<p>Double depositing is not only frowned upon, but in some cases, schools may take action against you, like rescinding their offer of admission. </p>
<p>If you have sent your deposit in, you are telling the school you are agreeing to matriculate there, period. If the school has a nonrefundable deposit and you aren't sure if you want to go there, ask for an extention of the deadline (although this doesn't mean you'll get one). If the school you deposit at has a refundable deposit before May 1, you can obviously change your mind before that date. </p>
<p>If you are removed from a waitlist somewhere after May 1st and decide to attend that school over the one you have a deposit at, that's fine...we all use waitlists and expect our peer institutions to use theirs. But to intentionally deposit at two or more schools, particularly after the May 1 common reply deadline is dishonest and very much frowned upon. Such action may also be in seen as a violation of a school's honor code, for which you could get an offer rescinded.</p>
<p>Yeah, to repeat what everyone else basically said, unless you were waitlisted somewhere and hope to be accepted from that waitlist, only send in one deposit.</p>
<p>I'll follow up what AdOfficer said. We use that time after May 1 to start planning for the following year; setting up housing assignments, planning Orientation, tidying up scheduling issues... we know that we're going to lose a handful of students between May 1 and September, but to knowingly deposit multiple places is wrong.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it depends on the schools; and your worst case scenario might just be the loss of one of the deposits. I wouldn't wave your deposit status around in the air with other schools, though.</p>
<p>^^^^^
if you've been waitlisted somewhere, you have not been accepted; with the size of waitlists nowadays, you are really gambling by not matriculating somewhere else (meaning sending a deposit) until you hear whether or not you've been admitted somewhere else by being taken off a waitlist. If you are waitlisted to, say, your top choice, do not hold your breath...there is a good chance you may not come off of the list, so you need a back-up plan (hopefully your second choice, which probably isn't going to be too bad ;)). </p>
<p>Waitlists are a college's way of saying "we thought you were great, but sadly we don't have enough room at this time to admit you...if room becomes available, would you like us to consider you for that spot?" If you are still interested, it can't hurt to say "yes, think of me"...if they take you, the school you sent your initial deposit to will understand.</p>
<p>Are you saying that if you get accepted to your (first choice) waitlisted school, the "backup" school will refund your deposit? Would I have to notify the school I do send the deposit to that I am waiting for the response from another school?</p>
<p>No, in most cases we won't refund your deposit, unless there are really exceptional circumstances. ("I changed my mind" isn't terribly exceptional.) If you're really having a tough time deciding between two schools, odds are that you'll be satisfied and have the same chance at success at either place. Again, like AO said, it's not like you're choosing between spending four years in Tahiti or four years in Alcatraz.</p>
<p>A girl at my hs got into 2 schools - one her parents reeeeally wanted her to go to and the other she really wanted to go to. so she sent in deposits to both schools... i think shes happily at the school she wanted to go to now. its not that big a deal. ps these were not schools like columbia.</p>
<p>Even if the deposit is $1000, the college still would have made more off the student that could have gone had you not been so selfish. Not to mention that someone that actually wanted to go is now out of luck. You've had about half a year to decide, so just then balance financial matters with preferences and make a quick choice.</p>
<p>From what I understand from my admissions friends, once you accept a place in the entering class, you are to remove your name from any waiting list.</p>
<p>^^^that is not true. Being on a waitlist is not even close to a guarantee of admission. No school expects you to stay on their waitlist without sending in a deposit to another school that admitted you. After all, they could be accepting only 20 out of 500 on the waitlist.</p>
<p>In fact you would be foolish not to send in a deposit somewhere.</p>
<p>Seems to me that you can send in two deposits - depending upon the schools. Maybe the Ivys share lists, but with the numerous schools throughout the US, what are the real chances that schools A and B will find out about each other??? (Yes, some may see this practice as dishonest, but I can understand there are circumstances why a student might be undecided. May 1 does not give much lead time.) How many schools include an agreement that you're only putting down one deposit?</p>
<p>Simply because you may not get caught does not make the practice right. What are the chances on any particular night that you will get caught driving drunk? Does that make it right? If one of the schools has an honor code, it's OK to violate it by double depositing since you're unlikely to get caught? </p>
<p>May 1 is not enough lead time? How long has it been since you sent in your applications? Since you began researching colleges? You should have a pretty good idea of where you want to go, barring extraordinary circumstances. And then you have a month to sort out your top choices. Make a decision, guys! And if you do have extraordinary circumstances, that's the time to contact both schools, explain them and ask for an extension to respond. That's the ethical way to go about things.</p>
<p>I think some of the folks who have been posting need to have more sympathy for people with exceptional circumstances. Most things most people are saying are true generally speaking. And of course double depositing because you are a high school senior and you just can't make up your mind is inappropriate. </p>
<p>But if something unusual is going on, and a student is waiting for a something (a foreign college's decision/a health issue/an issue related to a parent's employment/an upcoming military deployment), something he or she has no control over, and but knows that decision will come after May 1, this double depositing or making a deposit to a college you are not 100% sure you will be attending seems an appropriate thing to do. If both schools are Ivy League or you have some reason to think they will talk to each other, you should let the schools know what is going on in your life. Otherwise, the schools will not find out and all that will happen is that your unusual circumstance will cause you to lose a chunk of money.</p>