TEXT ONE

　　When Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Harvard announced last fall that they would drop their early admissions options because they gave an unfair advantage to affluent students, many college counselors held their breath. Would early decision go the way of kegs in dormitories? Not for now, at least. Early admission is still going strong at many colleges and universities, including many top-tier schools.

　　Early decision in particular--in which a student commits to a first-choice institution--is often touted as a plus for both schools and students. Colleges can lock up half of their class before January, and acceptance rates are typically higher than under regular admission. The major drawback of early decision is that it leaves students who are in the market for the best financial aid package out in the cold. By applying early, you must enroll if accepted, so comparing awards with those of other schools is out of the question. Schools like that, of course, because it helps their bottom line. But there is a possible end run: Ask if a school will release you from your obligation should its aid package fall short. In some cases, a school will roll you into the regular admission pool, allowing for comparison shopping come springtime.

　　While some schools admit almost the same percentage of applicants during early and regular admission, many favor the early pool. Johns Hopkins University took 44 percent from its early round and 24 percent from the regular pool. Early birds at Hopkins make up a third of this falls freshman class.Nonetheless, college counselors have seen borderline students get a boost by applying early decision. If they arent legacies, athletes, or an underrepresented minority, early decision may be the only hook that some students have, says Jim Conroy, chair of post-high-school counseling at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Ill. But you need to be realistic. If a school is out of your reach, its out of reach whether you apply early decision, early action, or regular admission, says Sarah Wilburn, a college counselor at Campus Bound in Quincy, Mass. Move on and set some new goals.

　　Advantage or not, applying early decision makes sense only if youre convinced that a school is a good fit for you. Erin Murray decided to apply to Dartmouth early despite the advice of her college counselor and others. They wanted her to beef up her transcript after she had spent a semester of high school in Italy. But the teenager from Cheyenne, Wyo., wisely played up her experience abroad and was accepted. I probably would have fit well at a number of schools, she admits, but Dartmouth was the only place I could see myself walking across the greens. It was a gut reaction.

　　If you lack the same certainty but clinching a slot before New Years is appealing, consider other early admissions plans. Early action is a nonbinding alternative that allows you to apply by November 1 and hear back before the regular application deadline. Some highly selective schools require that you submit only one early action application--called single-choice early action--meaning you cant apply early elsewhere. Another option is to apply early to rolling admissions, where an application that arrives in the fall may stand out more than one that arrives with most of the others in January.

　　TEXT ONE

　　When Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Harvard announced last fall that they would drop their early admissions options because they gave an unfair advantage to affluent students, many college counselors held their breath. Would early decision go the way of kegs in dormitories? Not for now, at least. Early admission is still going strong at many colleges and universities, including many top-tier schools.

　　Early decision in particular--in which a student commits to a first-choice institution--is often touted as a plus for both schools and students. Colleges can lock up half of their class before January, and acceptance rates are typically higher than under regular admission. The major drawback of early decision is that it leaves students who are in the market for the best financial aid package out in the cold. By applying early, you must enroll if accepted, so comparing awards with those of other schools is out of the question. Schools like that, of course, because it helps their bottom line. But there is a possible end run: Ask if a school will release you from your obligation should its aid package fall short. In some cases, a school will roll you into the regular admission pool, allowing for comparison shopping come springtime.

　　While some schools admit almost the same percentage of applicants during early and regular admission, many favor the early pool. Johns Hopkins University took 44 percent from its early round and 24 percent from the regular pool. Early birds at Hopkins make up a third of this falls freshman class.Nonetheless, college counselors have seen borderline students get a boost by applying early decision. If they arent legacies, athletes, or an underrepresented minority, early decision may be the only hook that some students have, says Jim Conroy, chair of post-high-school counseling at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Ill. But you need to be realistic. If a school is out of your reach, its out of reach whether you apply early decision, early action, or regular admission, says Sarah Wilburn, a college counselor at Campus Bound in Quincy, Mass. Move on and set some new goals.

　　Advantage or not, applying early decision makes sense only if youre convinced that a school is a good fit for you. Erin Murray decided to apply to Dartmouth early despite the advice of her college counselor and others. They wanted her to beef up her transcript after she had spent a semester of high school in Italy. But the teenager from Cheyenne, Wyo., wisely played up her experience abroad and was accepted. I probably would have fit well at a number of schools, she admits, but Dartmouth was the only place I could see myself walking across the greens. It was a gut reaction.

　　If you lack the same certainty but clinching a slot before New Years is appealing, consider other early admissions plans. Early action is a nonbinding alternative that allows you to apply by November 1 and hear back before the regular application deadline. Some highly selective schools require that you submit only one early action application--called single-choice early action--meaning you cant apply early elsewhere. Another option is to apply early to rolling admissions, where an application that arrives in the fall may stand out more than one that arrives with most of the others in January.