<p>Anyone thinking of doing the double-deposit dance? Know anyone who ever did?</p>
<p>The</a> Answer Sheet - Is it okay to double deposit at colleges? Part 1</p>
<p>Just one correction: I don’t see how over-enrollment at a college cannot ever be due to double-dipping.</p>
<p>I find it ironic how colleges, through a “professional” organization, NACAC, tell us it is wrong to double deposit, because it makes things difficult for the college in managing enrollment!</p>
<p>When one considers how much spin is performed by colleges, some of which borders on dishonesty, it takes a tremendous amount of guts, IMHO, to hold our kids to standards not of their choosing.</p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<p>Colleges go out of their way to paint a pretty picture on campus visits. They publish (via web, formerly in print) viewbooks and other materials to put their institution in the best possible light. Worse, they block the release of information, such as alcohol consumption, that would be very helpful for families in making a decision. </p>
<p>Then, they give our kids 30 days to make a decision, right at the time they’re preparing for graduation, studying for AP exams and so forth. </p>
<p>The college’s argument, of course, is that a kid has all year to explore and investigate one’s options. But who can (or should?) invest great time exploring an option that might not even be available?</p>
<p>So, they make a “rule” that works for them, but not for us? </p>
<p>Am I alone in being troubled by this?</p>
<p>Not to mention the whole having to deposit before signing up for housing thing. In our experience this year, if you wait until the actual due date (May 1) for most schools, you will miss out on preferred housing. Sure you may have the luxury of time in choosing your college, only to finally select it and not have the benefit of the “top notch” housing which factored into your decision. Double depositing seems the only way to get around this. Add to this the fact that some Departmental Scholarships are not being awarded until later in April and, without knowing the $ to factor it in to your decision, you have almost no choice but to double deposit to hedge your bets.</p>
<p>Come on folks, it’s integrity 101. You don’t enter two binding employment contracts, you don’t marry two women or men, you don’t put two binding offers on a house – why the hell would you legally commit to two schools?</p>
<p>And what school would want a kid self-absorbed enough to do it.</p>
<p>When it comes to personal integrity, it does not matter how you “spin” all that is “wrong” with college conduct or any external entity. It is about who you are being inside your life and within your own choices.</p>
<p>re: #3
NACAC rules prevent colleges from pressuring students into making a decision before all of their acceptances are known by instituting the April 1 admission notification deadline and the May 1 response date. It creates a system where colleges and students have responsibilities. At some point there has to be finality in the decisions colleges and students make. Allowing double deposits just kicks the can down the road to a time when colleges and students have less flexibility to adapt their plans. Enrollment management has benefits for students as well. If you have some ideas to improve upon NACAC’s model which will lead to a fairer system for colleges and students, I’d like to hear it.</p>
<p>Yes, I have many suggestions to make it better:</p>
<p>1) All admissions decisions made by March 1st for all schools.
2) All scholarship/financial aid decisions made by April 1st for all schools.
3) No preferred housing decisions made for regular admission students until May 1st
4) Student commit/deposit deadline May 1st</p>
<p>There are valid reasons why the college places a student into a situation where double deposits make sense. Sorry, whether you agree or not…</p>
<p>The 30 day scenario is ridiculous. So many kids are waiting on housing information, or scholarship information, or even getting waitlisted that it is asking too much for them to only have a 30 day window to make a decision in the midst of their final month of their senior year.</p>
<p>My D has gotten acceptance letters from 11 schools so far. Only one–Rice–included a letter in its acceptance packet warning about double depositing. Makes me wonder if they have had a particular problem with this.</p>
<p>Parents should do what it takes to get the best possible outcome for their child. Don’t worry about the colleges/universities. They are big businesses now and double deposits are already built into their business model. They are not transparent regarding admission selection or financial aid awards yet expect transparency from us! Give me a break.</p>
<p>My child was accepted via rolling admissions to her in state uni last Fall. STILL waiting on her last decisions to come today. That uni ASKED that we please send in a deposit, because that’s the ONLY way to request housing. They HAVE to know there will be a TON of people on deposit who will not be attending. We DID send in deposit, assuming that IS where my D would go. But, it’s NOT her first choice. It’s all a financial decision, so we have to await financial packets. And my daughter has some little outside scholarships that don’t decide until a bit later…enough of those can make a difference if you can afford one school versus another. </p>
