Or spouses! Ha ha!
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But what about the reasons for melt? Is it mainly students getting off the WL at another school?
I was counting on Gumbymom to come through with an answer. I had to look this up myself when it comes to accepting a waitlist offer and signing SIR at a different school. I think that is okay and even expected and encouraged from what I have read here and outside sources.
Summer melt can be students getting off the waitlist at other schools, some changing their mind due the financial concerns and in the case of 2020, Covid where students did not want to pay high college prices for on-line learning and where International students were unable to obtain student Visas. Life happens and no one can predict the future.
I think many students have an idealized vision of what college should be and when reality sets in and it does not live up to their expectations, some of these students are ready to bail. You just have to go with your gut and try to make the best decision possible for yourself and hope it works out. If it doesnāt there are options to change your situation.
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SIRing to 2 schools (double depositing) is a different issue vs. SIRing to 1 school and staying on multiple waitlists which is acceptable.
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Thanks for this response. I deleted my post becauseā¦ well I think I added to many details. Anyway it was the parents that made these comments!
But my daughter is you! She did her research, and thatās exactly how she focused in on SDSU verses UCSB.
They have a much better, hands on program for her major. She said she was actually relieved she got waitlisted at the UCās because she thought sheād feel pressure to go because of prestige.
Sheās well aware of cost as well as said the cost differential will help her with grad school. Thanks again!!
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Mine donāt like going for visits either, but once weāre there, itās all good. Itās just the idea of taking time out of their schedule that they donāt like. So I make that decision for them, and schedule the visits. We are also focused on the least expensive school, and my kids know it. If theyāre within a couple thousand dollars of each other, then not a big deal. Anything more than that is. They are still getting a college education.
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This is my last comment regarding double depositing (SIRing) to 2 schools and this is specific for the UC system.
From the UC Website:
You may accept admission to one campus only . You may not transfer your acceptance from one campus to another after you declare your intent to register. A $250 non-refundable deposit must accompany your acceptance.
I have also seen the UCās send out a letter to students that had double deposited and indicated they would have to choose 1 campus or all admissions would be rescinded.
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Thatās awesome! She is going to be really happy there. And seriously, shame on those parents! Damn!!
Hey, your daughter is going to be a business major, right? If yes, SDSU can be argued to have a better business program than many of the UCs! Many kids choose SDSU over the UCs for business.
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thanks
THIS. My son didnāt get into any of his top choices and now has to choose from the three at the bottom of the list. Two were technically safeties and one is a match but his stats are above the medium range. I have been following the discussion threads for all of these schools and they are indeed the dream schools of many kids. I have been trying to tell my son this but it is still hard for him to accept. Likewise, his dream schools were safeties for kids who didnāt get into the Ivies. When I was applying to college, I also didnāt get in to my reaches (Ivies) and was waitlisted at one of my matches. The school I ended up attending was the dream school of one of my friends (she didnāt get in). It is all relative.
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I suggest watching as many vids and tours online as you can for each school, compare the costs, and visit if you can. See if you can catch a zoom specific to her major. That said, you are welcome to what we (unofficially) gathered about the two for our daughter.
Every student may value these differently, but according to our spreadsheet 
, major differences between Tulane and Miami are:
Greek Life - 50% of women at Tulane are in a sorority vs 20% at Miami
Sports/School Spirit ā Sporting events are a huge part of life at Miami, not so much at Tulane
Diversity ā Miami is ranked 35th in diversity in the US. Tulane is ranked 693rd. Tulane is 70% white vs Miami at 40%.
Miami is about 40% larger than Tulane in undergrad enrollment (10,000 vs 7,200)
Major similarities include:
They both rank highly on party scene and student life/happiness
Psychology departments both rank well and correlate to their overall ranking (that is, the major is not discernably worse than the overall school ranking)
Both lean more conservative as a student body than similarly ranked schools based on polling
Southern location (although New Orleans will have notably cooler winters than Miami)
Again, maybe the only way to know for sure is to visit the school and spend some time in the surrounding area. For example, Audubon Park and Zoo being right out the front door vs the UC Pool? French Quarter vs Tahiti Beach? Such wonderful choices!
Best of luck!
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Sounds like weāre in similar boats (down to the Yale SCEA). Congrats to your kid, and maybe weāll see you at Wesfest!
@CheetahBee Yes I noticed our kids are similar (but mine is a classical singer) and unfortunately that pretty much eliminates Wesleyan for him because there are no auditioned choirs. The choir allows everyone in even if they canāt read music. There are student run acapella groups but it isnāt the same experience so probably a no for him. (He also receive NMS last week, a nice surprise). We will see what next week brings.
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I know this is hard for them to process. Remind him there will be many peers on the same level as him and above him in the ārangeā at the great schools that are welcoming him to join their community. He will have challenging courses and great opportunities. The percent accepted or median SAT score does not define the experience he will have. There will be kids there that turn down was was originally their dream school to be on campus with him because of a great program or unique thing that clicked when they visited.
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Absolutely!
Thank you so much! All of that information is extremely helpful and we will definitely use it during the decision making process.
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The entire college admission insanity can be summed up in the old Groucho Marx quip āI wouldnāt want to belong to any club that would have me as a memberā
For too many, the moment a student gains admission to a school, it becomes less desirable. It is always the next one up in the rankings, the one that wait-listed me, the one that my best friend got into, the one that got away, that becomes the focus of their longing. Love the school that loves you back has been said many times here, but itās worth saying again.
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Interested in your impressionsā what was your oldestās major? We are heading up there early April. Biggest concern is cut-throat environment.
That just doesnāt seem okay
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