<p>I’ve just received the admission offer and enrollment form from Amherst College.
Can anyone tell me how and in what ways can I pay the $400 deposit to the Trustees of Amherst College?
Thanks~~</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you're asking exactly. I mean, you can just send in a check or money order to the address they gave. Or do you mean that you don't know how to come up with the $400 in the first place? If it's the latter, last year when my son was accepted we didn't have the $400 on hand either so we had to borrow it. If you were expecting financial aid to cover <em>all</em> your costs, then call the Financial Aid office and ask them what you should do.</p>
<p>(By the way, they will deduct the $400 you send in as a deposit from whatever else you'll owe for the 2009-10 academic year.)</p>
<p>I see from your other posts that you are writing from Beijing. Is it the international transfer of the money that is the challenge? </p>
<p>Amherst has some international students who are expected to pay huge tuition, and others, not expected to pay. Which one you are might make a difference in how you are supposed to pay this Enrollment Deposit.</p>
<p>It is essential to pay the deposit, OR have some written agreement/understanding in place with Amherst about it, all before the stated deadline. This is how you keep your place in the new freshman class. It is extremely important, so you were absolutely right to ask immediately how to do this. If you are without money, do not worry because there will be a way that Amherst has figured out to handle this already, but you must communicate with them all about it. It does not happen automatically.</p>
<p>My main advice is this: Find the precise email contact on the Amherst website for the Business Office. Immediately email the Business Office of Amherst and ask THEM exactly how to do this. They will have already dealt with people from your country and many other international locations. </p>
<p>On the email, state that you have been accepted for Sept. 2009 and need to send in your Enrollment Deposit to hold your place in the class. Also put your new student Identification number, or your date of birth or some other numerical way to identify you-- in addition to your name. </p>
<p>On the subject head for the email, use the word "TIMELY" for one of the words (the first word, really) so they open it promptly.</p>
<p>If you anticipate significant financial aid for tuition in the next 4 years, DO say that in the email, very clearly. </p>
<p>Also send a "cc" duplicate copy of this same email to Admissions, so they will see that you are busy pursuing this with the Business Office. Send a "cc" copy to Financial Aid Office, too, I think. Somewhere between those 3 offices you will find the guidance you need. But make the main person you write to"Business Office" because (check your form, on the papers they just sent you) I think THEY are the ones waiting to hear from you the most regarding this item. Whoever has asked you to send in the money, THAT"s who to email as your main office, with "cc's" to the other two offices.</p>
<p>If you expect to be a candidate for significant financial aid, ask now if there is a way that they can "advance the money internally" for you from within their institution. They might know they can't expect you to suddenly find $400 on a week's notice.</p>
<p>But perhaps you're another kind of candidate who has excellent financial resources! (Lucky you :) If that sounds more like you, then perhaps you can go to a bank to ask them how it's done to send money for a regular business transaction from your account in Beijing to an office in the U.S. For example, they might create a secure "bank check" made out to the Board of Trustees of Amherst College. Or perhaps they send funds by electronic transfer between banks ("wire it"), which is faster when deadlines are involved. You must always be sure to have verification that money was sent and received on both sides, of course. </p>
<p>For these crucial correspondences, learn to use the function on your email-sending that asks for a receipt back, so you know your email has been received and read.
Maybe you already knew that, but I wanted to mention it. Mine is a checkbox on my "send email" drop-down menu.</p>
<p>While you are waiting to hear back from Amherst Business Office, you might also get local advice from your side of the ocean, as to how business people send money from where you live to the U.S. for other business purposes. Just see how that compares with Amherst's advice. But above all, follow the Amherst advice.</p>
<p>Use as your main guide the written advice from Amherst Business Office, not from CC or from friends in Beijing. You want this all to occur properly. </p>
<p>Now that you have been accepted by the college, it is very appropriate to use the resources of Amherst College to answer these kinds of questions. Especially where money transfer is involved, you are correct to go forward only with the best advice from the institution you will attend.</p>
<p>Good luck and congratulations!</p>
<p>P.S. If you don't hear back quickly from the Business Office (2 or 3 days) then contact the Admissions Office to see if they can help you get a fast response.
It is also considered polite to phone the Business Office and say, "Did you receive the email I sent on (date and time)" and discuss it by phone. But if they tell you what to do over the phone, ask them to please ALSO send you an email so you have it in writing for your directions. </p>
<p>Remember, now that you are IN, everybody is working on the same task: to help you get there. Our dealings with this college's Business Office were always very good, humane, and kind. They are real people who will want to help it go smoothly, so imagine that when you communicate with them. They are not ogres! Take the approach, "I have a problem; can you please help me solve it?" because they will. They are actually very nice people.</p>
<p>P.S. Can your parents also help you make sure this communication flows smoothly, too? If anything will involve money or banks, it might be good to go with them when you ask your questions.</p>