Of high school seniors who filled out the Common Application last year, nearly 49 percent applied to some form of an early program, says Rob Killion, the Common App's executive director. The programs range from simple early action, which doesn't obligate you to attend, to binding early decision. Of Cerniglia's class, more than 70 percent applied early; 11 percent chose early decision.

　　据Common Application的执行官Rob Killion称，去年，在该网站填写申请的高中生中，近49%的申请者采用了“提前决定”。这其中，“义务型提早决定(一旦被录取，必须得去该校报到)”和“非义务型”均有涉及。就拿Cerniglia班上来说，过七成的人选择提前申请，11%的人采用提前决定。

　　Not wanting to miss out on all these choice candidates, the three universities that ended early options have re-entered the game. Harvard has restored "single choice" early action for this fall, which restricts applicants from applying early to other private schools but doesn't require them to attend or even decide until May 1. Princeton's new program is similar, except that you can't apply early anywhere else. U.Va.'s early action option won't be restrictive. Greg Roberts, dean of admissions, says the university is responding to strong interest in an early plan from parents and students—and that, without the option, U.Va. may have been losing applicants.

　　为了不错过任何一个潜在候选人，这三所曾经不看好提前申请的大学，如今又重启了这个项目。今年秋季，哈佛恢复了“单项选择”提前行动，意思是说，采用这种形式申请的学生一旦被录取，没有义务非要入学，学生可以有充分的时间考虑，只要在5月1日前做出决定就可以了;但在递交申请时，他们只能选一所，这避免了学生提前申请其它私立学校的可能。普林斯顿大学的政策也大同小异，不同在于，申请者不能同时提前申请其他任何学校。佛吉尼亚大学则未对提前行动设置任何限制。招生院院长Greg Roberts说，广大申请者及其家长都对提前计划寄予了极大的热情，该校为了迎合这种需求，也为了确保不流失潜在申请人，所以出台了这样的政策。

　The programs are without doubt a boon for the colleges. ED, in particular, is the proverbial bird-in-hand for admissions staffers facing increasing uncertainty in picking a freshman class as high schoolers hedge their bets by Applying to 10 or more schools. By securing in some cases nearly half of the incoming freshmen by December 15, as Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania do, colleges can avoid coming up short after May 1. They also boost their yield, the percentage of admitted students who enroll, which has become a key indicator of popularity.

　　这个项目给各大学带来的惠利是毋庸置疑的。俗话说得好，二鸟在林不如一鸟在手，如今用来形容招生人员再合适不过了;如今高中生们都会同时申请10所甚至更多的学校，学校在组建新生班级的时候，面临的不确定性也越来越大，这样做至少能确保校方最终有一鸟在手。哥伦比亚大学和宾夕法尼亚大学都是这样做的，好处在于，12月15日前，就能收录到近一半的生源;如此一来就能避免来年5月1日(申请大学最后期限)时的学生荒。各所大学还会互相比较生源数量，学生的录取率也是衡量大学口碑的一个重要的考察点。