Early Decision and Early Action are getting a makeover.

Harvard and Princeton have dropped the Early Decision process last fall. That means, that you can no longer secure your spot in your first-choice college if you are admitted, before hearing from other universities. Harvard has also done away with its Early Action plan, in which you apply early to your college of preference and receive a decision well before other students. Now there is only a single admissions deadline- January 1st.

According to an article in the Harvard Gazette: “Then-interim President Derek C. Bok stated that the change was designed to make the admissions process simpler and fairer. In his words, ‘early admissions programs tend to advantage the advantaged,’ as students from more sophisticated backgrounds often use the system to increase their chances of admission, while first-generation college students and those from high schools with fewer guidance counselors and other resources may miss out.”

In other words, these universities have revamped the EA and ED plans because they say that these programs create an unfair disadvantage for low-income students by forcing them to make decisions about colleges before hearing about all of their financial aid offers. These moves are part of a larger plan to make private Ivy league schools more affordable and bring in a more diverse applications and a broader student population. Many ivies are replacing loans with grants and waving their tuition fees for middle and low income students.

At the same time that these changes are happening, the numbers indicate that students are using EA and ED programs more and more. Many students believe that applying and finding out early takes the stress off the college admissions process by securing them a spot early.

So what do you think?
Do you think that EA and ED provide an unfair advantage to students from high-income families?
Or
Do you think that EA and ED are helpful programs in the admissions process?