IN THE SECOND YEAR of its single-choice early-action program, Stanford has admitted 867 of the 4,330 students who applied. Early-action applications rose 6 percent this year, and director of admission Anna Marie Porras praised the strength of the applicant pool. “These students have embraced this nonbinding, first-choice option as an opportunity to conduct thorough and thoughtful college searches,” she said. “Our admitted students are confident that Stanford is the right fit for them intellectually and personally, and their applications show they have the curiosity and readiness to thrive here.” In the fall, the National Association for College Admission Counseling approved single-choice early action, which Yale and Stanford adopted in 2002 and Harvard also uses.