<p>What are the disadvanatages of the early admission process? Are you pretty much locked into a school if you choose to go this route? My son is very interested in Rennselaer Polytechnic and wants to apply there on an early decision basis. I think that he should apply to at least five schools and then weigh his options in the spring.</p>
<p>If it is Early Decision, you are locked into the school. If it is Early Action, you do not have to attend the school. You can attend a school that you apply to Regular Decision. The disadvantages of Early Decision are that you have to accept the financial aid the school gives you and that you cannot apply to any other school if accepted. However, some schools allow students to apply Early Decision there and Early Action to another school. But both schools would have to accept this. For example, UPenn allows you to apply early decision. But you can also apply Early Action somewhere else. If you have his grades/scores, we may be able to give advice on whether it would be worth it to apply early.</p>