This week statistics were released for the University's last crop of students who will matriculate from an early decision application. The enrollment of this final group provides an opportunity to reflect on the University's decision last semester to do away with early decision admissions. The University abandoned early decision in the wake of similar moves by Harvard and Princeton.
Many assumed that after Harvard and Princeton dropped their early decision programs, the University was jumping on what would become a national trend. But the fact that the trend seems to have stopped in Charlottesville could make the University less attractive to many applicants.
The University might benefit from the economic equality furthered by getting rid of the early decision process. But by jumping on the bandwagon of discarding early decision before it became a bandwagon, the University may end up sacrificing a bigger competitive advantage than it bargained for.
Early admission still exists at the colleges with the University is primarily competing for students -- schools like William & Mary, Vanderbilt and Duke. Students who want to use the option will employ it at other schools, leading some of those students to the doors of the University's competitors. Harvard and Princeton, as two of the most prestigious schools in the nation, had little to worry about by getting rid of their early decision programs. They will continue to attract the best applicants regardless of what their application process looks like. But schools like the University, which are competing with many peers for good applicants, may suffer by eliminating the option so far ahead of others.
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