A few years back, many seeking to reform college admissions focused on early decision, under which applicants pledge to enroll if admitted, and both apply and find out if they got in months before the normal schedule. The system, they said, favored wealthier applicants and forced high school students to commit to a college earlier than was wise for many of them. Much of the discussion focused on the most competitive colleges and universities. But if a session here at the annual meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling was any indication, the real issue today may be early action, in which applicants are notified early but don't have to commit. Hundreds attended, many standing in line to get into the packed room, and counselors made clear, in their applause and their interviews before and after the panel, that they wanted colleges to scale back or kill early action. It is adding pressure on applicants, their families and their high schools, they said, and not helping anyone educationally. Because of the lack of a penalty for opting not to enroll, they said, more and more applicants are trying to apply somewhere early action.

October 2, 2015 ・ From Inside Higher Ed