<p>I wasn't accepted into very many colleges, and now it's come time to send out the "will not attend" letters. (Got my acceptances after May 1st.)</p>
<p>I feel guilty because the colleges "took a chance" on me, only to have me not attend. </p>
<p>Anyone else feel the same way?</p>
<p>I felt really bad about one of mine because they were SO interested and seemed to have made me a huge priority in their applicant class. But I think colleges also know that for every great student that turns them down, they know they’ll get a great acceptance, so I tried not to worry about it too much.</p>
<p>I absolve you of all guilt. 
Colleges routinely make more offers of admission than they have seats available. This is because they expect that some students will turn them down.</p>
<p>Just turn them down politely and graciously. Aside from being the right thing to do, it could net you a nice fallback position. Colleges have been known to offer to keep a very desirable student’s file open for a year (in some cases, even two), the admission decision and any merit scholarships still in effect, just in case the student changes his mind.</p>
<p>I felt a little guilty and wrote a really nice email, but today I got a letter from them about placement testing dates so I don’t feel bad at all</p>
<p>One college my D declined wrote back very nicely that they will keep her application on file. Not certian what that means. But it was nice of them to respond.</p>
<p>i felt SO guilty saying no to tulane. :[ even though i really didn’t want to go there, i’m now seriously considering it for grad school. i really felt like they cared about me.</p>
<p>I felt a bit guilty about rejecting George Mason’s Scholars program. My main comfort is that they accept about 100 students into the program each year, but on average only a quarter of that number end up attending.</p>
<p>Sorta… but they got my application fees.</p>
<p>I did for one of my schools. I sent them a letter saying thanks and everything and enclosed the scholarship forms with the decline option signed. Then almost a week later I got a call from them asking if I had returned the forms :P</p>
<p>I felt horribly guilty telling my mother’s alma mater that I would not attend. Their admissions rep was marvelous and SO helpful, but I can’t study Japanese there, which was the reason I told them no. Still feel horrible about it, though.</p>