<p>I am bumping this discussion to the main forum as it seems high school counselors and college reps need to know.</p>
<p>This is absolutely ridiculous!! How completely unfair! I’m glad that I didn’t audition for a school with such a ridiculous policy! My heart goes out to all of those kids who originally got accepted and are now on the wait list. I can’t even imagine! Juniors take note, wouldn’t want get stuck in this kind of situation!!</p>
<p>…or go into the process with eyes wide open, reading EVERY word of EVERY correspondence, webpage, etc you receive from each school. I don’t necessarily think that Point Park’s policies regarding deposits are the finest, but that’s what they’ve done (and done for years). D and I found, during her audition year, that every school has some interesting quirks and differences (and let’s not even talk about audition cuts – 16 versus 32 bars, apply before audition/apply after, housing deposits to guarantee before knowing results…) If PPU is a school that resonates with a student, just make a note on the big spreadsheet that they are funky about their depositing.</p>
<p>D did audition for PPU a couple years ago, was accepted in November, and PPU was a school that piqued her interest. She had several discussions with her admissions counselor and the fine arts folks (that’s another takeaway – if you have questions – contact the school…they, more than the most knowledgeable CC’er or overworked h.s. guidance counselor, know what their school requires!). She did send in her deposit early and then, when her final decision was another school, she contacted PPU again and had the deposit returned before she made her deposit/accepted the offer of her final school. (Hopefully, at that point, the University was quick to move someone else off the waitlist!!)</p>
<p>It’s a different way of doing things than most schools. I would not use their funky deposit policy as the only criteria as to whether it was/was not a school to put on the list of potentials…just an awareness that that’s how they roll. (And once you/your kid get into college…there’s a whole 'nother world of “college reality” in getting things done!)</p>
<p>funky, quirky?? To me, this is unethical. Accepting then rescinding that decision? </p>
<p>I have no horse in this race, just an interested and appalled observer.</p>
<p>Agreed! And it sounds as though this has come up before although not so early. I cannot believe the class was filled in February and they continued to accept plenty of students through April. Whoever pays first is in? No thanks.</p>
<p>It has definitely colored my perception of the school, and I will discourage my daughter from even applying/auditioning there.</p>
<p>I wonder what the powers that be at PP would do if a large number of students who paid their deposit suddenly decided to “change their minds” and go elsewhere during the last week of April? I doubt those checks would be cut in a hurry, but it would serve the school right. This was a despicable situation and anyone having a student involved might want to send copies of all correspondence to the governing body for MT schools as they should be made aware of how PP is conducting business.
I’m so sorry for those going through this now.</p>
<p>Yup. This happened to me. PPU was one of my top choices from the get go, and when I got my acceptance letter we called admissions right away to confirm that I was definitely excepting, but due to financial setbacks I wouldn’t be able to pay until the beginning of April. My mom called admissions every week to ensure that there was still room for me, and that I in fact did have a spot, and as late as LAST THURSDAY they told me I had plenty of time. It wasn’t until I heard this happening to several other kids that I had to call the department myself and ask if this was true, but the man in charge of all of this wasn’t even there to take my call. I waited a day for him to call me back, and when I spoke to him he confirmed that I was about 12th on the wait list. It turns out admissions and the conservatory obviously hadn’t been communicating with each other and had neglected to notify anyone that any students accepted after February most likely wouldn’t have a spot. He reassured me that a lot of kids would end up dropping their spot/move off the wait list and decide to go to other schools, but that hardly made me feel better. I was lead to believe I would be spending the next 4 years at a school I’d worked so hard to get into, and now I’m left with nothing. The only other BFA option I have is at a school in the middle of nowhere with a fairly new MT program, and one that I know I wouldn’t be very happy at. Needless to say, I’m heartbroken, and will probably have to go through this painful audition process again next year. But I’m not giving up, because I still know this is what I want to do, and I’m not going to let some unorganized, unethical program determine whether or not I get the education I want. I really think I was put in this situation because I was strong enough to handle it, and it will make me a better performer in the end.</p>
<p>Just curious…in your acceptance letters/emails, was there any language about the acceptance being conditional on getting your deposit in before others…?</p>
