The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite

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The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite, by Christopher Avery, Andrew Fairbanks and Richard Zeckhauser, concerns early admission to colleges in the United States. The authors combine survey research with an empirical analysis of more than 500,000 applications to 14 elite colleges. They argue that "Applying early dramatically improves an applicant's chances of admission."

1 Book summary
2 Advice
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Book summary

[edit] Advice

The authors conclude with this advice for applicants:

"Take the decision seriously."
"Start the process early."
"Look for a good match."
"Be honest with yourself about your qualifications and learn as much as possible about your chances of admission at various colleges.
"Understand your 'hooks' and their potential affects on your likelihood of being admitted at each of the colleges to which you are interested in applying."
"Determine if you have a preference for a particular school where you are a competitive applicant. If you do, then make that your target school, and plan to apply early there."
"If you do not have a target school for early application, then lay out your options carefully, including the possibility of applying Early Action or Early Decision. You should determine if the advantages of applying early outweigh the disadvantages of doing so for you."
"The guidelines above apply to financial aid applicants as well. Our unequivocal advice is to research the financial aid policies of your top-choice colleges before making any decision on applying early. Your need to know about financial aid options, or a desire to bargain with colleges, may prevent you from having a target college. If it does, you should consider applying early to one or more Early Action colleges."
"If you decide not to apply early, try to find other ways to demonstrate interest in a college. If you do apply early and are deferred, do the same."
"Compile sufficient information and then make your application decisions with confidence. In the end, although some students are disappointed, the vast majority end up happy with their college choices."

[edit] References

Christopher Avery; Andrew Fairbanks, Richard Zeckhauser (2004). The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01620-3.