There are Early-Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED) admissions policies offered in a number of U.S. colleges and universities for those who want to start their college applications early. However, one needs to be careful with the different legal liabilities between these two policies. Under the EA admission policy, which is not legally binding, students can choose to apply to other schools upon knowing their admission status. Universities like Harvard, Princeton and MIT offer such admission to its applicants. ED admission, on the other hand, is a binding commitment that requires students to withdraw other applications once accepted. Usually, students who have done thorough research and are certain about the college or university they applied to, are recommended to take advantage of such policies. Of course, for many families it involves multiple rounds of decision-making in order to prioritize their college options.

So far this year, IESC's China Studies Program (CSP) students Dan Kutzin and Jackie Groccia have received their early admissions offers. Dan has been accepted by University of Pennsylvania and Jackie has received an offer letter from George Washington University. We hope there will be many more early-admissions-good-news to follow as we are approaching the biggest holiday season of the year, where most of us will be celebrating with our friends and families. CSP will always cheer for our participants, wishing them the best and future success in college.

Regular admission continues throughout January and February. Students normally will hear results in April. We hope that all seniors will find their most suitable universities.

Happy Holidays!