Early decision is an early application sent to a single college that is binding upon acceptance. It is often confused with early action, which is simply just sending in a non-binding application earlier than regular decision applications. Students can send out multiple early action decision applications, whereas they can only send in one early decision application.

Many of our students who have applied early decision have been accepted, two of which are our very own Andy Zhao and Jenny Nguyen. I asked the busy Senior Treasurer and President for an interview, and they gave each other a weird look before agreeing.

Question 1

Rebecca: Okay, so—wait, Andy, come back here—come—come—come here. Don’t walk away. Okay! So, what college did you guys get into early decision?

Jenny: The University of Pennsylvania.

Andy: Same.

Jenny: *laughs*

Question 2

Rebecca: How did you react when you found out?

Jenny: Um, I definitely shed a couple of tears, I felt a rush of adrenaline, uh, running through my body, and so, uh, I was just really ecstatic to have been accepted.

Rebecca: *smiling* yeah, okay. (I was actually there when Jenny got accepted; “shed a couple of tears” doesn’t cover it)

Jenny: Yah, yuh, yah yah yah.

Rebecca: Okay… alright—Oh hey Greg!

Greg Billingsly walked into our interview at this point. We welcome his presence.

Greg: What, is she doing Star Student Interview? Student of the Week, what?

Rebecca: Ahhh okay, Andy, how did you react when you got into the University of Penn?

Andy: I felt ecstatic… for Jenny!

Jenny: *laughs* Whaahaaahaa- what?

Greg: Ecstatic! *laughs*

Question 3

Rebecca: So your college essays—there was one supplemental essay, right?

Andy: Hmhm.

Rebecca: Ah, so who helped you out with your essays? Did you ask a teacher for help, or did you use your own guile and finish it yourself.

Andy: I used Penn’s website to look up courses they offered and the classes I wanted to take, and then that kind of helped me with what I wanted to put down in my essay. But I turned it in last minute, so I couldn’t get any help anyways…

Rebecca: Ohhhh. So tell the readers, what was the supplemental essay question.

Andy: Umm… Why Penn, pretty much.

Jenny: Yeah.

Rebecca: So, Jenny, same question, what’d you do?

Jenny: Yeah, so I went to their fly-in program and they offered writing advice for the Penn supplement, so I took that advice to heart, and so I wrote it—there were a lot of revisions between Mrs. Richardson and me, so I’d say she was the one person that helped me the most.

Question 4:

Rebecca: So, how was your financial aid packet from Penn?

Jenny: Okay, so my expectations were met, but I would’ve cared to have been given a bit more—so here’s the thing about higher institutions: whenever you get scholarships from Penn and pretty much every Ivy—well I’m not sure if it’s every Ivy, but  definitely Penn—once you exceed your student contributions and work-study contribution, all the money that is given to you goes directly to reducing the grant that they’ve provided you, and not the parental contribution, so that definitely is an obstacle for college.

Rebecca: Cool. Andy, what say you?

Andy: I would have preferred more.

Rebecca: Okay—

Jenny: *laughs* HEEEHYUUUHYUU!

Question 5:

Rebecca: How did you guys decide on UPenn for your early decision?

Jenny: Okay, um…

Rebecca: You don’t have to give me an essay or anything, just generally—

Jenny: Yeah, so before I went to their fly-in program, I had no idea I wanted to go to this school. Going there and living with the people, um, some other people that were also interested in Penn, really sold me to the school.

Rebecca: Nice, nice! Andy, what about you?

Andy: Um, I went to a summer camp at UPenn.

Rebecca: Oh, nice.

Andy: Yeah… there weren’t many UPenn students there, but the RAs that were there really convinced me.

Rebecca: Right on.

Question 6:

Rebecca: So do you guys have any advice for the upcoming seniors who are deciding whether to do early decision?

Andy: If you can do—if you are sure where you want to go, I would recommend early decision. Otherwise, I would just recommend early action.

Jenny: (very seriously) Only do ED if you are super sure that this school is for you, and… um… Wait, what was the question?

Rebecca: J-wait, what—what— *laughs*

Jenny: *wheezes with laughter*

Rebecca: What—*laughs again*—Just like, advice for the upcoming seniors, and why, like how they should choose their early decision school, if at all.

Jenny: Ooohh, yeah. Uh… Lemme think about it!

Rebecca: Alright.

Jenny: So I definitely suggest doing fly-in programs. I think they’re really important, but also, don’t choose a school based on their name. Even though a university might have prestige, you might not fit into that particular university, and even though you were accepted and.. like, like.. cumulate into it? Cumulate? Is that the word for it?

Rebecca: I’ll find the right word and stick it in. (I didn’t for the sake of authenticity because I have journalistic integrity gosh darn it)

Jenny: Ye, ye, cumulate into it. And you’re not happy because you just applied there for the name… It defeats the purpose of ED, you know.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Jenny: Yeah.

Rebecca: Solid answer!

Final Remarks

Rebecca: You guys have any final words for the article? Anything you want to say?

Jenny: Go Quakers.

Rebecca: Ho-kay. What about you, Andy?

Andy: …No.

Rebecca: Pffffft.

Jenny: *wheezes with laughter* AYUHYUHYUH!