So I was waitlisted at Harvard and I said I’d go if they took me off. However, I also said that to another school to which I just got off the waitlist…
So, here’s the thing. I like Harvard more than the other school. However, is it illegal to not go to that other school if Harvard were to accept me (since I did write a letter saying I’d go…) or should I just take myself off the waitlist at Harvard now?
Thanks
You aren’t supposed to deposit at more than one school. Send a deposit to your best available option but stay on Harvard’s WL. If they accept you, inform the other college that you’ve changed your mind (you’ll lose your deposit) and deposit at Harvard. Good luck.
Thanks! But I’m just wondering because of that LOCI I sent to the other school and whether there’s anything wrong with me still waiting on Harvard
No, it’s not illegal – or even against the rules – to remain on more than one waitlist. However, Harvard made some phone calls today and if you didn’t get one, you are probably not in the first round of waitlist offers, so your chances of getting admitted to Harvard are growing slimmer. You can certainly remain on Harvard’s waitlist until Admissions closes it to you. That’s true even if you accept the waitlist offer from the other college.
it’s extremely unethical and can hurt future students from your high school if you break your “promise” to these schools. i would take your name off.
It is an unlikely scenario. don’t worry about it unless you get an offer. Then, regardless of what you said, go to the school you want to attend. No college wants a students who would rather not be there. But no, I would not take your name out of the running.
@Margo41: I agree that it’s extremely unethical to agree to accept multiple offers of acceptance (agreeing to matriculate to multiple colleges), which can hurt future students from your high school. However, it’s perfectly okay to accept a spot on more than one waitlist. And it’s perfectly okay and ethical to agree to matriculate to one college and back out of that agreement if taken off the waitlist at another.
^^ I was too late to add the below:
For example, if a student was accepted to Williams and was waitlisted at HYP, they could agree to matriculate to Williams AND be placed on HYP’s waitlists. If they were offered a spot off of Princeton’s waitlist, they could back out of their agreement to matriculate to Williams (and lose their deposit) and agree to attend Princeton. Then, if Harvard (their dream school) came calling several weeks later, that same student could back out of Princeton’s offer and agree to accept a spot at Harvard. If a student was actually lucky enough to have all the above happen, Williams and Princeton wouldn’t be happy, but it’s not unethical or will not hurt future students acceptances from your high school.
I agree with that but not if you promise that school/have your dean call under the premise that if you’re accepted at that school you will attend, then backing out is technically allowed but isn’t a great thing to do.
^^ Teenagers change their mind all the time – sometimes on a daily basis. So a student may have written in their LOCI sent mid-April that if accepted, they would attend and have truly meant it. However, now a month later, they’ve changed their mind for whatever reason. That’s perfectly fine and Admissions deals with the issue all the time.
There is a process called summer melt at most schools of people who paid deposit suddenly backing out. This is usually attributed to waitlist admission at another school.
Imagine the following: you’re waitlisted at both Harvard and a LAC. Another student is waitlisted at Harvard but was accepted RD at the same LAC. She accepted the LAC’s offer and is part of the incoming freshman class. Three days ago, you get a call from the LAC, offering you a spot. You immediately accept. Now you’re part of the incoming freshman class. Today, you BOTH get a call from Harvard, offering a spot off of its waitlist. Both of you inform the LAC and accept Harvard’s offer.
How is the gap you create treated any differently by the LAC than the gap that the other student created?
The LAC gets it. They win some they lose some. Give and take. If the LAC made WL offers and grabbed a few students, those kids left gaps at their initial colleges, too. It just happens that Harvard is mostly a “taker” rather than a “giver” when it comes to waitlist action.