<p>There was much discussion about the situation last year in which students that were accepted at the University of Illinois-Chicago had their acceptances rescinded after the university found out that their yield was much higher than expected. There was an overwhelming sense of wrong-doing on the part of the school among posters. Many felt that the rescinded admissions were actionable in court. </p>
<p>Where is the indignation when students do this to schools? In this case, it seems very mixed. Some feel that the students best interest falls above the schools best interest and some feel it is a two-way street. I am one of those that feels it is a two-way street I feel the whole admissions offer/acceptance thing is a binding contract. You pay a fee and in return,they consider your application. If they feel you are someone they want, they offer you admission and tell you that if you accept the offer and make the deposit by May 1st, you are a student at that school. Sounds like a contract to me. Granted, I'm not an attorney, but I did take business law courses in high school and as part of my business degree studies in college. </p>
<p>We discuss ethics a lot when considering the actions of a large school or business, but I contend that ethics start with individuals.</p>
<p>Oh I agree if you are actually signing a paper that says "I have not sent in my deposit anywhere else", and then you do send in to another school, that would be unethical.
But if your reply form simply says "I accept", then it is subject to interpretation.
On the other hand, I consider ED to be absolutely binding, no matter what expectations students had of financial aid.</p>
<p>Most of the schools specifically state that the deposit is non refundable. There is an implication that you can change your mind; just don't expect to get the money back. Some colleges will even refund housing deposits if you do not show up, but not the enrolment part of the deposit. But for schools that specifically say that you will be dropped if they find out you are sending in other acceptances, I don't think you have any legal recourse if they do what they state. In sending in the deposit and signing the card, you are agreeing to their terms.</p>
<p>Well I have a question for anyone who does know more about this
say the student had 6 applications- 2 denied- 2 admit & his first choice school put him on a likely waitlist
Now in case he doesn't move off the waitlist after may 1st he will need a school to attend- so doesn't he need to at least tentatively commit to a school?
If you can't commit to a school by May 1st because you are still on the waitlist somewhere else- what is the point of even having a waitlist? they aren't going to move until the admitted students send in their acceptances- isnt' that correct or is my logic faulty?
( not talking about ed or even ea- since those things were decided MONTHS ago)</p>
<p>The waitlist situation has always been around ever since there have been waitlists. The policy is to accept the school you like best that accepted you. If a waitlisted school subsequently accepts you, then let the accepted school know what happened and you now accept the new school. You lose the deposit to the school you first accepted, however. This scenario is familiar to all colleges and highschools and will not get you into any trouble. Some colleges are having trouble with kids who are multi accepting because they cannot decide by May 1. Some may have legitimate reasons for needing more time, and may even have asked for an extension and were declined. Or some just don't want to ask for an extenision. Or some just want to buy the time. It is up to the college to decide if that is acceptable to them. There are those who do not permit multi accepts. You take a risk if you send multiple deposits with one of those such colleges.</p>
<p>Actually, some schools encourage this practice. I'm aware of a friend of my oldest who is trasferring. When his acceptance arrived at the state's flagship school it stated that in order to get on the housing waiting list he needed to send in a non-refundable deposit as soon as possible. When he called and explained he hadn't yet made an enrollment decision, the admissions office encouraged him to send the deposit anyway.</p>
<p>I'm curious as to how a high school's policy could play here. Once the application process is complete, the high school role is over - except to send the final transcript. How could they make policy over whether a student accepts multiple schools?</p>
<p>High schools make policies on how many schools that a student can apply to. All they have to do is send the transcript and the counselors rec which involves making copies which with today's technology is not that difficult. I don't think if push comes to shove that most schools will be able to enforce the policy, but they may well have them. My older son's school will only send one final official transcript at the end of the year unless it is a waitlist situation. There is of course a "fail safe" clause where you can appeal of course, but by stating this policy, it discourages those kids from multi accepts. It is their way of making a stand against the practice which could cause havoc if it gets out of hand. We have seen what has happened with admissions with all of the multiple applications. Can you imagine if schools truly had no idea who is going to show up even when the deposits are accepted? That is how this picture is evolving.</p>
<p>I had no idea people did this until this week I found out from someone that they sent back intent to enroll at THREE colleges. Two colleges required deposits and the other surprisingly only requires the commitment card but not a deposit yet. Still, I was quite surprised. I guess I should not be because I just opened this thread and voila...others are doing this. I must say that in the past three years, my eyes have been opened wide on CC.... I have learned a great deal and I must have been a naive country bumpkin. I think they have a deadline for a reason....time to teach the kids that. And to hold a spot when kids are waiting on the waitlists for those spots, sure is not nice. I guess a lot of folks have money to burn as well and can afford to lose multiple deposits. Ok, I will go back into my naive little house in the woods, lol....</p>
<p>for the update - it's still up in the air. The mom has obtained an extension from the expensive private school, to get the fin aid offer. They are somehow holding the door open on the in-state school's offer, but it is unclear whether they got an extension or sent in an acceptance.</p>
