Georgetown University - A Message from Dean Deacon: Reflections on Early Programs

[Georgetown Undergraduate Admissions]

Dear Anna,

As you begin your senior year the topic of whether to apply early will surely be on your mind.  We would like to offer you a few thoughts on issues to consider as you approach these decisions.  We will focus on the two basic types of early programs: Early Decision and Early Action.

Early Decision (ED)

Early Decision programs require your commitment to enroll if admitted. Counselors and college admissions officers alike will stress that you must be certain that this is your first choice school if you wish to apply ED.  Having said that, most ED schools will tell you that there is a significant advantage for you if you apply ED.  They will back that up with historic admit rates much higher than those for regular decision and many will accept more than half of their class at this time. If you are absolutely sure this is your first choice this is a good thing, but if you are not so sure this places a significant amount of pressure on you to give up on other choices in order to take advantage of this significant benefit.  This is a particular concern for you if you believe you will require financial aid.  While most ED colleges will guarantee to meet your full need, you will be giving up on the opportunity to consider multiple financial aid offers and there will be no incentive from your ED school to offer more than a basic financial aid award since you are committed to enroll.  If you are considering a program such as Questbridge be aware that if you participate in their match and are selected you will only see one financial aid award.

Early Action (EA)

Early Action programs offer you an early answer usually in the same Nov 1- Dec 15 time frame as ED. The difference is that if you are admitted EA you will be able to defer your decision until the Candidates Reply Date (May 1) which allows you to consider multiple offers of admission.  If you are seeking financial aid, EA will also provide you the opportunity to review multiple financial aid offers, even merit scholarship offers until May 1.  Early Action programs often have some different terms to consider so you should read each college's program descriptions carefully.

Georgetown

Georgetown has offered an Early option for over 50 years.  Throughout this entire time period we have been guided by the principle that you should be as sure of your choice in May as you were back in November. ED programs do not give you this option.  EA applicants to Georgetown must apply by November 1, and by December 15 will be provided with one of two answers, accept or defer. If you are deferred, your application will automatically move forward to the regular decision round. Because we believe you should be free to choose your college until May 1, we also ask that you not apply elsewhere under an ED program while being considered EA as you would not be free until May 1 if admitted.  You may apply to any other non-binding programs while being considered EA and are free to apply to ED2 programs if you are deferred. To be sure there will be ample space for regular decision candidates or EA candidates who are deferred, Georgetown commits to the same admit rate for EA as for overall, with two-thirds of the spaces in the first year class reserved for regular decision applicants.

Final Thoughts

An ever increasing number of institutions have either added ED programs or moved to them. Because we believe binding programs may place unreasonable pressure on you to make a premature choice, we hope this discussion is helpful for you. We welcome you to contact the admissions office if you have further questions about the early options you are considering.

Sincerely,

Charles A. Deacon
Dean of Admissions


 




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