<p>I think it is always a good idea to send the note. If for no other reason than to encourage such behavior in our kids!!! (They will start to understand if and when they send out tons of resumes and never hear a thing from most of the recipients) </p>
<p>I have never found myself at a disadvantage for having been courteous.</p>
<p>I recall the postcards asking what school DH was attending. He left it blank. He figured he didnt need to do their research for them, and really didnt want to share that info.</p>
<p>The key is not to burn any bridges, just in case. S2 narrowed decision down to top 2 choices. Other schools received a nice email and/or response card if available declining enrollment in mid-March.</p>
<p>Second choice school received nice email addressed to all S2 had immediate contact with letting them know he really liked their school, but chose other option. He received nice email response from his admissions rep and a letter from dean of admissions telling him they would keep his app on file and open for 1 year, just in case.</p>
<p>I was glad to see their positive response to his decision, because you never know how top choice will go. Don’t burn bridges…</p>
<p>If the reason you’re not attending said institution is because they didn’t offer you enough moolah (especially if they claim to meet 100% of need), you could use the card to ask for an application refund.</p>
<p>I think the DD school recomends sending the following format with a generic response:</p>
<p>While I have been very impressed with your school and the major I applied; I’ve decided to attend a different school at this point.</p>
<p>School Matriculating:
Schools Accepted:</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>xyz</p>
<p>POIH - I don’t think you need to supply all schools accepted. That is TMI. </p>
<p>Mini, agree if $$ was issue, say so. </p>
<p>Because S2’s final 2 choices were comparable schools, and $$ was different, both schools were told of the other, but not any of S2’s other acceptances, as they didn’t figure into final decision. </p>
<p>Spilling all is not necessary. Point of letting them know is that you indeed will not attend.</p>
<p>it is only polite to formally decline acceptance.</p>
<p>and polite goes a long way.</p>
<p>There is another reason to be polite and correct in declining… you may change your mind! Many schools, when sent a polite decline, offer to keep your file and even your scholarship open for a period of time - sometimes even for the next year! Gee, how could you not want that back-up?<br>
Transfers hardly ever get scholarship offers, so be nice now just in case.</p>
<p>If a postcard was not included, is a letter best or will an e-mail suffice?</p>
<p>
Colleges value such data, as it can help them predict their yeild in better way. Think of colleges using a nviance system with all the applicants data to predict yield</p>
<p>I just sent an e-mail to the schools S was declining and told them the reason for declining, when we thought it was relevant. For one school, we explained that it was because they offered no merit $. For another, we indicated it was because they would not accommodate possible extended/prolonged absences due to medical reasons, even if S kept up with the work. For another, we graciously thanked them but told them S just chose another school.</p>
<p>For all of them, they wanted to know what school S chose instead & we shared that info with them. The school with the punitive absence policy indicated surprise–the adcom didn’t even know that the school threatened to require student to withdraw from school if the student’s absences totalled 2 weeks in any quarter!</p>
<p>S wasn’t interested in informing the schools so I admit that I did it for him because I felt they should know so they could decide whether to admit addiitional students.</p>
<p>I think “be polite” was the best, most important advice I saw here. My DD will send written declines after she makes her final decision over Easter. Email just doesn’t feel right.</p>
<p>Agree that a written note is nice for lots of reasons, particularly if an admissions person went out of his or her way during the admissions process. No need to tell them where you were accepted if that makes you uncomfortable; you’ll probably be getting the ASQ+ (Accepted Students Questionnaire), a service that the College Board sells, and they’ll find out.</p>
<p>^and I meant to write "No need to tell them where you enrolled or were accepted if that makes you uncomfortable. . . "</p>
<p>For us, we thought it was important to let them know when a punitive policy of the school’s took their U out of consideration so the adcoms & others at the U could consider whether the U wanted to continue to lose potential students by continuing that policy. </p>
<p>We & others we have mentioned the policy to feel that it is harsh and unreasonable–missing two weeks of school in a quarter FOR ANY REASON (even recognized medical disability) is grounds for the school to ask you to withdraw, leave your housing and forfeit your merit scholarship. We have spoken with parents whose kids attend and have missed significantly more school than that at the U (because of sports or other approved things) who got their degrees from that U.</p>
<p>First of all, it doesn’t help waitlist kids. They wait until May 1 to see the acceptances, and decide how many more they can offer. The only exception is if a huge number of kids decline early. Then it would have to be more than they were expecting (i.e. expecting 40% to decline by May 1, and 50% have declined by April 15. But, that is very unlikely.</p>
<p>Yes, the kid should decline. It is the right thing to do, and it teaches the kid that.</p>
<p>One school, Son declined in March because of Financial Aid. They called to discuss, and wanted to see other FA offers and would reconsider theirs. So, if Son didn’t decline early, he would have never had the second chance.</p>
<p>We’re going to send out all the four notifications of rejection of acceptance tomorrow, since I just made my choice today. I do think it’s polite–it might get some kid of the waitlist of the dream school.
Most of mine asked for the school I accepted instead and a reason why. I told them I’m going to Whitman and the reason was financial (Whitman gave me fantastic aid). I think colleges use that information to gauge who they’re losing students too and why, so if they ask, I’ll tell them.</p>
<p>I agree that I think it helps schools to know which school the student accepted & why so they can decide whether they want to do anything differently & also to get an idea of what other Us are doing. Have heard very good things about Whitman. Congrats!</p>
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<p>True, polite is important.</p>
<p>However, schools are very busy. They really do not need the extra work of opening your personal letter and reading it.</p>
<p>Just use the postcard or website option Don’t throw a monkey wrench into the works by sending a letter and giving them extra information. Extra work for the school ultimately trickles down to higher tuition dollars, maybe not for you but for some other kid.</p>
<p>When they want to know where your child will be attending instead, they will ask you explicitly.</p>
<p>The only reason for a personal custom contact is if you want to have your financial aid offer reconsidered. Do that by phone.</p>
<p>It’s also a great lesson to teach your child that the world does not revolve around him or her.</p>
<p>S1 has tried the following approaches to declining/withdrawing: used the school websites, sent a personal email to the adcoms responsible for his high school, rescinded his applications in an email and a postcard. This was all done immediately after his early decision notification from his dream school. In all cases, the rejected schools continued to send letters and emails from various school departments saying they hope he’ll be attending this fall. He got a waitlist letter from one many months after he notified the school that he was withdrawing his application. Something’s very wrong with colleges’ internal information systems that this is happening.</p>