Is it most beneficial to apply early decision or not?

It depends on how much you want to go to that particular school. If you know that the school is your first choice by far and you know without a doubt that you would go there, applying early decision is beneficial, as the acceptance rates for ED are generally higher than regular decision, so applying ED would give you a leg up on the competition. But if you're unsure about the school, ED is not the way to go, since it locks you in to attending if you are accepted. You can also only apply ED to one school. It all depends on how much you like the school.

Hello Isabel,

Deciding whether or not to apply early decision or regular decision comes down to personal preference. One of the big factors is whether or not you know for a fact what school you would like to go. Applying early decision means that if the institution accepts you, you are going to attend that school and not any of the other schools that you have applied to. Early decision does show the institution that it is your first choice of schools which can be beneficial in the acceptance process.

Early decision also has an earlier deadline, so if you are unprepared relating to your application package then it may be beneficial to hold off for regular decision. There are many many students who apply regular decision and get into great schools. I personally applied early action (which is non-binding but still has an earlier application deadline) at any school that I could. I got into schools that I applied both regular and early action to so in the end it really comes down to your overall application and not just the timing.