A recent article in the Seattle Times is bound to confuse college applicants. The piece maintains that interest in early decision and early action programs is declining. Read this:

For the past two school years, a rising number of colleges have reported a drop in early applicants, according to new data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. For schools...that offer binding early-decision programs, 45 percent reported a decline, compared with 24 percent the year before.

The same pattern holds for a similar, nonbinding program called early action, in which colleges accept students in December or January, but don't expect them to commit until May.Fair enough. However, the reporter then states there's been no drop in early applicants to Ivy schools, leading one to believe the Ivies are getting the lion's share of such activity. But here's more:

And the number of students who applied under early-decision programs last school year is up, too. Last year, the total was 78,847, up from 70,186 the year before, according to the College Board.

Many Northwest colleges and universities report continued growth in early applicants, too. At Gonzaga University, for example, early-action applicants grew 12 percent last fall and roughly another 7 percent this year, said Julie McCulloh, dean of admission.

So colleges are reporting a drop in early applications, but the number of students using that option is rising. The logic baffles me. If 45 percent of colleges reported a decline, wouldn't that suggest a lower number of such applicants nationwide? Are more applicants concentrated in fewer schools?

Something doesn't add up.