Do students who accept admission offers before May 1 derive any benefit (like better dorm room assignments)?
Often better housing options, sometimes better orientation weekend choices.
Don’t underestimate the relief in being DONE. I asked my daughter’s coach what the benefit would be to committing in Nov rather than April (those are the choices) and she honestly told me the offer wouldn’t change, but there is a release of tension when the commitment is made. She was correct.
Agree that at some schools there can be advantages for housing and things like that. But if the decision is clear, it is just so nice to be done with the process and settled – then all that is left would be buying the hoodie and bumper sticker!
If the school requires acceptance before it will allow housing deposits there’s an advantage. Some schools let you make a housing deposit before acceptance though, so you’d have to check the specific policy. I do agree that for many students (and parents) that relief of being done with the uncertainty can be significant.
Also make sure your child signs up for courses as soon as they can so they are not shut out of Chemistry or something.
My daughter picked a university and put down her deposit last week. The primary motivation for doing it early was to be able to pick a dorm ahead of the rush. She wants to get a single in a quiet dorm, and this improves her chances. Two other benefits: Getting to sign up for classes earlier, and the relief of being done.
Actually, I can think of one more advantage. It doesn’t affect us, but still helps others. My daughter was accepted to 5 universities. Once she picks one and commits to it, assuming that she tells the other universities that she is not coming, this might in some case allow the other universities to admit a different student. I realize that this is probably not 1-for-1, but if a university gets enough “no” responses, it will need to admit someone else (whether from rolling admissions or from a waitlist). Somewhere there is probably a kid who is hoping desperately to get into my daughter’s fifth choice. The sooner than they can get the good news the better (her fifth choice is still a very good place for someone).
How noble…
I know of one girl who dilly dallied in refusing a college that accepted her. In late April they did a massive increase in her merit award that made it financially viable to attend. She took the money and from what I heard through the grapevine is having a great experience.
“How noble…”
I am not claiming that this is as important as getting a better chance to get into her first choice of dorm room, or signing up to classes early. However, if it doesn’t hurt us and helps someone else, why not??
The schools that accept you with no aid or scholarships, we didn’t bother to respond to.
I do feel your idea is very valid when you get aid/scholarships, since they have a budget and will give it to
others if you reject the funding. But an admission at cost of almost 70K/year, I treated as a soft reject.
At some schools, yes. My daughter accepted her offer of admission in October (even before she knew for sure she’d be attending) in order to put down a housing deposit and get the first housing selection date. She also had first choice of orientation dates. At her school, if you deposit past February you don’t get to participate in room selection; Housing picks your room for you. Early deposits were quite beneficial. At some of her other schools, the timing of your deposit, as long as it was by May 1, didn’t matter in the least.
My daughter went online and declined her offer as soon as she knew she wasn’t going to attend a particular school. Like @DadTwoGirls, we just thought that was the right thing to do.