<p>My son got in EA to his first choice. Should he, however, wait to send in the deposit? It is a state school and scholarships are relatively minor, but a few thousand would be nice. My husband says that by waiting, he may be offered more money. (He is over-qualified for the school so a top candidate.)
Any thoughts?
Thanks a lot:)
Rachel</p>
<p>I do not believe your husband is right. Our son was accepted EA by Case and was offered one of their major scholarships(Trustee or Presidents) to the tune of $17,500/yr. Regular admitees with similar hs records posting here were not offered these scholarships.</p>
<p>Merit scholarship money is limited at most colleges so the earlier a student is admitted and accepts, the better chances he has imho.</p>
<p>You may want to merely call the college's finaid office to inquire about this matter. The will be in a far better position to give you the best advice.</p>
<p>Most state schools don't have a lot of merit money to throw at out of staters, and I don't think that waiting on the deposit will matter. If he's already gotten merit aid, unless there are specific named scholarships/honors colleges still under consideration, he is unlikely to get more. However, waiting on the deposit may affect housing choices. Many larger state schools allocate housing on a "first deposited, first served" basis, with the earlier depositors getting the plum dorms/rooms. And if the school is oversubscribed, later depositors may be the ones in forced triples/quads.</p>
<p>Sounds like a call to admissions/housing is in order.</p>
<p>Agree with your husband. Wait for a while will do nothing hurt.</p>
<p>Well, IF it's his first choice, AND IF he can get first "dibs" on housing for next by sending in his deposit soon, then send it in.</p>
<p>Yes, D waited to get all the decisions and tried the "wait until the merit offers come in method"....and ended up in a triple room. We underestimated the impact of waiting until the end of April to pay the deposit....</p>
<p>Some state schools like UT -Austin do not have adequate housing even for freshmen. They warn you about this at all of their information sessions. The private dormatories cost could easily negate any additional scholarship money received. Not to mention, changing the freshman experience.</p>
<p>My son ended up in a triple initially at UVa 2 years ago even though he applied ED . He also did not get his first choice location (he wanted old dorms but got assigned to new dorms). So, all schools are differnet in regard to housing and how they handle it( by deposit date,random, by lottery,etc). Probably best to check with housing at the schools directly. Most schools outline their process on their website.</p>
<p>We did this last year when D got accepted EA to her first choice, as dorm space was at a premium. So,we sent both the tuition and housing deposits. Unfortunately, when the FA packages came in, it was not in our favor, so we were out the $500. I sent a letter to try to get the deposit back, but no luck. (and, this was well before the May 1st deadline, so it was not as if she were taking someone else's place). Lesson learned - if FA is part of the decision, it may be better to wait until you know for sure.</p>
<p>OP-Are they nonrefundable?</p>
<p>It might be worth a call or note to the admissions office to see if your son is being considered for merit scholarships. Sometimes the mailings of acceptance and the scholarship offers are a couple of weeks apart. Some scholarship decisions follow later, you may have to have him interview or attend a scholarship weekend/day. Good luck!</p>