While research shows that those who apply to college the earliest are more than likely to get offer letters, high school students who haven’t yet applied to a college yet will be glad to know that those who apply late often tend to get more financial aid than usual.
And while there is no doubt that people should apply early, thanks to ‘early decision’ programs, there are some students who are better off waiting rather than sending in their applications as early as possible.
- Over-qualified students
It was found that ‘the cream of the crop’ would obtain admittance into whichever college they wished to attend since they had the nation’s highest scores, but applying early would seriously limit the number of options that they would normally have if they applied late.
- Under-qualified students
Applying early only gives underqualified students a slight advantage especially for those who are slightly below the college’s average while those who scores were significantly lower were rejected no matter when they applied.
- Students who need financial aid
Since most top colleges consider matching financial aid offers from other colleges, it’s very clear that in committing only to one college puts the student at an immediate disadvantage. So it’s always wise to apply to several of them, while waiting for their offers.
- Students who are undecided
Most teenagers who are yet to decide what they want to do after high school take some time figure things. Very few of them are actually able to determine what kind of educational qualification will help achieve their professional goals at so early an age.