Doherty is one of a growing number of high school seniors who are applying to college by around Nov. 15. If they are accepted, they are committing to attend by mid-December, five months earlier than the traditional springtime notice.
Students choose to apply early decision for a number of reasons.
First, if the strategy works, it mercifully shortens the stressful college application period. Our applicants will get a measure of preference if they apply early,'' says Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania. That means a student could have SAT scores up to 10 points lower than the average for the regular applicant pool or be slightly lower in class rank. Johns Hopkins may knock off up to 50 points on SAT scores. Typically, high school guidance counselors know which schools look favorably upon early applicants.