Colleges matters July 22

Kevin Sim

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT EARLY DECISION APPLICATIONS TO US COLLEGES

1. It is binding. Meaning - if admitted, you will cease all further applications, including cancelling those you have applied for, and commit to going to your ED choice of college.

2. It will be countersigned by: 1) You 2) Your Parents 3) Your high school counselor/official

3. Deadlines are also earlier for ED1 applications, usually early November.

4. Some schools also have ED2 options, which occur at the same time as Regular Decision - early January.

5. Do note that you can only apply to 1 ED School per application deadline; you can apply for ED2 after failing your ED1 option.

Are there advantages to applying Early Decision?

1. Generally speaking, ED allows the school you be cognisant your commitment to attend if admitted, as opposed to regular decision where applicants apply to a host of schools and can choose to attend any of them, if admitted.

2. So in many ways, under ED schools will consider your application a more ‘seriously’, and with fewer competing applicants.

3. Most of the ED schools give away a significant portion of their class vacancies in ED.

4. But this by no means gets an unqualified applicant into a school.

What should you be certain of before you apply for ED?

1. That this is THE school you are happy with.

2. You have done sufficient research on the programs, environment, etc.

3. You have had this conversation with your parents about the choice.

What are the other early application programs one should be aware of?

1. Early Action - you apply early but even if admitted you are not compelled to attend.

2. Restrictive Early Action - you apply early and only to 1 school; you cannot ED and REA at the same time. If admitted, you can choose to continue to apply normally under regular decision.

3. Rolling Admissions - your applications are read as they are submitted, on a first come first serve basis.

FIVE COLLEGE APPLICATIONS TRIVIA/TIPS:

1. Did you know that many of the flagships universities in Asia and Europe also offer specific degrees in English? These programs are generally a lot more affordable than the more popular options in US and UK.

2. DET, the Duolingo English Test, is also a widely accepted English Language tests in the US and UK alongside IELTS and TOEFL. It can be taken on your own person PC/Laptop and is comparatively more affordable.

3. Khan Academy website has great AP and SAT resources for revision.

4. Even with without IB or A levels, it is possible to apply to UK with additional planning for alternative credentials.

5. English language tests scores should be viewed as: past the post. Once fulfilling the requirements, it brings almost minimal value in trying to achieve extremely high scores, especially when there are different parts of the application which would benefit from the time/effort investment.

WHY ARE SOME SCHOOLS IN THE US REFERRED TO AS COLLEGES

"Through the Generosity of E. Williams, Soldier"

Notoriously, liberal arts colleges like Williams College, Barnard College, Grinnell College, bear the brunt of the misconceptions.

People tend to view the term “college” as inferior to a university, like University fo Wisconsin.

Fact remains that some institutions are referred to as Colleges because they offer only mostly undergraduate degrees. Universities, in comparison, have a host of professional degrees, Masters programs as well as PhDs within their educational offerings, on top of undergraduate studies.

Do note that when studying in a larger university like the UCs, you ultimately enrol into one of the respective ‘colleges’ as well for your undergraduate studies.

LOOKING BEYOND:

Some schools/programs you should have a look at with unique offerings and experiences:

1. St Andrews University (UK) https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/

2. Leiden University (Holland) https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en

3. IE Spain (Spain) https://www.ie.edu/university/

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Kevin Sim is the first local college counselor in Singapore more than 20 years ago, where he spent most of his years at the famed Raffles Institution. He has since left to work with access and education organizations, as well as continuing to work with students from across the world.

Join telegram group to remain in touch: https://t.me/collegecounseling

To contact please email: kk1608@hotmail.com Telegram: @KevinSim1608