early action

Rejected from UVA Early Decision 2023

Receiving a rejection letter from your dream school in the Early Decision round can seem like a heavy blow. You’ve put in countless hours of hard work to be a strong candidate and had high hopes for your future at UVA. It’s really important to remember, however, that the outcome here isn’t a reflection of your potential (or your worth). College admissions have become incredibly competitive and UVA’s acceptance rate is just 19%, according to U.S. News and World. And by the way, we don’t think this means you’re not qualified to get into similarly competitive schools. So, don’t despair. Read our guide below on what you should do next:

What Does it Mean to be Deferred from a College? 

We want you to get into every college that you apply to, we really do. We want all students to have that low stress, all success, wonderful fuzzy feeling that only a tiny percentage of students applying to college ever get to feel. But that isn’t how it happens for the vast majority of students, so it’s time to plan for how it normally goes, which includes a pinch of frustration, an ounce of rejection, and — ideally — a mighty helping of perseverance. One of the most confusing possibilities in this process isn’t rejection, though, it’s the “eh, maybe later” of deferral.

Princeton University Early Action: a History

Princeton eliminated Early applications this year...again. So, what? When Princeton announced it’s switch to test-optional for this upcoming application cycle, we weren’t surprised. They were the last of the Ivies (and a number of other schools) to announce, and we thought it was pretty likely that they’d follow suit. In a less expected twist, though, they also included in their announcement that they were switching to one (Regular) application deadline/cycle, thus eliminating their Single Choice Early Action option that they’ve had (on and off) for the last couple of decades.

Choosing a College for Early Decision or Early Action

Subject: Choosing a College

Message: Hi! I’m going to be applying to college very soon. I have my three top choices, but I have been back and forth on which one I want to apply ED to and cannot figure out how to decide. I know I would be happy at all three of them, but if I apply RD, my chances of getting into any of them goes down. This decision is making me physically and mentally sick! Any advice for how to make it?

Should I Apply Early Action or Regular Decision to a Reach School

Early Action is an application option offered by some colleges and universities. Early Action (EA) application means that you apply early, typically on or around the Early Decision deadline in early November. You then receive a response of acceptance, rejection, or deferral in December. If you are deferred, your application will be considered during the Regular Decision cycle. If you are rejected, you cannot submit another application Regular Decision. You can apply EA even if you are applying Early Decision to another institution.

What Do I Do If I Get Rejected from My Early Decision School?

We know. Just seeing this headline makes you want to slam your computer shut and call in sick from school. Take a deep breath. We’re not saying you’re going to get rejected or even deferred. While, every year, kids do get rejected from the ED schools, most of our students get in where they want to go. However, we always recommend a contingency plan because the only thing worse than not getting in is not getting in and having no backup plan. Let’s call this insurance.  

Get your Regular Decision Applications Ready

We know it feels great to finally have submitted the bulk of your applications, but just in case you don’t get accepted to wherever you applied early, we suggest starting your regular decision applications. We recommend starting the next round of applications sooner rather than later because although applying early will help you in the process, a lot of students will end up getting deferred. This means they must apply elsewhere in case they are eventually rejected during regular decision.

When Is The Last Time I Can Take The SAT or SAT 2 For Early Decision Schools?

Early decision school applications are due in the beginning in November on either November 1st or November 15th. Early decision has increased in popularity over the past few years as many people believe that there is a significant advantage to applying early. While there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to applying ED, we always want to make sure our students know about the different testing deadlines. Can they take a November SAT and have it count? Do they have to send the scores directly?

Should I Apply Early Decision to College?

When you apply to a school Early Decision you are making an unbreakable commitment. You’re telling the school, “you’re my first choice and if I get in I promise to attend.” There’s basically no caveats, exemptions, or options. If you apply to a school Early Decision and you get in, you’re going. If this sounds a little scary, that’s because it should be. Choosing to apply early is a big decision with ramifications for you long beyond the college process. It’s vital to thoroughly weigh the pros and cons. Early decision isn’t for everyone, and often times when students apply ED for the wrong reasons the college process can become even more stressful. 

The Difference Between Early Decisions 1 & 2, Restrictive Early Action, and Early Action

Early Decision (ED), Early Decision II (ED II), Early Action (EA), Restrictive Early Action (REA). All of these are ways students can apply to a school before Regular Decision. But, it is easy to get lost in a sea of abbreviations, overlapping deadlines, and indecipherable admission statistics. So we’re going to go through and outline the differences between these programs, what they mean, and the various deadlines.