Details about Princeton's restrictive early action?

Hey guys, my top choice is Princeton and I'm thinking of applying through their restrictive early action. Can anyone explain what this is and how it works? Any restrictions I should know about? Thanks!

Sure, happy to explain. Restrictive Early Action (REA), sometimes also known as Single-Choice Early Action, is a non-binding early application process. Under REA, you can apply to Princeton (or any other REA school) by an earlier deadline, frequently in early to mid-November.

As it's non-binding, if you are accepted, you're not required to attend and can wait to make your decision until the regular decision deadline of May 1st. This gives you time to compare admission and financial aid offers from other schools before making a decision.

The "restrictive" part is important. When you apply to Princeton as an REA applicant, you cannot apply to any private colleges or universities in the United States under their early action or early decision programs. The exceptions are international schools and state colleges that require you to apply early for scholarships or special academic programs. You can still apply regular decision to any schools of course.

After applying REA to Princeton, you may receive one of three responses: an acceptance, a deferral to the regular applicant pool, or a denial. If you are deferred, your application will be reviewed again during the regular decision timeframe, and you will receive your final decision in late March or early April.

One benefit to using REA is that it can show a school you're particularly excited about attending. However, remember that restrictive early action doesn't have quite the same impact as early decision in showing your interest since it's not binding.

Lastly, make sure you have your application polished and ready to go by the early deadline. There's no benefit in rushing and submitting an application that isn't your best work. On average, applying early action may slightly increase your chances of admission by showing demonstrated interest, but your application components (essays, recommendations, course rigor, grades, test scores, extracurriculars) still matter the most.

I hope this helps! Good luck with your application to Princeton.