DEL.ICIO.USMore Georgia teens applying early to colleges
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, October 31, 2008
William Yowell mailed off his first college application about three weeks before he started his senior year at Walton High in Marietta.
Before he got his first report card, Yowell had finished another seven applications. By the end of September, the 17-year-old could relax knowing he was done applying to college — before many students even started.
Pouya Dianat/Staff Photographer
William Yowell and Buckhead Educational Consultants adviser Joni Towles pore over the necessary work for college admissions. The high school senior applied to several colleges for early admission.
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“It was hard doing all the work over the summer,” Yowell said. “But now, when everyone is running around like mad trying to get all their applications done, I’ll be acing my classes and enjoying both semesters of my senior year.”
Yowell is one of a growing number of students in Georgia and across the country taking advantage of “early action” and “early decision” college applications. These programs typically require students to apply to college by the end of October — several months before regular admission deadlines.
About 15 percent of all four-year colleges offer early application programs and the plans are common among the most competitive public and private universities, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Early action programs are more popular than early decision admission plans because students are not required to attend the colleges that admit them. Early decision programs are binding and require students to enroll if they’re accepted. Typically, early applicants will get some sort of response by the end of December.
Some students apply early in hopes it will give them an advantage in what is expected to be one of the most competitive college admissions seasons in history. A record 3.33 million students will graduate from high schools across the country this year and the huge pool of applicants makes the college application process more competitive and selective.
Other students apply early so they can focus on their classes during their senior year in high school. They also can use the extra time to search for scholarships.
About 11,500 students applied by the Oct. 15 early action deadline for the University of Georgia, an increase of about 7 percent from last year, said Nancy McDuff, head of admissions.
Georgia Tech doesn’t have a traditional early action program, but applicants interested in the school’s merit President’s Scholarship program must apply by Oct. 31. About 1,500 students applied by the deadline last year, while this year college officials said they received that amount by Oct. 1.
Both colleges say some of the increase could be families looking for a good deal in tough economic times. Public colleges are often cheaper than private schools and Georgia students are eligible for the HOPE scholarship, a merit program that pays for most of an in-state student’s college education.
“And I know some kids apply early, thinking they it will be easier to get in,” said UGA’s McDuff. “It isn’t.”
Typically, about 60 percent of the students who apply early to UGA are admitted and about 10 percent are denied, she said. The rest are deferred and considered during the general application pool, she said.
One of UGA’s largest pool of early applicants came from Northview High in Johns Creek where school counselors say 244 out of 663 seniors applied by Oct. 15.
“We’re seeing more kids applying early every year and I think some of what may be driving it this year is the economy,” said Clair Greenaway, the guidance department chair. “I think a lot more are applying to UGA and other schools because they want to or need to stay in state and use the HOPE money to pay for college.”
Chris Dudiak, a senior at Pace Academy, a private school in Atlanta, was among the nearly 170 students Georgia Tech admitted by mid-October.
“It’s a huge load off my back to know I have at least one ‘yes,’ ” said Dudiak, who’s 18. “I’m still applying to other schools, but it’s good to know I have somewhere to go.”
While early deadlines take some of the pressure off, students should never apply somewhere they wouldn’t want to attend just to be done with the process, said Miriam Parker with Buckhead Educational Consultants in Atlanta. The private college advisement company counsels clients, like Yowell, to apply early when possible and to spend part of the summer working on application essays.
Yowell got his first acceptance letter Oct. 1 from Auburn University. But he’s not done yet.
“Getting in is just one part,” he said. “Now I have to figure out how to pay for it.”
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