Good news: DD got acceptance from both a dance and academic program this week.
Bad news: The dance department wants a decision by DECEMBER 1st.
There is no way she will be ready to decide by then. Dance decisions and other academic applications aside, money is going to be a big factor in this process and we can’t decide without that information.
I guess we’ll just have to accept and then rescind if she decides do go elsewhere? I hate to do that but I feel like they’re not giving us any choice.
How much deposit do they want by Dec 1? Is it non-refundable?
Unclear. I looked and couldn’t find one. It’s our in-state bargain option, so I’m definitely not ready to take it off the table.
We had programs (I think Oklahoma and UT Austin) asking us to let them know ASAP because they wanted to offer the spot to others if D didn’t want it. Oklahoma implied you had to accept by the end of February in order to apply for additional dance specific scholarships. Instead we (truthfully) told them it was one of D’s top choices but we would need to compare financial offers. They still offered the extra dance merit money (and D ultimately decided to go elsewhere). Sounds like you can say the same thing.
I would not pay a non-refundable deposit to secure a place on the course, that’s not allowed unless it is fully refundable until May 1 (note that some schools get around this by giving housing priority to those who pay non-refundable housing deposits really early).
oh wow! if you don’t mind me asking - which school wanted an answer by December 1? that seems super early!
UNC-Greensboro
I mean, we’ve hardly even had any visits yet, and dd doesn’t even have all of her academic apps in—much less any other academic decisions. She’s nowhere near ready to decide.
@threegirlpileup yeah thats pretty crazy I’ve never heard of such a thing.
@gmfalv Not sure if you were intending to ask me this question, but we did have a request in the initial acceptance from Oklahoma (in early Nov) to let them know if we didn’t want the place. We weren’t asked to positively accept at that time (we didn’t have the academic acceptance from them at that point anyway).
My DD’s safety school didn’t make her decide by December 1st but they would take away her talent scholarship that day. We chose to not take the scholarship (tons of academic money anyway and least expensive school she applied to). She didn’t want to accept and then decline. Dance is a small world and she didn’t want to burn bridges. In your case, you might have to! I hate how they pressure them.
@dkmm1973 we are definitely conscious about not burning bridges. She’s planning a visit within the next few weeks to observe some classes and talk to the department head to see if she wants to keep it under consideration. If yes, I think we’ll at least ask if there is any flexibility–although I have a hard time imagining they can extend it far enough that we’ll have a good financial picture from all of our schools. Crazy to think that it might have been smarter to audition in the spring!!
I didn’t even think that you didn’t think about burning bridges. Ask for flexibility. If they won’t then it’s not the right school for her. Our daughter’s safety school director told to talk to her about any school and she would advise her. Sooo, DD contacted her in April about the schools she was accepted into. Director of safety school was terribly rude to her. we were annoyed.
Update: we had a return visit to UNC-G this week and my dd had a great sit-down with the department chair. It was no problem for her to ask for an extension to let them know about her decision. Phew! One less thing to worry about.