<p>Just so my own position is clear - I do not condone the idea of sending in 2 acceptances. I would not allow my own child to do that. I told the mom when she initially brought up this plan that I thought it was unfair to the schools and to other students on the waiting list. My original post was really probing to see if there are concrete penalties in addition to the ethical issue.</p>
<p>How people want to spend their money is their business. If you want to buy the time to make the choice, you are permitted to do so, unless the college stipulates that it is not permitted. As I stated earlier, some colleges even spell out in their enrollment contract that the deposit is forfeited if you change your mind, without addressing any further issues whereas some schools warn that they will drop you if you are not their "one and only" outside of any waitlist situations. Sometimes there is a good reason for multiiple acceptances. A financial aid or other thorney issue cannot be resolved by the due date and some school will flatly refuse to give you any extension. They want that deposit to hold the spot open. It is a problem for kids waitlisted, and I do believe the more selective schools with extensive waitlists do not play this game and say that the enrollment deposit is binding. </p>
<p>Ethically, I do find a problem with just buying the time cuz you just can't make up your mind. But if the school permits this and you have the money, it's your call. It is the same hazy gray area of applying to waaay too many schools, hanging onto schools when you know you don't want to go there since you have been accepted EA already, or even ED because you know that school does not bother to print out ED lists. Sometimes there is a good reason for the action, sometimes it is pure indulgence.</p>
<p>If this was cheating, why do so many response forms say that you can get your Housing deposit back until June 1. These same schools require all freshmen to live in campus housing, so it's not as if the student is changing their mind and renting their own place. No, its because they are willing to let you have your housing deposit back, but keep the enrollment deposit as a penalty, when you change your mind.</p>
<p>I called our State U this evening, just for the heck of it, and told them I was sending in deposits to 3 places, and the lady actually laughed and said, well thanks for telling us.</p>
<p>I did however send in only 1 deposit. The experiment was only for research purposes.</p>
<p>Did not say it was cheating. Some kids have good reason to send multiple deposits. Some are doing so because they want to buy the time. If you pull this business with a school that says they will rescind your admission, you take a risk. Otherwise, it is not cheating. But you could be compromising kids who are on waitlists.</p>
<p>Jamimom, I hear ya and realize people can do what they want and if they have the money and so on. And that maybe it is not breaking a rule. And maybe there is good reason like financial aid related matters. The person I know who is doing this is more on the other end you mentioned.....just has not decided so held spots at a few places. Kid is wishy washy on it....parent wants to have options, more time...could drag on for quite a bit. I guess that is what I meant when I said there are deadlines for a reason....time to decide. I guess there are case by case situations and I'm just thinking of a case I know and basically just reading here that it is more common than I ever knew.</p>
<p>Also want to add that there are schools that warn that you had better send in that housing deposit well before May 1 if you want a room or a decent room. Also there are some schools that have programs that request an early commitment. Though our college counselor has stated that you do not have to abide by that request and that by requesting the May 1 date, the college will give you that time, it does put pressure on the kids. I know that CMU puts kids in a quandry because I believe it is one school that not only wants a one and only commitment, but you are also compromised in housing if you don't get that deposit in quickly. To make things more complicated, you can be accepted for one program and waitlisted for another. You may have the waitlisted program as your first choice, but you know if you wait to clear the list, you'll be living a mile a way (literally). Easier to accept the offer, put in the housing deposit and also accept another school in the even the waitlist does not pan out. Except you are taking a chance as they will drop you if do this.</p>
<p>Jami, Yeah we ran into one school that I felt was pressuring the kid to decide way sooner than the May 1 true deadline. PSU's MT program offered a talent scholarship but you had to respond as to whether you accepted it by like April 7 or something like that. So, even though the response date to accept/enroll at the college is May 1, if you are gonna go there, you are gonna want to take the scholarship, yet have to decide on that by April 7. Did not seem quite right to me. My kid asked them about it and they said if she needed more time, she could have it but it seemed odd to have it stated with such an early deadline which was akin to having to pick the college several weeks before the national date and not only that, kids like her and some others we knew, did not yet know their studio assignment at Tisch so could not even be ready to have all their cards yet on the table by April 7. </p>
<p>By the way, I have been meaning to ask you what happened with CMU which I think you guys kept an app in at and I wish I could ask you privately but do not know how to do that. If you don't want to tell me here, that's ok. My D got waitlisted for the Acting BFA there, but not accepted to the MT BFA there. It was fine and to be expected given they take ten kids for MT BFA. And she felt affirmed in a way to be considered for the Acting BFA at such a prestigious program considering she has less training in that area (though has some) than in voice and dance, so she felt at least her acting skills were recognized (though all her programs had her audition acting skills....just saying this particular waitlist was JUST for acting). She has a friend also on the Acting BFA waitlist there. I'm assuming your son is still going to Yale but wondered what happened at CMU. Do you know anyone who got into the BFA there? We do not (in regular life). </p>