<p>armcp-
I think you are confusing "double-depositing" (committing to 2 schools simultaneously) with paying one deposit while remaining on a waiting list for a second school. They are different situations. See the OP"s post #43 for an example- Pomona's explanation of their policy on this. I have a friend whose son is in a grey area. He has committed (i.e paid the deposit)to one school with a decent film program, while also paying a deposit at USC, where he's been accepted, but is on the wait list for the film school. If he gets into USC's film school, he'll go to USC. If not, he wants to go to the other school. I don't know how long he can say "yes" to both schools, and I don't know if he's told either school about his situation. It's a little edgy....</p>
<p>When I was in AF and stationed at the Academy (in Colorado Springs) the percentage of cadets that drop out between the beginning of summer camp and the first day of school in early September can be as high as 10%, easily 3 to 6%. So it is a wise policy to have a fail back school IMO.</p>
<p>That is a message that is put forward on the academy forum and I do see the logic in in. Just wanted to let people know that it is not seen in the same light by colleges (in our experience). This is unfortunate as the academy candidate is left with no guarantees at all if he/she plays by the rules- which my son has.</p>
<p>Help:::::: Let's say I manage to secure deferrment for national service for two years. During the two years, if I apply for another university, would it count as a DD? I would not be really depriving any other students of a place though it would constitute a breaking of trust.</p>
<p>Thanks for this post. It reminded me that my D had double deposited, but for a good reason.</p>
<p>We've deposited at the state school that accepted her right off the bat so she'd be guaranteed a spot, but had to wait to hear on three schools that had waitlisted her. She's been accepted into her dream school, but since they review students' final transcripts and then decide whether to admit them, we're not 100% sure she'll be accepted (she thinks she might be getting a "C" in one class this semester, with the rest "As").</p>
<p>Calling both schools and explaining the situation is probably a good idea, huh?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Originally Posted by Xiggi
"some large public universities suggest you apply for housing even before you submit your application (UT Austin, being one of those....)"</p>
<p>And a nice source of income for UT since most applicants send their non-refundable housing deposits in September while many people end up not being accepted or decide not to enroll. </p>
<p>Xiggi, that's not true. UT freshmen housing deposits are fully refundable if requested before May 1. Here's a quote from the UT Housing website:</p>
<p>"Your $300 advance payment is refundable only if you are a first time freshman not attending the University and you inform Admissions and Housing of your decision before May 1."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I was talking about the application fees.</p>
<p>From UT website at <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/pdfs/FallApp.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/pdfs/FallApp.pdf</a></p>
<p>Complete the application and mail it with a *$50 non-refundable application fee * to Division of Housing and Food Service(DHFS), PO Box 7666, Austin,
TX 78713-7666</p>
<p>jym262, I hope that your friend's son is able to make a decision as quickly as possible and get on with his plans for next year. I am not sure, however, if I understand his situation completely and just how his situation is a "grey area" - does this mean that he only wants to go to USC if he gets directly into the film school? Since he has accepted USC's offer of admission, even though he did not get his first choice major, he would be able to take courses in film and re-apply to the program at a later date. </p>
<p>In the final analysis, it still appears to be a situation where a choice must be made within a reasonable time framework.</p>
<p>Can anyone site an actual case of having admission revoked for double depositing?</p>
<p>I do not think that everything has to necessarily be your experience or someone you know in order for it to be true. </p>
<p>we can come up with a million what ifs or nothing happened when my friend did something.</p>
<p>while yes, there are some people who double deposit and nothing happens, how would you feel if you / or your child were the one to test the theory only to find out that it was true? what happens if it is you or your kid that ends up being the 1 in 1000 that gets their admissions rescinded? Then it is woe, is me and the big bad college has done a major wrong to little eggbert when the school only did what they said they were going to do?</p>
<p>Plenty of people cheat on their taxes, or spouses, and many don't get caught but some do. Not getting caught does not make the act justifiable or right.</p>
