Notifications for Early Decision (ED), Restricted Early Decision (RED), and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) will be delivered within the next two weeks. This year, as in previous years, there will be many more tears than fist-bumps.

Here are some of the staggeringly competitive numbers of the ED applicant pool from Princeton Review’s Best 389 College & Universities – 2024 edition:  Brown University – ED (www.brown.edu), 6,146 applied, 15 percent accepted; Columbia University – ED (www.columbia.edu), 6,299 applied, 12 percent accepted; Duke University – ED (www.duke.edu); 4,070 applied, 22 percent accepted; Vanderbilt University – ED (www.vanderbilt.edu), 5,044 applied, 18 percent accepted.

Students who were rejected or deferred will find themselves in phase two of their application process. Many will examine their lists more closely to reevaluate their thoughts on which schools are “reaches,” “targets,” and “safeties.”

There is a relatively new wrinkle in college admissions is an admissions program called Early Decision II (ED II). Traditional ED programs have a November 1 deadline and a December notification. ED II deadlines are typically January 1 with notification by mid-February. This extra time allows students who were deferred or rejected from their first choice school to apply with a binding decision, and perhaps a boosted opportunity to another college.

According to my latest research, 75+ colleges and universities offer ED II including: Emory University (www.emory.edu); Boston University (www.bu.edu); Tufts University (www.tufts.edu); Davidson College (www.davidson.edu) ; and Vanderbilt (www.vanderbilt.edu) . For a complete list visit:https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/early-decision-ii/.

Benefits of ED II

ED II allows students more time to prepare their strongest application. That may mean rewriting their Common Application essay or refining their supplemental prompts or it may mean another chance to take the standardized tests. ED II also gives students with strong performance in their first semester senior year another quarter or semester of grades to share with colleges. According to Sally Rubenstone, Senior Advisor at College Confidential (www.collegeconfidential.com) “Applying Early Decision does give students a bit of an admissions-odds boost at most colleges. Admission folks are usually willing to lock in strong-but-not-spectacular candidates whom they know will show up in September.”

Why do colleges offer an ED II program option?

Colleges really like Early Decision I and Early Decision II because accepted students are committed to attend, and that increases their yield numbers and the yield number impacts their rankings. Additionally, it helps the admissions office shape the class by allowing them to be pickier with the regular decision applicants. As an example, if a student’s big advantage is that they play the oboe and that was a hole the admissions office filled with an ED I or II applicant, it will be more challenging for that student to be accepted in regular decision.

Potential Disadvantages

Rubenstone also shares that “there can be some financial disadvantages to applying ED in any round because an affirmative decision will eliminate your chance to compare multiple aid packages. But, on the other hand, if an ED school does not offer reasonable aid then it’s okay to wheedle out of the so-called “binding” commitment.”

 Lee Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@bierercollegeconsulting.com; www.bierercollegeconsulting.com

As a graduate of one small college (1,000 students in a town of 10,500) and former employee of another (900 students in a town of 10,000), I want to make a suggestion as your students are exploring colleges: Don’t be too quick to cross small-town and rural colleges off the list.

I compiled a bunch of advantages with the help of some small-town college alumni. Here are just a few:

1. Tuition and housing prices may be more attractive. Enrollment at small colleges fluctuates from year to year and a lot of them have sizeable endowments. This means that they tend to give large amounts of merit money to entice students to attend. Plus, in small-towns, most off-campus housing is less expensive.

2. It may be safer. Students, in general, feel safer walking around a small town and a small campus.

3. It’s easier to build relationships with faculty and staff. Professors and administrators tend to live closer to campus, which creates more opportunities for your student to interact with them outside the classroom or office. There may be cookouts at the president’s house and informal gatherings at professors’ houses. “It was nice running into my professors outside of school in random moments and having a non-class-related conversation,” one small-college alum told me.

4. Your student probably won’t need a car. Everything – from the grocery store to the laundromat – is probably within walking distance of campus. Students who patronize the local watering holes (after they turn 21 of course) can walk home instead of driving. “Sometimes we just want on a walk in town,” a former student told me.

5. Small colleges tend to have better organized activities. In cities and larger communities, the colleges may expect students to find their own fun on the weekends. Said one parent, “My kid ended up choosing a small college in a big and exciting city, and there are very few organized on-campus activities. At this school they expect the kids to venture off campus for their activities and entertainment.” I worked for one college that had over 80 organizations for 800 students!

6. It’s easier to focus on academics. There are fewer distractions. Per one small college alum: “College in a rural town can be a cherished time to focus on academics, becoming an adult and building lifelong friends. It can be a very rewarding experience to be in a beautiful, scenic rural college town. There is also something special about being together, ‘in the middle of nowhere,’  in the cold, and just focus on learning.” Another alum said she just enjoyed seeing the stars at night and breathing fresh air.

7. There’s a greater sense of community. With fewer places to go in town, students tend to do things in larger groups. Friendship groups also tend to be larger, more diverse and a bit less cliquey, especially if the college is also small. “Most everyone stays on campus on weekends because it’s too far to drive home,” one alum told me. “I think it helps students learn to cope with issues that might arise because they can’t always go home to escape the situation.”

8. It broadens your student’s perspective. City kids learn what life is like in the country, and country kids can see what city life is like when they accompany their friends home for the weekend. It’s also easier for students to become involved in town activities, like volunteering at the library or tutoring at the local elementary school.

 There are a lot of reasons to cross a college off the list of schools you and your students are considering. Too big, too close, too far away, too expensive. Students should always choose the colleges where they feel most at home, of course, but don’t let them ignore a college just because it’s “in the middle of nowhere.” Trust me… they won’t be bored!

V. Peter Pitts, M.A., is an advisor with My College Planning Team based in the Chicago area. www.CollegePlanningTeam.com . He retired after 42 years in the college admission business, most recently spending 27 years at Monmouth College. Peter holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Iowa and a bachelor’s from Wartburg College.

Are your students putting together a list of all the College’s they are considering applying to and possibly attending? If so, there is a tool developed by Going Merry that is offered free to your students they might consider downloading. It’s free. This worksheet can help them understand the “true cost” of attending any college. It includes information on how to consider the future earning potential of different schools and how merit scholarships and grants can help defer the cost.

Here is the link to it: https://docsend.com/view/medih4ye2vyni727