Athena Advises

What does this mean for you? In two words: Start early.Start with your goal in mind. You want everything finished and ready to go in October of your final year in secondary school.If you are applying to highly-competitive universities, begin in 9th or 10th grade to gather information about universities to which you might like to apply. You can also visit campuses! By the time you finish 11th grade, you should have solid grades and test scores, and a track record of extracurricular activities that add substance to your claim to want to study a certain field.

The summer before your application year should be spent fine-tuning your choice of schools--and deciding which would be your first choice,. Why do you want to study X at that particular school? If your reasons are broader, you might want to make your choice based on the way the curriculum is organized.Make your decisions by researching possible choices online. If your family can afford the time and money, visit several campuses to be sure you understand the difference between a small liberal arts college and a large research university.Writing your applications is another great way to make sure you've chosen the right colleges for you. Often, that process make you drill down to the essence of a given college. It will help you be sure of your Early choice--and you'll be ready to make that early deadline!Don't decide to put things off.

Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sites