<p>Right now…we’ve known of one acceptance for over a week. But still no financial aid data. They told us some of her documents/materials regarding scholarships might not come until mid April! That is just NOT enough time for a kid to mull over the realities.</p>
<p>It’s one thing to browse majors and housing, but … not until you really have an acceptance in hand does the information garnered from the visit or the website…actually “take hold”. </p>
<p>We aren’t lucky/rich enough to have visited most of her preferred schools either. So…with SO little time to get that done…well, it’s a BIG pressure. </p>
<p>Double deposit? I think most would PREFER not to do it, and probably only do it if they feel they just CAN’T decide yet. It’s too big a decision.</p>
<p>Did you sign anything saying that you would not double-deposit? If so, then the answer is obvious.</p>
<p>A deposit is just that. If you are prepared to have it not refunded then there is nothing wrong with sending multiple deposits. A school can rescind an admission for any reason at any time, remember that.</p>
<p>kmccrindle,</p>
<p>The so called “contract” issue has been raised before. In my world, contracts are voluntary and transparent. How many kids, when they start this process, are aware of this issue? Have you ever seen it on their application forms? Admissions materials (such as “Please consider your application carefully. In April, if you are offered admission, you will have 30 days to make a decision…”). </p>
<p>Another way to look at the contract issue is that some “contracts” are so unfair that they are unenforceable. “Confession of judgement” clauses are viewed this way in many states.</p>
<p>THe problem for me is that I am a transfer applicant, and the trasnfer admit dates are not coordinated in the same way. The result is some schools have sent acceptance letters, and others will not send them til JUNE!!! </p>
<p>The added problem is I have to accept my May 1st for one of my top choice while my reach school releases early to late june on a rolling process… I cant risk losing one to wait out the other but when i stand a good chance at getting in i can’t throw away the opportunity either…</p>
<p>If your child applies to different types of schools and has a strong academic record, he/she will receive multiple acceptances. Public schools and less selective privates will respond earlier than highly selective privates (regular decision). There is no way to avoid the double or even triple deposit dance.</p>
<p>I find it wrong, especially because of the effect it has on kids on the waitlist.</p>
<p>I agree this process would not have been so stressful if - as another poster said- if
- All admissions decisions made by March 1st for all schools.
- All scholarship/financial aid decisions made by April 1st for all schools.
- No preferred housing decisions made for regular admission students until May 1st
- Student commit/deposit deadline May 1st</p>
<p>also in the words of another poster -
If you are prepared to have it not refunded then there is nothing wrong with sending multiple deposits. A school can rescind an admission for any reason at any time, remember that.: So for a student who may have be accepted to a real reach school and is fearful of not being able to keep up remaining senior grades…wouldn’t it be wise for this student to be sure a back up is in place should the reach school rescind?</p>
<p>Hadn’t really thought much about this dbl dipping scenario…but I would assume there are lots of others…financial aid is not available for all accepted schools, family income is not secure right now, etc etc…
Hoping others will respond to this thread…now I am not sure how to approach this deposit situation…Help CC’ers!!</p>
<p>jplfl5,</p>
<p>Good points. The dates do need to be examined.
This would move the entire admissions time-line back. Instead of January 1 application deadlines, we would see December 1 deadlines. While students would have longer to make up their minds after notification, they would have less time to complete their applications, especially considering the xmas/new year’s break would no longer be available. In addition, my D’s semester grades were not sent out until mid-February. The March 1 decision date would disadvantage these students. March 15 may be more doable. MIT has made notification on March 14 for at least the last 2 years and they have a large number of applicants yet still maintain the January 1 application deadline.
Good idea. I’d like to see it it a bit earlier if the notification date is moved up. One of the limiting factors here is outside the control of NACAC and the colleges: the IRS. The income tax time line comes into play. Another improvement here would be a standardized presentation of financial aid awards. I’ve personally reviewed a dozen awards and no two are alike. It makes comparisons very difficult. EFC is more often omitted than not and trying to gauge what will happen after the 1st-year award is quite difficult.
Plain and simple, this is a pressure tactic practiced at some schools. Any deposits required prior to May 1 for housing or anything else should be refundable before May 1 and multiple deposits should be allowed. These types of deposits do not constitute an enrollment decision.
Agree.</p>
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<p>I disagree with this. The school should be allowed to reward students who are so excited to go to it that they are willing to commit very early on.</p>
<p>If you double dip, be prepared that <em>both</em> schools may rescind admission. And PLEASE, do not come here to whine about it.</p>