I registered my child for a 3 week summer camp at CTY in February. The camp was scheduled for July. By April my child got a better summer option so I decided to withdraw him from CTY. I got refunded the amount I paid minus 1,100 dollars for “administrative fees” (they say).
I understand that these are the rules they imposed and everything is in writing in the contract but I stllI have to say there’s no reason in the world that justify them keeping so much money.
When I called to get my refund I was told it was going to take some time because they have a long list of withdrawals to process. So a lot of other parents are in a similar situation than me. I think with so many withdrawals this is becoming another part of their business. Charging these extremely high withdrawal fees.
CTY camps are good but unfortunately they treat it a pure business. Trying to extract the maxumum amount of money from the parents.
Just be careful when you enroll your child in one of these camps. They’ll pressure you to register your child soon with the excuse that you can lose your spot but actually most of these camps are still available even in summer.
Summer programs require commitment for staffing, housing, admin costs, training, time, energy, etc… If they know that people apply to multiple programs and may cancel after committing, they also know what they need to recoup so that they can still financially provide the program to others. Definitely read the fine print for everything but no one, not even not for profit universities, will survive if they are losing money.
It stinks but with notification dates for summer/precollege programs being all over the place (ours have spanned from mid-January to late May!) it’s probably very hard to fill a seat that is vacated. I wish they could coordinate and have everyone notified between X and Y dates.
You were holding a space they could have offered to another full-pay student that they probably can’t fill now. I don’t think it’s unreasonable if all the terms were set forth ahead of time.
They are definitely wanting a financial commitment in advance. The penalties for withdrawing steepen over time, as shown in the blue table in this link: https://cty.jhu.edu/summer/apply/#refund_policies
As someone who teaches even on a small scale, preparation starts well in advance of a class beginning in terms of resource allocation, reserving space, planning, etc. It may be too late to fill that slot. So I don’t think this is surprising at all. I’m sure it’s spelled out in the contract.
I think it is good to think of this as a business. So are other summer programs and colleges for that matter. They aren’t going to pick the health of your pocket book over the health of their bottom line. They don’t really care if you can’t actually afford it or need to take out loans.
I personally would have saved the other program for another time.
Based on your replies, I have to say that the problem with some of us (human beings) is that with just a few facts, we tend to make quick assumptions and we jump into big conclusions. I understand that CTY is a business and they have to make a profit. I also took Economy 101 just like you guys. Also, maybe I didn’t list all the facts in my original post.
The course my child was registered is a course that never fills out. In previous years spots for this class in this particular location are still available until just before the class starts. So this is not a case where my child was taking somebody else’s place. Also, I cancelled the registration in April and the class starts in July.
Once again, CTY is losing very little by processing my child’s cancellation. A $1,100 cancellation fee is excessive.
You only provided us with a few facts. If you had been more detailed in your original post the replies may have been more relevant.
I guess this is a warning to everyone to read and understand the fine print of any agreement.
But imagine if 1000 kids applied to 4 camps and paid and then at the last minute cancelled if they got into a better camp. How would camps plan? You may think you are having 1000 students come but really it is only 250.
Summer programs are definitely more challenging to time acceptances to than college, as signup/acceptance dates are widely varied. And some of the most competitive programs don’t even tell you if you are in until late in the spring.
So… you need to be strategic, and part of that is thinking about when answers are due, what deposits are due and refundable, and backup plans so the kid doesn’t end up with nothing. There is some “gambling” involved, for sure. But I don’t particularly blame JHU — the info was there when you signed up.
And regarding timing, lots of people are looking at kid’s summer plans late in the fall before. You get used to that if camps are part of your “summer day care” plan like it was for us. Our kid’s camp or program options were locked down before April. So assuming there are lots of people just starting to look for camps in April isn’t necessarily accurate.
“The course my child was registered is a course that never fills out. In previous years spots for this class in this particular location are still available until just before the class starts. So this is not a case where my child was taking somebody else’s place.”
To @intparent’s point about being strategic, perhaps you should have waited to sign up for CTY camp if spots never fill up right away.
I’ve paid $1,000 deposits, so same deal, just on the front end.
I don’t think it’s THAT unusual.
@intparent , you’re very right! The competitive programs are very tricky to schedule. I applied for several summer camps for my son and “unfortunately” he got accepted to all of them. I knew I was taking a little gamble but I didn’t have any option. I was ok with losing some money but my point is that losing $1,100 I consider it too much. As @doschicos pointed out, I could have waited a little more before signing for CTY because that particular course never fills out but once again… you never know. I decided to still go ahead and reserve that spot at CTY anyway, but then a month later he got accepted for a summer research at a prestigious laboratory and then I ended up having to cancel all the other camps. My point is that CTY charged me too much for the gamble.
The time to decide whether the price of admission is worth it is before you pay.
My kid worked as staff at CTY and I can tell you that even if the class your kid registered doesn’t fill up, the program makes commitments for dorm rooms, staff, food service, security staff, recreational programming, etc. months in advance. And all of those commitments require a financial deposit. You think that if 20% of the students don’t show up the program can absorb those losses? No. Contracts for faculty are completed months in advance. One of my kids did a CTY course which had field work in different locations every day- and a private van service to drive the kids- you think they can just call an uber every day? No. They contract for transportation months in advance. Every site has a medical director and nursing staff. Do you think those folks work for free? They do not, and CTY has to hire, certify their credentials, maintain all appropriate privacy protocols with kids medical records.
Bottom line- Just wait until your kid gets to college and you see what cancellation fees REALLY cost.
And of course you had an option here-- you just wanted to play both ends against the middle, and you’re irritated that your “little gamble” turned into a big gamble.
Lesson learned.
We all agree that CTY is a business and as a business they incur many costs. Like any other business.
I’ll repeat it one more time. I think CTY is charging too much for withdrawing a student 3 months before the class starts.
That’s all I’m saying.
And others think they didn’t blindside you — it was stated when you signed up, and you clearly knew your kid was applying to other programs. You gambled, and now are unhappy that you lost.
@blossom, why do you get personal with me and say that I’m irritated? I think you are the one that is irritated. Then you are sarcastic by saying that my “little gamble” didn’t work.
@intparent , from where did you get that I’m “unhappy”? So now you know my state of mind? All I said is that charging $1,100 withdrawal fee is too much.
By the way, although I lost $1,100 I still think my child got into a his prefered summer activity. So after weighing all the factors I still feel that I won.
You started a thread specifically to complain about CTY, an excellent and reputable institution that has done wonders for thousands of gifted adolescents and teens. Your complaint consisted about you “losing” over a thousand dollars because of CTY’s withdrawal policy - a policy which was clearly stated when you signed up your child and paid the deposit. They didn’t lie to you, hoodwink you, or do anything other than what they told you to expect.
This is 100% your fault, plain and simple. I think the pushback you are getting from others has to do with the fact that you are unfairly trying to put a reputable institution in a negative light. You complain about the consequences of your own actions. If you think they charge too much then you shouldn’t have taken the gamble or have signed him up with CTY in the first place.