I applied to a community college and got admitted but it's my backup

Title says it all. I applied to a community college and nearly immediately got admitted. It says that I’ll be able to register for classes and such, but it’s my backup for if my other colleges don’t accept. Do I email admissions and say that? Or do I wait for my other colleges to go through my application and then email rejecting them?

You are in. That’s great! Pay attention to any deadlines for scholarships that you might be qualified for, and get those applications in. The CC where I teach has a lot of scholarships that cover at least part of the costs.

Meanwhile keep applying everywhere else. If you are admitted anwhere else that you like better than the CC, that is the time to let this CC know that you won’t be attending.

Did the community college specify a deadline by which you need to tell them if you are coming?

We only applied to universities here. Almost exactly four years ago one daughter applied to what I might call a “super safety” and heard back in about a week. However, we did not need to let them know until May 1. We waited until we were sure that she was going somewhere else, and then let them know. However, it was probably close to two months before we let them know, and we could have waited longer.

It would not surprise me if you are in the same situation. Check what they sent you. They have to know that you are likely to be applying elsewhere.

If you have applied or will apply elsewhere, and if the community college has given you several months to respond, I think that it is fine to just wait and see what other schools you are accepted to. They know that many if not most of their students will be in the same situation. “I am not sure quite yet” is going to be the status for a lot of the students that they have accepted.