How to tell a school you aren't going there

Should something official be done–or just don’t send the deposit?
Thanks.

If you have a formal acceptance, I think the proper thing to do is decline it formally so they know. The sooner the better, too. If there’s some reason to hold it open, then fine, but if you know you aren’t going to accept, then do them the courtesy of letting them know (in writing) so another student can be admitted.

I think it’s a nice thing to do. And how many stories do we read on cc about kids who don’t like their chosen school and want to transfer to one of their other choices from the previous year? I think a nice “no, thanks” leaves the adcom with a good impression.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just an e-mail to your adcom.

The same thing you do when you have a dinner reservation and decide to go elsewhere. You call or email. It takes 2 minutes. It’s only polite. Why make them wait and guess.

Tell them that you have to wash your hair. Or maybe tell them that it’s not them, that it’s you; that you just got out of a turbulent four-year relationship with your high school and you’re not emotionally ready to start seeing other educational institutions yet.

No in all seriousness an email just saying that is fine. You don’t even really need a reason. Just say that you appreciate their offer of admissions but that you have to decline at this time. It’s nice because it helps them with wait lists and things like that.

(There are some schools that even send out postcards or online forms where you can explicitly check ‘yes, I am coming’ or ‘no, I am not’, which probably helps with this kind of thing. Some schools also send out surveys to fish to find out why you’re not coming but I don’t think that’s common.)

Thanks all–that’s what I thought.

You absolutely should because it opens up a spot for somebody else from the wait list. Many people on there are dying to go to the school and letting admissions know would significantly ease the process for everybody