Guess what’s in the mail? No, not holiday cards. I’m talking about something that can bring about an early and very merry Christmas or downright ruin your Chanukah: Early decision and early action admissions letters are on their way to you this month.

First of all, I have to congratulate those students who even apply early decision or early action to college. Not only do you know what schools you want to attend, but you also really have it together when it comes to getting organized for those oh-so-early application deadlines. So yes, in a way, you are my college-bound heroes.

But other than admiring your organizational and decision-making skills, my awe turns to downright fear for ED and EA students. As much as these admissions options are a wonderful way of securing your fate before the holiday break–and getting to rub it in the faces of all your friends who have to wait until April–there are SO many things that can go wrong. For example:

• Early Decision in this economy is the stuff nightmares are made of. You are basically telling the college, “Sure, I’ll go to your school even if you don’t give me a scholarship,” and unless your last name is Trump, paying for college without a scholarship can be tricky.
• Typically, you apply early decision/early action to your first-choice school(s). If you get rejected, will you be able to recover from that disappointment and get it together enough to apply to the rest of your schools for regular decision?
• No offense, high school students, but based on some of your hair color choices alone, you don’t have the best reputation when it comes to sticking with decisions that you’ve made. And when those decisions involve the next four years of your lives, well . . .

I was a pretty level-headed high school student, but based on my own decision-making skills at the time–as well as my financial resources–I quite happily ruled out Early Decision or Early Action options for my apps. And since I got into all of my schools when I applied regular decision, I didn’t have any of the shoulda, woulda, coulda regrets that sometimes comes along with applying early to college.

What are your thoughts? Am I being too much of a cry baby about the whole early decision process? Feel free to agree with/yell at me by leaving a comment below.

–Barbara Bellesi