<p>SoozieVT has posted how students can appeal this:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14244580-post4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14244580-post4.html</a></p>
<p>I sent an email to NACAC last week to see what if anything the students could do. I got a response from NACAC today and they want someone to file a formal complaint. If all of the students that had this happen filed a formal complaint, then maybe Point Park would start behaving ethically. Heck, I’d file a formal complaint just based on the posts here, but I think it would be much more official if it came from the students.<br>
The form is on the website:</p>
<p>[Admission</a> Professionals](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/admission-pros/Pages/default.aspx]Admission”>http://www.nacacnet.org/admission-pros/Pages/default.aspx)</p>
<p>scroll down to the bottom of the page on the right hand side and click on the confidential complaint form.</p>
<p>Hopefully, someone will pursue this. If my kids were involved I doubt I’d want them to attend anyway at this point and would probably have moved on, but they get away with this every year and now with so many more applicants the consequences are just brutal.</p>
<p>This has been very enlightening. I have recommended this school to students in the past, but will definitely take it off my list until this situation is changed.</p>
<p>JUST FYI – my S#2 got letter from PPU today stating they’d accepted him off the WL for MT. It’s moot, since he’s already committed to Rider and he’ll be declining the PPU spot right away; but wanted to alert the CC crowd since this may suggest some movement on their lists – at least for boys. Really thinking positive thoughts for all the PPU hopefuls out there.</p>
<p>My Daughter is still on the accepted student wait list. We received a letter last week giving us 3 options. She can go to PP this Fall for Theatre…she can defer to Fall 2013 for Musical Theatre - will not have to re-audition, keeping scholarship the same with $2,000.00 extra scholarship money or stay on the wait list until August and if she does not get off the wait list, the deposit will be refunded. I just figured everyone would want an update on the situation.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update NYmom94. Not optimal but glad that they assured her a spot in next year’s class! This process is enough of an emotional roller coaster without having to experience what your family has gone through. I hope that this is precipitant to PP to change the policy.</p>
<p>Sorry that your family and others have had to go through this! </p>
<p>Just curious… will they allow your D to stay on the waitlist until August and then if not admitted for MT allow her to pick one of the other two options, or is it all or nothing?</p>
<p>Nymom I am so sorry everything is still unsettled. I know some outstanding young people who will be attending Point Park in various artsy majors there in the fall so your D could be in excellent company if she decides to go.
If your D deffers, will she be allowed to work on Gen Ed requirements elsewhere? When we looked into deffering once upon a time, I was surprised to find that some schools were happy to let a student take classes elsewhere but other schools said absolutely not.
If she attends this fall as Theatre major, will she be able to take voice and dance classes? I seem to remember the walls being fairly short between those majors at Point Park. I think various folks from different majors auditioned for all sorts of things. If your D can get voice lessons and dance class, it would be almost just like MT. And if she wanted to audition to change majors, I’d have to believe she’d have a good shot, having been on the waitlist for MT.<br>
Best wishes and I hope her path becomes clear, soon!</p>
<p>@KatMT - I am not sure, we deferred her admission to Fall 2013 as she has decided to go to Univ. of Buffalo, so I did not ask that question.
@classicalbk - I am not sure about the answers to your questions either. My D has decided to go to Univ. of Buffalo for a variety of reasons. If Buffalo doesn’t work out, she can transfer to PP. We will find out at that time if any of the credits from Buffalo will transfer. I am hoping that they will, but if they won’t…it is what it is 
Thank you to everyone on these boards for your encouragement, ideas and suggestions. I think for us it all worked out in the end, but it was a tough road getting there. Not too many MT kids have a backup school to go to (without re-auditioning) if the current school they are attending doesn’t work out. She can go to Buffalo with an open mind and peace of heart knowing that if it wasn’t the right choice for her, then she can transfer out as she is guaranteed a spot at PP for MT in the Fall 2013 class.</p>
<p>nymom, what a rotten thing this was that PP did. I’m sorry for your D and for you. One thing I would clarify, if I were you (given the rotten stuff that PP has already pulled), is that she will still be eligible for their offer of a 2013 entry if she enrolls at another school for the 2012 year. She would then be a transfer student. Would they make her start over as a freshman? Get this in writing from PP, and keep it somewhere safe!, if there is any chance that your D would have any interest in transferring.</p>