Is applying for early decision actually worth it? For each senior, there is a top college in mind that stands above all others. If that college was to accept them, they would choose that college almost every time. So is it worth applying early decision to your top college? In most cases, yes, but you should consider a few criteria before you decide to apply early decision to your top college.
Firstly, does this college have the correct major that you intend to study? If it doesn’t, then you should probably just apply to your top choice in the regular decision. Even if every other factor lines up, the actual major matters a lot. Many students aren’t happy with their major when they enter college, and you are much more likely to be unsatisfied if it wasn’t your first choice. Therefore, consider not applying early decision if your top college doesn’t have your top major choice or a similar option.
Weston Atkin ’26 reports, “I applied EA but not ED because I didn’t really have a top choice and wanted to keep my options open. Secondly, if you haven’t seen the campus before, you might not want to apply early decision. Not enjoying or being content with the physical environment of your college is another factor that should deter you from applying early decision.” Even if everything else is perfect, the quality of the campus is something that matters a lot more when you are actually at the college. If you aren’t sure the campus environment is acceptable to you, you shouldn’t apply for early decision.
William Wetzel 26’ shares, “I would’ve applied ED to Notre Dame if they allowed it, but they don’t, so alas I didn’t apply early decision. I think it helps relieve stress from having to choose between choices later if you’ve already made the choice.”
However, Early Decision is not the right path for everyone. Some students feel pressured into choosing too quickly, or fear missing out on schools they might like even more later in the process. Others prefer having time to compare financial packages, visit more campuses, or improve their grades before committing. For those students, Regular Decision or Early Action can provide flexibility without the stress of a binding agreement. For each Loyola senior, choosing the path that fits your personal goals. Lastly, if the tuition is too expensive for you, you probably shouldn’t apply early decision. There is no guarantee that you will get a scholarship or financial aid, so its best to wait for all of your application results to come back to compare the affordability of your dream college to the others.
Ultimately, if your top choice of college has the right major, campus and tuition for you, there aren’t really any downsides to applying early decision. Sure, you might have to do your college application work a bit earlier than others, but the payoff of getting into the college that is best for you is well worth it in the long run. Good luck with your college applications!