<p>My daughter just heard that she got on the priority waitlist....but</p>
<p>1 She would have to give a $500 deposit
2. She would be notified by May 6th! This means that we would have to commit to two schools by the May 1 deadline!
3. I don't know if priority waitlist acceptance precludes any merit awards.</p>
<p>It is all a bit too much up in the air.</p>
<p>I agree. It is a very hard decision. Basically you would have to deposit your check at BOTH schools and then choose one (losing one of the deposits). Priority waitlist in the past has had the majority of its applicants get off though so it probably isn't as risky as the admissions process itself.</p>
<p>Did you get your financial aid information yet? Unfortunately I am not very knowledgable in the "merits" area so I would call/ask the office about that.</p>
<p>For the priority waitlist, are we required to send in the deposit before we find out?</p>
<p>Yes. All schools require waitlisted applicants to put in a deposit. The reason is because accepting a waitlist spot is not binding so an applicant can still back out of it even if he/she is accepted. To make sure that people who ACTUALLY want to attend are more likely to accept the waitlist, schools require a deposit.</p>
<p>Without such a deposit, there might even be a yield issue concerning waitlistees and therefore there might even be a need for a "secondary" waitlist.</p>
<p>AA: I was actually offered two PWL. I'm not allowed to accept spots on both PWL am I? I'm interested in Tepper.</p>
<p>I would think being on a priority wait list or any waitlist would preclude a merit award but I hope I'm wrong. </p>
<p>I recall a number of kids getting accepted off PWL who posted on CC, check archives if interested.</p>
<p>Good luck to D.</p>
<p>"A: I was actually offered two PWL. I'm not allowed to accept spots on both PWL am I? I'm interested in Tepper."</p>
<p>Two PWL for 2 CMU colleges? If that is the case, accept the PWL waitlist for Tepper.</p>
<p>I will call CMU tomorrow and find out if we can get info about financial aid and merit aid before we were to commit to priority waitlist. If we get no aid, we probably won't accept the priority waitlist.</p>
<p>Hang on a second... My D was offered the Priority Waitlist as well, for CFA. But I don't think you have to send the deposit right now, only if you're actually offered admission. Here's what her letter says: "...you must complete and return the enclosed reply form to the Office of Admission by April 14, 2006. If you are admitted from the priority waiting list you must submit a $500 enrollment deposit postmarked by May 6, 2006." Be that as it may, I will still have to send a deposit to her second choice school by May 1, and will kiss that goodbye if she ends up at CMU. Oh well!</p>
<p>Wow, really? Hmm I guess you don't have to deposit then... that is pretty weird because I wonder how CMU gauges yield with regards to waitlistees then.</p>
<p>They gauge it by using the Priority Waitlist, which works like ED, it's binding. You're promising to accept admission if it's offered. That way, after they tally the refusals from their regular decision candidates, there is a ready-made pool that they can plug right into those slots.</p>
<p>Actually, what CMU is asking for in accepting priority waitlist does present a moral dilemma. We would have to commit to two schools by May 6 and then break our word to one of them. I don't know if I can do this. Once my word is given, I don't generally break it. However, this is what CMU wants parents and students to do.</p>
<p>Um... this is how it works with other colleges too. It seems like you think or are implying that CMU is somehow individual in doing this and is somewhat "evil" or "immoral"?</p>
<p>The deposit you sent at another college is NOT binding (it is a business transaction) but it seems that if you accepted the PWL at CMU it would be BINDING. If this is the case, MAKE SURE you want to go to CMU before you accept the PWL. I know you have doubts so perhaps it would not be wise to accept it.</p>
<p>TG: Do you have more than 1?</p>
<p>(ie, kids)</p>
<p>It's no different from accepting a spot on any waitlist at any school.</p>
<p>You can be accepted off a waitlist as late as August for some schools...the school you were going to attend then goes deeper into their own waitlist, it's done all the time. One good thing as I see it is at least CMU will tell you within a couple days when to expect a call from the priority waitlist...I think that's better than having no idea if or when you may be accepted off a WL.</p>
<p>AcceptedAlready notes,"Um... this is how it works with other colleges too. It seems like you think or are implying that CMU is somehow individual in doing this and is somewhat "evil" or "immoral"?"</p>
<p>Response: I don't know what other colleges do in these circumstances. I do, however, feel that asking someone to guarantee admission after they MUST make a commitment elsewhere is asking a parent and a student to break their word to a college.</p>
<p>Itstoomuch, I will have three kids in college as of next year. YIKES!</p>
<p>I knew a student last year where I teach that was in this same perdicament. She wanted CMU very much. She was also accepted to CCM. She took PWL at CMU and sent in updated documents to the school, as well as visited to express how much she wanted to attend. It is very difficult to get off the PWL for the drama school. They don't have very many spots in the first place, (usually only 4 slots for girls in musical theater and 6 in acting) and they have a high yield. CMU does have a date by which you will know if you get off the PWL. I also believe they call those that are offered a slot by that date.</p>
<p>taxguy-</p>
<p>I, like you, would feel the same about breaking an agreement. I am that type of person. I also know how important 4 years of college life is and I would want my child to go where they really wanted to go if given the opportunity. There are so many students on waitlists, waiting to get into the college of their choice, that I think the colleges understand the circumstances and what families are dealing with.</p>
<p>just a note here. CMU would be breaking their own policy. They say when you accept at their school that you check a box that says I will post a deposite at no other school. Well if pulled off a waitlist this happens but I guess colleges just have to deal with it because almost every college has a waitlist.</p>
<p>Me thinks you have to call school. I forget what happened 4 years ago about the deposit, but it seems to me that even though jr was accepted RD, the acceptance was also contingent on the deposit. The deposit was also refundable if done notified prior to X date. GL, TG+ D. </p>
<p>I was talking to Bro about CMU-John Nash-Princeton about a year ago. He made a comment that Nash's Equilibrum can be applied to a lot of daily circumstances. I muse that sometimes a wrench in the formula may Improve the outcome for one party; In this case, a plus to CMU. But to the detriment to the priority waitlisted. </p>
<p>Enrollment management hard at work.
Chill.</p>
<p>what were your stats for getting priority waitlisted/</p>