2021 年英语六级仔细阅读 Passage 2 原文 ( 卷一 )
Passage 2
参考原文：
Early decision — you apply to one school, and admission is binding — ems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a
better chance of getting in. And if you do, you ’re done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most
students and parents don ’t realize is that schools have ulterior motives for offering early decision, and in many cas, it ’s better for students to u nonbinding options like early action or to simply wait to apply at the regular time.
Early decision, since it ’s binding, allows schools to fill their class with qualified students; it allows
admissions committees to lect the students that are in particular demand for their college and know tho students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate (the percentage of students admitted to attend the school), which is often ud as one of the ways to measure college
lectivity and popularity. In short, it ’s a trem endously uful tool for colleges and universities.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, niors have until May 1 to choo which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six
months from them, months that could be ud to visit more schools, do more rearch, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges and universities in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early
in the admissions process — especially if that school is a highly competitive school — that fixation can lead to vere disappointment if they don ’t get in or, if they do, the
possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time for further reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Moreover, the advantage early decision ems to give its
applicants is probably not so great as the numbers might
imply, since recruited student athletes (who admission is
all but guaranteed) and legacies (who have a much higher
chance of admission) tend to apply through early decision,
and the quality of applicants in general tends to be higher.
But insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions
edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already
have numerous advantages. The students who u early decision
tend to be tho who have received higher-quality college
guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged
background (a private school or a higher-quality public
school that can afford more and better guidance for its
students). In this regard, there ’s something of an ethical argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions
savvy to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
