Is there an advantage to applying early? Alexi: Darien, CT
Alexi, great question. As you may know, at Babson, applicants can apply under three admission time tables: Early Decision (ED), Early Action (EA), and Regular Decision. It’s important to understand each in order to assess whether applying early is right for you.
Students applying early have the obvious advantage of learning of their admission decisions in December. Those admitted through ED can enjoy the remainder of their senior year with the college admission process behind them. Those admitted through EA can spend the months of January-April further investigating Babson in order to make a well-informed decision about where to enroll.
Given that ED applicants make a commitment to enroll at Babson, we spend additional time discussing these students’ applications. While not a significant advantage, the fact that a student has chosen to apply ED could be enough to tip the scale in a student’s favor within our highly selective admission process. These students’ strong academic profiles, along with their strong desire to be at Babson, make them ideal candidates.
This being said, I always recommend that students apply only when they can present the strongest possible application. In other words, students should not apply early if they feel that their applications will become significantly stronger over the course of their senior year (due to new test scores, an exceptionally strong academic performance in senior year, etc.).
In short, if Babson is your top choice and your academic credentials are within the range of our academic profile, then applying ED is a good approach. If you’re not ready to commit to Babson, but we’re among your top 2-3 choices and your credentials are within our range, then apply EA. Finally, if you’ve not yet determined your top choices (or if Babson is up there but your credentials are below our profile) then Regular Decision is your best bet. It will allow us to see a full semester of senior grades, new standardized test scores, and any other information that becomes available through early March.
To submit a question for Dean Gosselin, please send an e-mail entitled “ASK THE DEAN” to ugradadmission@babson.edu.