How should we think about Early Decision and Early Action strategy?

Carefully — and earlier than most families do.

Early Decision and Early Action are not simply application deadlines. They are strategic commitments with meaningful implications for the entire school list, and the decision of whether, when, and where to apply early should be made within a broader competitive analysis rather than driven by enthusiasm for a single institution.

We address ED/EA strategy as part of the school list development process. The relevant questions are whether an early application materially improves the client’s probability of admission at a given school, whether the profile is strong enough at that point in the cycle to benefit from early consideration, and what the tradeoffs are — including the binding nature of ED and the financial aid implications. These are not abstract considerations. They require honest assessment of the client’s competitive positioning at the time of application, not months before when the decision is often made prematurely.

The consultation call is an appropriate place to begin this conversation, even if the application cycle is not imminent. For multi-year engagement clients, ED/EA strategy is revisited as the profile develops and the competitive picture clarifies.