My son has made a decision and we want to decline admission to other schools where he was accepted. Some we could do online, some had a card to be returned but others we can’t find either option. Does he just send an email to the general admissions email?
Some people don’t reply to colleges they decline and the school will assume he isn’t coming when they don’t get a deposit. BUT IMO it is good practice to officially decline (it reflects well on your son and his HS and it is quick to do) and yes an email to admissions would be appropriate.
Congrats on being done with the process! Now it is time to relax and buy that hoodie!
When colleges offered a way to decline on the portal or with a card, my kids did that. But you don’t have to go track them down if they don’t make it reasonably easy, IMO.
I highly suggest the student decline via email to your admissions contact at each school. A politely worded email expressing thanks and where you are going is not only polite but helpful to the school you are declining. It’s good practice for young adults, it makes your kid’s high school look good, and it’s just the right thing to do, IMO. Maybe it matters less with big state schools with 30-50K students, but for smaller schools it is noticed and appreciated.
The world is very small. It never hurts to complete the cycle on the right note. You never know if you might want a transfer down the road, for example.
One other reason to send a decline email is to open that spot up earlier for a wait list candidate. Most schools wait until May 1st to start using their wait lists, but I have to believe there is some sorting going on now too. It could be that there are students in your son’s class who are on wait lists for those schools and would be considered for the spots your son declines.
I feel you guys on the email but honestly many schools don’t even provide one. D, in particular, tried to contact all her “no” colleges and finally gave up on the last 2 or so. Just not possible to find addresses to say no to.
That said, in one case she’d been in touch with a regional rep and not finding a portal “no” button or card, contacted him.
i’m not sure a college will go to waitlist because of a single “no” since they work on averages and maybe this one “no” will be covered by two “yeses”. I suppose it’s possible, especially if one high school is being targeted for a certain number of kids.
My son was accepted to his second choice program at a SUNY, which he only selected because common app demanded a second choice, but he never finished the portfolio requirements for the primary major, so I sent an email saying he decided to go elsewhere. I spent a separate email thanking the same school for inviting him to its special mid-summer program for minority and first generation students. It is clear on his common app that S is the white Jewish son of two people with post graduate degrees, so I am not sure who is reading the apps.