<p>Many of these things: Ed commitments and double depositing are based on the premise that people are upstanding, they have integrity and they will do what is right. why should we have to force people's hands to ensure that the right thing is done?</p>
<p>when we up hold our kids wrong and strong over these little things, what is the difference in a little wrong doing and a major wrong doing, because wrong is still wrong no matter how you slice it. Then we sit back shaking our heads at all of the people who are liars, cheaters, devoid of ethics and willing to throw anyone under the bus if it helps them to achieve what they want.</p>
<p>After all has been said and done these 2 premises still ring true:</p>
<p>Character is who you are when no one is watching.</p>
<p>There is no right way to do something that you know is wrong.</p>
<p>Good grief, sybbie. </p>
<p>You are welcome to view double depositing as something you don't like. Fine. Have your opinion.</p>
<p>But to presume for the rest of us that it it is an evil, immoral practice, or "wrong" to use your words?</p>
<p>Who gives you the right to judge right and wrong for the rest of us?</p>
<p>Pleeease.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Who gives you the right to judge right and wrong for the rest of us?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I am not judging you or anyone else because no matter where you go, there you are. If you can face your self that is all that matters. </p>
<p>Let your conscience be your guide.</p>
<p>You know what they say about if the shoe fits, lets just hope that your toes are not getting pinched :)</p>
<p>I don't think I really said anything that should be too upsetting as most people set their own code of morals, values, etc which they operate from and are usually pretty consistent in the way that they conduct themselves.</p>
<p>sybbie, you tried. There will always, always be people who think they are the exception, that their case is unique, that they don't have to follow the rules, written or unwritten. I can't imagine on any level with the craziness of kids applying to so many colleges and colleges trying to hit just the right yield numbers to fill their classes, not under admit, not over admit, that they will tolerate double dipping for very long without cracking down in a painful way. Either the deposits will get astronomical or they will come up with some sort of shared database to cross reference applicants, but my money is on the colleges not on the people that are unable to commit for whatever reason.</p>
<p>
[quote]
newmassdad writes: You are welcome to view double depositing as something you don't like. Fine. Have your opinion.</p>
<p>But to presume for the rest of us that it it is an evil, immoral practice, or "wrong" to use your words?</p>
<p>Who gives you the right to judge right and wrong for the rest of us?
[/quote]
Ah, the voice of the moral relativist!! Funny thing, even the moral relativist believes ONE thing is always true, namely the belief in moral relativism. This internal contradiction has often been pointed out by critics, much to their delight.</p>
<p>Signing a contract and then immediately breaking it? Giving one's word and then immediately doing the opposite on what one promised? Yes Virginia, these are wrong.</p>
<p>mikemac,</p>
<p>If you had been paying attention to earlier posts, you might understand that submitting a deposit is NOT a contract. I guess that depth of undersrtanding is too much for the moral police to understand. </p>
<p>There are nuances in this business that, in some rush to make a moral case out of deposits, have been left out of the discussion.</p>
<p>It is sad that some of you cannot accept that some of us do not view this as an issue of morals, and continue to paint the issue in such terms. I am just glad that we live in a society that does not allow self styled moral police to dictate their standards on the rest of us.</p>
<p>So I will go in peace. And you dear mikemac, can do whatever you want...</p>
<p>Once again, the contours of this debate are firmly drawn. At this point, one could very well sum it up as "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "all is fair in love and war". Certainly, If I choose to find Sybbie beautiful then that is my prerogative as a member of this posting community. And, NewsMassDad, I am so pleased to know that you have found peace and now may rest. </p>
<p>bandit_tx, in purely pragmatic terms, double depositing as a means to hedge your bets is risky business. It seems perfectly clear from this thread, moralizing aside, that admissions officers share matriculation lists and can act in any manner they see fit. To find actual cases of admissions being rescinded would be a matter of delving into colleges' "X-files". What is perfectly clear is that "double depositing is NOT a good idea".</p>
<p>If you still have doubts about standard practice, and the type of advice given to students by most guidance counselors, you might want to check out the following link:</p>
