Senior year of high school is the time of new adulthood, lasting memories with friends and the welcoming of a new chapter in one’s life. Along with these aspects, senior year also includes the dreadful stress of applying to college. 

While most high school seniors apply to college on a regular timeline, some, including senior Edward Gardner, choose to go through the process of early admissions, which is a college admission plan that allows for students to apply earlier in the year than usual, along with receiving their results earlier. 

“Applying early is basically the same thing as if you were to apply with a regular timeline, you just have an earlier deadline,” Gardner said. “So I had to submit my application by November instead of December.”

Gardner applied and was accepted into Dartmouth College through the early application process. Dartmouth is an Ivy League university with a 10.6% acceptance rate, proving to be a competitive school to get into. Gardner knew he wanted to attend Dartmouth, which led him to the path of applying with early decision. 

“I applied early decision, which means that if I got into the college, I had to go there,” Gardner said. “My whole thought process was that I knew I wanted to go there, so I didn’t really see a downside to figuring out early if I got in or not.”

The process of applying to college is a stressful and overwhelming process for most, which exemplifies the importance of support from within the school system. With the help of teachers and counselors at Carlsbad High School, Gardner successfully applied early and was accepted into his top choice of college. 

“My counselors were super helpful and helped make sure I could accelerate the process of applying,” Gardner said. “And my teachers were really good with deadlines for writing letters of rec so I really appreciate it.”

In most ways, applying early is a similar process to normally applying to college. The most significant difference between the two is the deadlines, with early applications being due in November, while most regular applications aren’t due until December.

“Since you have less time to prepare, you have to get all of your recommendations and test scores in much earlier, which is tough to do,” Gardner said. “Other than that, there weren’t any major challenges to the process.”