Early Decision (ED) program applications are due by October and provide applicants with admissions decisions by December. Multiple skewed benefits exist from such programs that heavily benefit early applicants, such as:

• An admissions boost of +10-70% is given to Early Decision applicants. Yes, you read that correctly. Applicants willing to enter into a legally binding commitment to a school are offered an extreme admissions boost. If accepted, an applicant must attend unless financial hardship is demonstrated. More on this later.
• If a student is admitted via ED in December, no additional college applications will be necessary. Successful applicants will enjoy the remainder of their senior year without worry or stress.
• Successful applicants may use their gained time advantage to apply for scholarships and financial aid instead of wasting additional effort on laborious Regular Decision applications.
• Successful applicants may begin planning their second semester senior year coursework, college careers, senior year summer internships, finding a part time or full time job, and preparing for AP exams in order to gain additional college credits while others are under stress and applying via Regular Decision.
• Unsuccessful applicants will gain otherwise unavailable valuable information that will assist and improve their Regular Decision application cycle.

This intensive 8-week course is designed for the rising senior who understands the power of the Early Decision admissions cycle and desires to maximize his or her admissions outcomes. Since applications are due in October, classes will begin in a strict schedule prior to the 2021-2022 academic year. Students will not only become extremely well-versed in the entire ED process, but a specific admissions strategy and game plan will be individually tailored for each student. Since the essay is an integral component of the ED cycle, extreme emphasis will be placed on crafting winning personal statements.

 

Lesson 1: Students will indicate their desired dream and safety school(s). The instructor will dive deeply into each student's academic and extracurricular background and create a list of no more than 3 targeted recommended Early Decision schools for each student based on the student's desired schools matched against the instructor's extensive experience.

 

Lesson 2: After a discussion with their parents, students will provide the instructor with their selected final target school -- narrowed from their original list of 3 recommendations, as well as their high school transcript and all available standardized test scores, portfolios, and other intellectual / personal evaluation items. If key required test scores are missing, a strategy will be formulated for completing the requisite tests in a manner optimized specifically for Early Decision.

 

Lesson 3: Students will provide the instructor and their classmates with a set of drafts of the personal statements required by their target school. The class and instructor will engage in several rounds of peer review. Afterwards, the instructor will provide feedback for each student outlining the optimal essay strategy that should be followed for each student based on the student's unique gifts, interests, and background.

 

Lesson 4: Students will provide a revised set of personal statements based upon the previous class's discussion and feedback. Students will learn what they must accomplish during the first semester of their senior year in order to maximize their chances for ED admissions success. Students will submit a revised round of personal statements for additional feedback.

 

Lesson 5: The most critical component of an Early Decision application is communicating to the school why the applicant desires to make a binding legal commitment if admitted. Obviously, every applicant's answer to this question will vary, but the instructor will guide each student to select an approach based on the applicant's academic and extracurricular profile. Students will submit a revised round of personal statements for additional feedback.

 

Lesson 6: Critical non-essay components of the application will be mapped out and explained in detail: teacher and outside recommendations, admissions interviews, portfolio submissions, additional transcripts, etc. Students will be provided a checklist and timeline for obtaining and submitting these materials. Students will submit a revised round of personal statements for additional feedback.

 

Lesson 7: Students will study successful past applicants of their target school. The instructor will demonstrate to students the art of crafting a confident winning profile. The key ingredients of successful applicants will be examined: extreme accomplishment, maturity level, and future potential. Students will submit a revised round of personal statements for additional feedback.

 

Lesson 8: Students will make the finishing touches on their Early Decision personal statements and begin preparation for submitting the final application package. The instructor will provide each student with a backup Regular Decision application strategy for January in the event their Early Decision outcome is unsuccessful in December.