<p>I have noticed that with a few friends and people on CC that colleges are accepting students to the school, with restrictions. Such as- They need to start freshman year abroad (Northeastern, for example), or they were accepted to the 'college', but not in the desired major (seems to happen with engineering majors) with no guarantee that they will be able to transfer to the desired major. </p>
<p>How many students end up taking colleges up on these offers?</p>
<p>Friends’ DS was accepted to UIUC, but not to his major or intended school. Took him two years to finally get into a program somewhat similar to his original intended major, and he never was accepted into his originally intended school. It will take him at least 5 years to graduate; no financial aid either.</p>
<p>I’m currently in this situation at UT Austin. I didn’t get into my first choice major Chemical Engineering, but I got into my second choice, Petroleum Engineering. I’ve decided that I’ll attend UT anyways and hopefully transfer to Chemical Engineering because I love UT so much. This has happened to a lot of my friends as well because we got cocky about the top 10% rule and then we didn’t get accepted into our major but for the most part we’re all going because they think UT will give them a better education.</p>
<p>@ gsmomma, something like this just happened to my daughter with her grad school applications.
It was her current school that she will get her undergrad in in May ( coincidentally , Northeastern ) She was accepted to their program for online students with the possibility of getting into the regular classroom setting. She politely passed on that offer since she got want she wanted elsewhere</p>
<p>I know someone who went through the NEU program where the first semester freshman year was spent abroad. Her mother did not like the idea at all, but her D went with it because she really liked NEU. She had a great time and it all worked out.
I had never heard of this concept before but it seems to be a way for them to make sure their dorms are always at 100%. Admit more students than you have space for, have the overflow go overseas, by the time they get back, some students have dropped out or have left campus to go on a co-op assignment…</p>
<p>Or how about being accepted for second semester? Thanks, but no thanks.</p>
<p>My oldest got three of these odd letters, two were the “pick another major” type letters. One said, “Congratulations”, but went on to say he was on the wait list for the major. Huh? He called admissions and found out that it meant he would almost certainly be admitted to the major. Within a month, he was admitted.</p>
<p>We are in this situation with three schools so far, lol. </p>
<ol>
<li>Northeastern - - as you describe with the semester abroad</li>
<li>another large public - admitted to liberal arts not engineering (transferring seems possible, not necessarily easy)</li>
<li>LAC - admitted to liberal arts, not engineering (his #1 choice annoyingly, transferring into engineering sounds highly unlikely)</li>
</ol>
<p>He has three other options where he is admitted for engineering (a tech school and two other public universities).</p>
<p>We would prefer our child not take any of the first three offers, but we are leaving it up to him . . .stay tuned . . .</p>
<p>We had a similar situation with Carnegie Mellon - S was admitted into the liberal arts school (second choice) but waitlisted for their computer school, which is THE hardest one to get into. He chose to go elsewhere, rather than take the chance he wouldn’t be admitted into the school of his choice once he was there.</p>
<p>We looked at middlebury for second semester acceptance. I think the first semester is so important for support groups/friends- too hard to come in later. D took the best offer at the time in the fall semester.</p>
<p>UT frequently caps students – they can attend a satellite for a year (ex. UTSA) and transfer. A&M does this as well and asks students to spend a year at Blynn while simultaneously taking a course or two at A&M before becoming full-time students their sophomore year. I don’t think I’d encourage my child to go this route, but many students do and are happy and successful.</p>
<p>One friend got a second semester admit at an LAC, got a local job and waited. The waiting was hard but she settled in happily once the spring came.</p>
<p>Another friend got a second semester at a different LAC, his top choice. He showed them a lot of love and he ended up being accepted to the fall after all. He loves it there and is thriving.</p>
<p>This was happening 30 years ago, as well. I was not accepted in EE, 1st choice, but in CS, 2nd choice major.</p>
<p>I havent heard of it much except on CC, but it is similar to accepting students without enough aid.
Its great if they manage to come anyway in the eyes of the school, but the school is not bending overbackwards to be welcoming.
Ive also heard of very few people who could change majors to a more popular one, once theyve been denied.
Not to say that many students * dont change* majors though.</p>
<p>The number/percent of kids that are pushed into the LPS program in NYU is staggering. The NYU Arts and Science gave the president of NYU a no-confidence vote, partially for in effect diluting the NYU name with its foreign schools. I think the LPS are just as big an issue.</p>
<p>LPS program???</p>
<p>I was accepted to the NU study abroad program for my first semester. It’s so expensive and seems inconvenient. I don’t know what to do… I haven’t been accepted to a school I like yet except NU. I might do it, but probably not…</p>
<p>megan12- actually, CFA- Drama is the hardest to get into at CMU. Hubby did the stats with the school info provided and it’s phenomenally low.</p>
<p>The one that annoyed me was a large public. </p>
<p>D applied to Engineering and Science and was accepted into Liberal Arts. She only applied to Engineering and Science. </p>
<p>What annoyed me most was the congratulatory aspect of the letter with no mention of NOT getting into what she actually applied to. I thought it might be a clerical error so I called and they said that she was waitlisted for Engineering and Science. That would have been valuable information to include in the letter. However, they expect you to be honored that they would accept you at all, even to a program you have no interest in. She told them to withdraw her application from the waitlist. </p>
<p>The whole thing was really disingenuous. They view this dishonesty as the normal course of doing business. They could have said in the letter that she was waitlisted but as a consolation she was admitted to the school she didn’t applied to. That would have been useful. But to send an acceptance with no mention of what she actually applied to, that required actual work to figure it out.</p>
<p>Neighbor was accepted to MI State for winter term instead of fall back in 2005. She started at the CC, then decided to go to another school rather than MSU. To be honest, it all worked out well for her. She is now working as a production assistant on a very highly rated daytime talk show … she would never be where she is today had she been accepted to MSU for fall. I am often amazed at how life has a way of working out.</p>
<p>Toledo - my bad. NYU’s LSP, Liberal Studies Program, that kids are shunted into.</p>