Early decision policy to stand

Though Yale University is formally reevaluating its early decision program, Princeton has no plans in the near future to follow in its footsteps, President Tilghman said yesterday.

Last December, Yale President Richard Levin's public criticism of early decision programs prompted the creation of an advisory committee to reexamine Yale's current early application system.

Yale plans to make a final decision by mid-November, said Richard Shaw, the Yale dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid.

But Princeton will not consider a similar course of action until a new dean replaces Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon, who will retire in June.

"We will certainly not do anything in a formal way until we get a new dean of admission," Tilghman said. "It is not an appropriate time."

If any steps toward changing the University's admission policy were to be made, formal action would not be taken until the year after next — the new dean of admissions first year.

"[Yale's decision] will have no impact on us," Tilghman added. "We will make a decision for ourselves."

Tilghman spent much of last term and most of the summer trying to become more knowledgeable about the University's admission process.

From the information she has seen, early decision applicants are from a similar geographic distribution and academic background as regular decision applicants.

Academic data also suggested that students from both early and regular admission pools performed equally well in the classroom.

"Not one pool is equally stronger [academically] than another pool," she said.

In response to criticism that the early decision favors private school students more than regular admission does, Tilghman said this could be true.

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"Private school students do have an advantage over public students in applying early, in the sense that private schools are in a better position to advise students for early decision," she said.

But Tilghman dismissed claims that early decision favors affluent students. The claim is that students with financial need cannot compare the size and makeup of financial aid packages and are more reluctant to apply early decision.

"It is not a compelling argument," she said. "The financial aid program here is so generous that a student is unlikely to get a financial aid package better than at Princeton."

Students who want to "bargain" for more aid among several colleges to which they have been admitted, or to seek a non-need-based merit scholarship, should not apply early decision, Hargadon said in an email.

"But given that Princeton's financial aid is probably the best need-based financial aid program available in this country, those students admitted early decision and eligible for financial aid are no doubt as well off, if not better off, than had they waited to 'bargain,'" he added.

Hargadon agreed with Tilghman that Yale's decision will not affect the University's admission policies.

"Whatever Yale is doing, or if they change back to early action from early decision, that would not affect what Princeton does," he said.

But he said early action programs, let alone multiple early action applications, should not exist.

Hargadon questioned the practice of notifying early action applicants of their admission at the same time as early decision applicants, and then giving these students four months to make their final decision when regular applicants are only given three months of notice and three weeks to decide.

In response to criticism that too much pressure is placed on students applying early decision to choose a school, Hargadon raised the same concern for early action applicants.

"If students are not considered to be sufficiently mature to have decided early on a first-choice college, then I don't see why those same students should be considered mature enough by colleges to admit them in December," he said.

Hargadon maintained that the early decision program has several advantages for both the University and students, including enabling the University to craft a freshman class by knowing the profile of its early decision students and allowing students to focus their energies on their senior year in high school rather than college admissions.

If Yale chose to switch back to early action and the University decided not to follow suit, this would not be the first time in recent weeks that it has adhered to its own policies.

Going against rules of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, Princeton and Brown University prohibited early decision applicants to apply to other early action programs.

Tilghman justified the University's position in keeping the commitment of the student.

"Early decision is a social contract between students and universities," she said. "Students are getting the privilege of occupying the first seats of the class and should accept the invitation."

Yale will continue its early decision program this year, but the advisory committee's decision will determine the policy for next year.

"Our goal we think is ultimately to find the best thing for students," Shaw said. "We want the best possible decision in respect to students applying to Yale."

Though Levin sought collective action among the Ivy League colleges last year, Shaw said Yale might act independently of other schools, including Princeton.

Despite the formation of this new committee and a possible change in Yale's admissions policy, Princeton should make its own decision, Shaw said.

"Princeton should do what they think is best for Princeton," he said. "I have great respect for the decision that they took for their early decision program this year."