<p>I'm currently taking a gap year (if you want a lot of background about my situation, read through some of my other posts). The basic story is this--I confirmed admission at Case Western prior to taking my gap year. I didn't really like Case Western at all, but when the time came to decide on a school, it was the only school that gave me any scholarship, so naturally it was the only viable option. I never "paid" a deposit, I said that I couldn't afford the deposit at the time it was due (which was true) and only "confirmed admission". The office of financial aid waived the fee temporarily and said it would be added to the fees for the fall semester. Then I took my gap year. During the gap year, I looked around for schools that I felt would be a better match, and with a lot of effort and good luck, got into Tulane with a scholarship comparable to Case Western's offer. I love Tulane and have decided that's where I wanna go. Case was never where I wanted to go and now I feel with Tulane, I have a way out.</p>
<p>Because I didn't "pay" the deposit, there will be no money lost in my declining the offer to go to Case.</p>
<p>What I need help on now is how to break the news to Case. Who do I call, email, ect and what should I say exactly in the email/phone call? How do I approach the school? I'm not very good with bad news/declining offers and saying no.</p>
<p>Say something along the lines of… “I know I initially enrolled at Case but I have since found a school that is a better match for me personally. While I think your school is great it’s not where I need to be and I regret to inform you that I will not be attending in the fall. Thank you for accepting me and being patient in waiting for me on my gap year but I have to withdraw from attending your school.” or something… I’m not really sure as I’m not good at bad news either. You have to be honest with them though and just say that it wasn’t a good fit.</p>
<p>T26e4–there was no official letter signed, and before I applied to tulane I did call the admissions office a few times and asked if there’s anything I wasn’t allowed to do and they repeatedly said the only thing I wasn’t allowed to do was take classes for credit. Never did they mention reapplying to schools</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with Erin’s Dad. This is not an issue - just call up (or email) the admissions office and thank them for the opportunity but let them know that you have decided to attend somewhere else that is a better fit for you.</p>
<p>You don’t even need to tell them that you have found a different college/university. A simple “my plans have changed” will do. Thank them for their consideration and generosity, and move on.</p>
<p>Just to get terminology right, you didn’t take a gap year. A gap year is when people take a year away from college after HS either because they aren’t ready or because they didn’t like the set of acceptances they got. This isn’t you. You were accepted, and then deferred your enrollment. </p>
<p>I think its a little in the gray area ethically. Colleges have “melt” as mentioned before because students are on waitlists. That is different from the case where you tell a college “I want to enroll, hold my spot for a year” and then turn around and look for better schools. Maybe its just me, but if this is what you wanted to do you could have declined all offers and had a bona-fide gap year.
Something you might want to work on, given your screen name. You are no doubt aware doctors have to tell people they are seriously or terminally ill.</p>
<p>If you look at my other posts, youll see that It was a last minute decision and that this "year off " thing was my dads doing. I actually had full intent on starting there this fall after i graduated and had signed up for classes and everything, my dad ducked me out the week or 2 prior to move in day! Even after that i had the intention of going to case, but having the gut feeling that it wasn’t the best fit in the first place, i decided to press my luck elsewhere. Plans changed during the gap year.</p>
<p>Anyway, what’s the verdict on the explanation? Should i say its because i have chosen another school or just “plans change”? Or will it be dishonest not to mention the new school?</p>
<p>I do feel bad in all this–they held a spot for me with a scholarship that I’m about to back out of, a spot they could have easily given to someone else who wanted it more than me, expecting me to honor that agreement. But I know I couldn’t call Case my “home” for four years, and I knew that from the very day I got that acceptance letter that it was my “very very very last choice”.</p>
<p>Just say you will not be attending…believe me, you are over-thinking this- Case will not miss you and they will be happy to put the $$ back in the pot. If they charge you the deposit fee, pay it and go on your way.</p>
<p>IMO I think it’s wrong to have a school accept you, have you tell them to hold your spot because you’re coming next year, then tell them you’re not. Especially since Tulanes scholarship is only ‘comparable’ to Cases, its not even that much better financially.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t have accepted a schools offer that you didn’t ever want to go to in the first place. As mikemac said, you should have just declined your offers, took the real gap year, and then reapplied to new schools next year.</p>
<p>I think just telling Case your plans have changed is just fine.</p>
<p>However, I think you might have a potentially bigger problem. I assume you accepted Case’s offer and deferred starting school for a year. Then, I also assume, you applied to Tulane as a freshman applicant. I am not sure that is correct … if you were an accepted and deferred Case student … the correct way to apply may have been as a transfer student. I do not know if this is an issue or not … but if it is and Tulane finds out later it could get sticky … you may want to make sure you’re OK on the Tulane end of things now; before you start … it may help prevent a potential headache later.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, has Case contacted you at all about enrolling this fall semester, sending you information on orientation or financial aid, etc.?</p>
<p>Can I just point out to everybody that BMEPREMEDgirl posed this question last February? Whatever, she was going to do, she’s already done it months ago.</p>