I have not actually accepted my offer, I have until the 15th to do so, after which point they said the offer will be withdrawn, which is mainly why I had been having some doubts.
Everyone applies ED to increase their chances for acceptance. No one likes the strings attached, but that’s the bargain.
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Good luck with your decision. It seems the best option in the meantime is to test VT’s receptivity to offering you a better package.
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I don’t get it. You are more qualified so you wouldn’t get in ?
And I’m not thinking huge public universities are yield protecting per se ?
Makes no sense.
Anyway you made a commitment. You obviously weren’t sure.
On principle you should honor it.
But you will not be the first nor last to break it and life will go on.
They can make your life difficult if they want but if you are transparent and handle it properly it will likely be ok. Others brought up your major is not at VCU. And if VCU were told you needed to withdraw, they could rescind you.
So be careful……and let this be a life lesson to not try and game a system. Your word is the most important thing you have.
Good luck.
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Maybe I’m reading this incorrectly, but I don’t think this has to do with VCU at all. OP has said they’re a high stats kid who thought they’d be rejected at VT for yield protection so applied ED, but given their early success—I’m making a leap here—now wants their shot at the elites, where kids with financial need are typically given great financial aid.
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That’s not yield protection. I think you are talking about geographic diversity/concentration.
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To add to this, I’ve read about students who don’t withdraw and then have their ED acceptance rescinded.
Possibly, but essentially a lot of people got waitlisted/denied EA who ended up getting into higher ranked colleges, so I didn’t want to risk it
That is usually for ivies and such colleges, I’m assuming? I know of people who got into UVA and didn’t withdraw some of their other apps but nothing happened.
But you’re talking about the risk of getting caught here, not the ethics of gaming ED without intending to hold up your end of the agreement. The promise is the same, regardless of the type of institution.
Anyway, you have not accepted VT’s offer yet, which is mitigating.
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^^^^^^^^ THAT ^^^^^^^^
It’s the agreement you made, if nothing else. You have time, but no matter what you decide, you should honor it.
Do you have til 1/15 to accept - or to pay? You accepted by applying ED.
If nothing else, it’s not a good look about you. I hope you don’t make a habit of this type of decision making in life.
Edit: It’s clear from your later comments you were trying to game the system - and that’s what’s troubling…you’re now justifying it and you can’t…
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I read this differently. Now that this student only has a week to commit to spending four years at VT, they are sort of having buyers remorse. This is sort of common….the second guessing.
But the student did write…they are happy to be an accepted VT student and look forward to attending.
Really being nervous about this commitment is not unusual. But the commitment was really made when the student and family and school counselor signed the ED agreement.
Congratulation on your VT acceptance.
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I completely understand that it is not a good look for me and I’ve definitely learned my lesson. I also understand how my comments may have come off as, but I really was not trying to game the system. I genuinely did want to go to VT when I applied ED, but now that I’ve actually gotten in, I’ve been hit with the reality of everything and it’s thrown me for a loop. I suppose I’m partly trying to justify for myself why I didn’t apply EA, but I never intended nor expected to be in this situation and I certainly don’t enjoy it 
That is absolutely the best way to put it, thank you! I do really want to attend VT for all the same reasons that inclined me to apply ED in the first place, but the reality of my acceptance is messing with my head.
Is VT your top choice? Can you afford it? If the answer to both is yes, congrats! You’re done.
If it’s no to top choice, bail now and use finances as the excuse. It will appropriately close the door for good.
If it’s finances, and still your first choice, ask for a reevaluation of your financial package. You can use your VCU package as mild leverage.
What you absolutely can’t do it have your cake and eat it too. You can’t sit on the VT ED and wait for everything else to roll in. You have to make a decision. Ultimately, no matter what it is, it will be the right decision. Our gut usually leads us in the right direction.
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Chin up! You were accepted at a great school, in a great program. That counts for a lot! If you had been accepted EA and then applied to a bunch of other schools and had some other acceptances you would be agonizing over what to choose. And then after choosing one you would be second guessing your choice. And maybe you would have regretted it after a couple of months. See where I’m going? You made a choice, stick with it. Don’t second guess yourself. Trust your initial instinct. Choices are hard and choices of this magnitude are even harder. Good luck OP!
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Thank you for your insight! That last part is absolutely true and it is what I needed to hear in order to solidify my decision. I think knowing that I had the option to back out (albeit looked down upon) was the culprit to making me second guess my choice, but my answer is still yes to your two questions, so yes, I suppose I’m done! I guess my question now would be: is it still a bad look to ask for a reevaluation of my financial package? Do colleges respond well to that request?
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Thank you a million times! You are absolutely correct with everything you said and I know that subconsciously, even if it took me some time to come to terms with it, I’ve made the right decision. I’m glad to have gotten all this feedback, and I’m looking forward to these next four years!
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Finances matter. Wait to see what happens with your brother, and the family finances, and then you may need to come back at Virginia Tech with a request for more financial aid.
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