<p>Since someone mentioned Canada, I'll explain how it works in Ontario. When my D applied last year, we found that all applications for Ontario universities go through one central 'clearinghouse'. When applicants are accepted and have to indicate their intent to attend a particular school, these intentions also are indicated through the 'clearinghouse'. If more than one offer of admission is accepted, the previous one is automatically cancelled, so the double-depositing is impossible. No wait lists are employed. I realize that it's unrealistic to expect a similar system in the U.S. due to sheer size and numbers but that's how it works here. :)</p>
<p>I don't like to moralize about others' decisions but I do agree that double-depositing is not a nice thing to do. Whether others are doing it, or colleges are not behaving as we think they should, is really not the issue. I don't see those type of things as excuses for our own behavior. Doing it while on a waitlist is one thing, doing it to further 'game' the system is another. As many others have said, just because you don't get caught doesn't make it right.</p>
<p>newmassdad: The point really isn't whether cc posters see double depositing as unethical, the point is that colleges see it as unethical, and they hold the cards in this game. I had done little research on this topic when I first saw the thread, and had only seen repeated advice to "double deposit" on the academy forums, with no disclaimer about the possible consequences. I for one have learnt a lot from these posts.</p>
<p>
[quote]
bandit_tx, in purely pragmatic terms, double depositing as a means to hedge your bets is risky business. It seems perfectly clear from this thread, moralizing aside, that admissions officers share matriculation lists and can act in any manner they see fit. To find actual cases of admissions being rescinded would be a matter of delving into colleges' "X-files". What is perfectly clear is that "double depositing is NOT a good idea".
[/quote]
It only becomes "not a good idea" if and when there are negative consequences. I have a feeling this falls into the urban myth category. </p>
<p>Here's a view from the University of Vermont
[quote]
Its a market-driven society, says Comey, Parents are more involved and they expect more from us. Some students double-deposit and attend two or three orientations. They are shoppers comparing goods. Its kind of like test-driving a car instead of just looking at it on the showroom floor. I think weve done a good job at meeting the new demands. Of the students that come to orientation, we lose only three percent to summer melt.
[/quote]
<a href="http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=1682%5B/url%5D">http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=1682</a>
So why shouldn't you be able to test drive a school?</p>
<p>From <a href="http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/enews/april-main.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/enews/april-main.html</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
1) The unwelcome letter. As explained in the example above, with applications growing, and yield often falling, schools have trouble predicting how many of those admitted will actually matriculate in the fall. Sometimes they underestimate and are faced with huge freshman classes. One way to correct this is to rescind offers of admission to those students who have not maintained their academic standards in the period following their acceptance.</p>
<p>2) The dreaded waitlist. Some colleges are notorious for putting a plethora of applicants on a waiting list so they can first judge what percentage of those admitted actually accept their offer. Still other schools simply cannot decide who to take and who to deny, so they wait until the student shows further interest by sending in additional materials, including an updated transcript with recent academic marks, before making a ruling.
[/quote]
So colleges are known to manipulate students to meet their own needs. Rescind enough admissions to get your yield down? Wait list to see who really wants to come? Sounds like a level playing field to me.</p>
<p>Bandit_tx, I am sure that we are all pleased to know what side of the debate you stand on. Most of us live in the real world and are not overly concerned with the veracity of urban myths. Frankly, I think urban myths are an important part of our popular culture but that is another thread topic. Also, since we do not have a "clearing-house system" that regulates our application process for us, we are ultimately responsible for what we do and how we conduct ourselves.</p>
<p>I am not at all certain how you can explain just how double depositing "levels the playing field" and, by the way, taking quotes willy nilly out of context does not further your argument, no matter how entertaining. </p>
<p>As you suggested, I checked out the link you provided and I suggest you read again, carefully. Especially the bottom right corner link, "The Big Idea". I think you will get the idea.</p>