As seniors apply to schools, the deadline for many early action and early decision schools approaches as November 1st nears. Many students have already submitted many of their applications, while the rest are preparing most of their applications to be submitted through the Common App.

“I started my essay and supplementals in the summer so I was able to get a lot of applications submitted really early,” senior Joshua John said.

Early Decision requires students to attend the school if they are accepted; it is a binding decision. Early Action is no different from Regular Decision, besides that applying earlier may give students a higher chance of being admitted into the school.

“I’m not planning on Early Decisioning anywhere,”  senior Charlie Samburg said. “I don’t think I can fully commit to any school and be 100% sure I want to go there.” 

A majority of McLean students are applying to Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. The University of Virginia, with a low acceptance rate of 22.6%, makes it a competitive school to be accepted into considering all the strong applicants also applying. 

“UVA is definitely my top choice. My brother attends and it’s the best school for my intended major,” senior Andrew Lin said.

There are many other great schools in Virginia where applicants can apply to such as William & Mary, James Madison University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. However, a lot of students make the choice to go out of state for reasons such as different programs and experiencing something new. 

“I applied to a lot of schools in Virginia, but also a lot of out of state schools,” senior Layla Bizri said. “I really want to go try something new so I’m really considering going out of state, depending where I get in”.

A lot of schools may have the common November 1st early action and early decision deadline. However, some schools have November 15th as their EA/ED deadline. 

Heads up, students! Early Action and Early Decision deadline is just around the corner. You have until 11:59 pm your local time on Nov. 1 to submit. If you need help with your #CommonApp, remember support is available 24/7! Good luck! https://t.co/3X7PXgRwGJ

— Common App (@CommonApp) October 27, 2022

“My application for the UW [University of Washington] isn’t due till the 15th so that takes some stress off my shoulders,” Samburg said. 

Some EA/ED deadlines are even longer, extending to January and December. On the other hand, many schools don’t even offer early action for out-of-state students, such as the University of Florida. 

Overall, the whole college application process is extremely stressful. Seniors have to prioritize their classes to make sure they don’t fail, keep up with application deadlines, and for some, go to practice every day for their fall sport. However, once all applications are submitted, students are finally able to relax and enjoy the rest of their senior year.

“As a junior, I’m making sure to start early in the summer so I don’t end up stressed, like some of my other senior friends,” junior Mark Karam said.