Page 2 - KnightTime News Fall 2019
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KNIGHTtime News
GUIDING YOUR COLLEGE PROCESS
 EARLY DECISION...
Just Like Dinner Out
 By Matt Mettille
Afew weeks ago I was at one
of my favorite restaurants in
San Francisco with a friend who
is a college counselor at another independent school in the Bay Area. The dish I usually order was calling my name (yet again)—that is until the server described the evening’s special. It sounded so good. I’d never had a bad meal at this place and went back and forth about what
to order. I was really hungry, which elevated the importance of this decision. My friend joked that it felt like I was trying to decide where I would apply Early Decision. He said, “You will like both dishes, just pick one because you know it will be good.” I laughed, picked the special, and had another terrific meal. Later that night, I thought more about his statement, and it did make me think about students and families trying to decide if applying Early Decision (ED) makes sense. Students often come
to my office and list two or three colleges they have fallen in love with and are having a really tough time deciding. Like my menu options, those two or three colleges, in most circumstances, are going to provide an excellent education, with leading faculty, intellectual engagement from peers around the world, and a lifetime of memories that will move those students along the trajectory of life.
Here are a few things to think about as you review your menu of ED options.
ultimate way for you to show interest in a school, vowing that it’s your top choice. It’s
a way for colleges to fill their campus with a sizable group of students that are spirited and excited about joining
this community. Colleges can protect their yield percentage and better estimate their enrollment management models if they admit students through Early Decision. It’s clear it’s successful as we see more schools adding Early Decision admission plans (Boston College and the University of Virginia) and
the number of colleges filling a large percentage of their class through Early Decision continues to rise.
2Statistically, it helps. Here are
a few examples for the Class
of 2019, the ED admit rate at Johns Hopkins overall was 31%, and in the regular admissions process, it plummeted to
just 8%. At Northwestern University, the ED admit rate was 25% and just 6% in regular decision. Last year at Menlo, only 58 students applied Early
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Early Decision is a binding commitment that you, your parents, and your college counselor all sign and send to the college saying that
if you are admitted to the university you will withdraw all other applications and attend this one university. It’s the
   “LIKE MY MENU OPTIONS, THOSE TWO OR THREE COLLEGES, IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES, ARE GOING TO PROVIDE
AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION, WITH LEADING FACULTY, INTELLECTUAL ENGAGEMENT FROM PEERS AROUND THE WORLD, AND A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES THAT WILL MOVE THOSE STUDENTS ALONG THE TRAJECTORY OF LIFE. “
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