For many potential college athletes, the decision on whether to apply early decision (ED) or regular decision (RD) to college can be agonizing. Considering the fact that most ED contracts are binding, which means if you apply ED and are accepted you must attend that school, this is a tough decision and there are a lot of factors to weigh.
I applied ED (Philippe Mortin – Middlebury Golf) to the college that I now attend and was accepted in the early part of December. I first started communicating in depth with my coach in the summer after my junior year. This was after I had sent him a couple of e-mails during the school year expressing my serious interest for the college. Over the summer, Coach Beaney requested my transcripts and then he forwarded them to admissions for a pre-read of my application. The school got back to me with optimistic, but not definitive, news. As I said, I eventually did get my acceptance letter and was honored to sign on with the college.
What I took away from this experience was through the ED process is that you need to be absolutely certain the school is right for you. I had this particular college on my radar from the beginning of the entire process, and after more research and conversations with alumni and current students, it seemed like the right place for me. I visited the school for an overnight visit and truly could see myself there for the next four years of my life.
Moreover, applying early decision is very important if you want to receive any aid from your coach in the application process. Coaches are only able to use their power in admissions through ED and not RD; this is another reason why applying early decision is a benefit to getting into your top-choice school. However, it is imperative that you do not solely apply to a school with an early decision application in response to the anxiety that comes with the college process. If the deadline for ED applications rolls around and you haven't found the perfect combination of school and athletics, don't panic! There are still a lot of great opportunities for you in the regular decision process where you will still be able to find the perfect school for you.
* Originally published on October 20, 2016, by LRT Staff
