<p>Basically, I was wondering what the proper etiquette would be for contacting schools that I was admitted to but will not be attending. Written letter? email? telephone? There are two schools that reallllllly kept close communication with me that I feel obligated to thank them for their efforts.</p>
<p>Schools usually have a method to accept or decline offers. Use them. Some schools mainly privates ask you where you are going and for some comments/reasons. Others don’t care. If you have e-mail contact, you can write a nice e-mail stating that you are going some where else and give them the reason and thank them for the offer.</p>
<p>My son emailed close contacts, or checked the appropriate box on the websites. He also wrote official letters declining, thanking them, and telling him what school he was going to and why.</p>
<p>^ Wow. I’ve never heard of that much effort to turn down an offer of admission. Is that standard protocol? I was just planning on sending in the little sheets that most colleges sent me and check the “No, I do not plan to enroll at College X.” Is that alright?</p>
<p>^^^For most schools that is enough. Some schools where you have had a lot of contact, a polite refusal with reason is good etiquette. For example, you have met with the school or you have worked with ad comm etc. Most cases the standard process is all that is needed.</p>
<p>Agree with most posters, simply decline the offer. Some will ask on where you will be attending.</p>
<p>I think if you’ve had a particularly helpful admissions counselor, you should write them a thank you note for all their help. </p>
<p>Some do have a yes, accept, no, decline, will be attending blank school, that you should use, as the admissions office would be looking for that format, but it still would be polite to follow up with a personal note to the admissions counselor.</p>
<p>Just for the sake of being polite, for all offers that I am not accepting I am writing a letter. They will all receive the same letter, but stating that I am humbled by their offer but must decline because I’m not a good fit.</p>
<p>Umm… you get a postcard with your acceptance that asks you to reply and tell them if you’re going/if not, where you are going. Every single college I applied to had one of these.</p>
<p>Just send an email to admissions thanking them for their admission, but you will not be attending. You can also tell them which college you are matriculating to and why you chose that college (colleges are really helped by this information).</p>
<p>My son had scholarships attached to his offers - I forgot to mention that. So he sent the letters.</p>
<p>Dang! Some people go all out. I just sent their postcards back…</p>
<p>My son sent only one letter because only one came with a stamp! For another, he did it on their web form because he could find it, and for all the rest, he sent the same email (with the addresses in the BCC) saying thanks, but he would be attending X instead. He got three responses 1) which kid by that name are you, 2) consider us if you want to transfer, and 3) consider us when you start thinking about grad school.</p>
<p>In any case, it’s important that you notify the schools in some way so they can know to pull from the waitlist if it’s appropriate. Think of the other high school seniors who got waitlisted at their top-choice school that happens to be the one you don’t want to go to!</p>