<p>This question comes up every year. Every year, there are folks arguing for both sides. I like the analogy of an engagement to be married best. You may have two prospective mates that you like equally, but would anyone here REALLY encourage their kid to get engaged to BOTH of them and THEN make a final decision about which one you’re going to marry? I sure hope not. :)</p>
<p>The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has set standards of good practice for college admissions people, counselors, and students. These are designed to protect STUDENTS first and foremost, not colleges.</p>
<p>While these standards are not legally binding, they lay out the RIGHTS and RESPONSBILITIES of all parties involved in admissions. NACAC publishes and distributes the Standards of Good Practice to all member colleges (basically every accredited college in the U.S.) and counselors who are members of NACAC.</p>
<p>For students, NACAC has prepared a guide to “Student’s Rights & Responsibilities in the Admissions Process” (see: [Students</a>’ Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admission Process](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/Pages/RightsandResponsibilities.aspx]Students”>http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/Pages/RightsandResponsibilities.aspx))</p>
<p>Students have the right to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Receive truthful information from colleges about the programs and services they provide, the financial aid process, and the admissions process.</p></li>
<li><p>Not to be subjected to “high pressure” sales tactics from colleges (and no, sending your child letters or having alumni call them to encourage them to attend does not qualify as “high pressure”)</p></li>
<li><p>If a college offers a scholarship with a deadline for replying before May 1, students have a right to be granted an extension to May 1 if they request one in writing from the college.</p></li>
<li><p>Students also have the right to wait until May 1 to make their final decision about which college from among those that have accepted them that they will be attending, from among those who have admitted them. (The exception is Early Decision, and, if you apply to a college after May 1, you also obviously are not responsible for replying by that date)</p></li>
<li><p>If they are placed on a waitlist, students have a right to be notified by August 1 about whether they have been taken off the waitlist. If they decide to remain on one or more waitlists, they have the right to make a deposit at one of the colleges that have admitted them, and withdraw that intent to enroll if they later get off of a waitlist elsewhere.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>(The SPG, by the way, sets much higher standards for college admissions people then these facts alone, all designed to protect students, not the colleges themselves)</p>
<p>Students, however, also have certain RESPONSIBILITIES in return for these rights, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>They must make a final decision and deposit at ONE college only by May 1. They are responsible for NOT double depositing.</p></li>
<li><p>If they are waitlisted, they should deposit to ONE of the colleges that have admitted them by May 1. If they are admitted off of the waitlist, and decide to attend the waitlist school, they are reponsible for IMMEDIATELY letting the first college know.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In my experience, after working with hundreds of students over the years, 99.9% of students are <em>perfectly</em> capable of making a final decision between April 1 and May 1. I work with a lot of low income kids who can’t afford even ONE college visit, and they all seem to manage to decide where to go by May 1.</p>
<p>However, there are rare cases where a family is appealing a need-based financial aid offer, and the college’s decision on the appeal is not ready by May 1. In this situation, I have found that <em>most</em> colleges are willing to extend a short (1 week) extension beyond May 1 to students in this situation IF the student notifies them before May 1 that they are still waiting to receive all of their final financial aid offers and can’t make a decision until all of the final offers are in.</p>
<p>NO college will give a student an extension past May 1 just because the student can’t make up their mind.</p>
<p>So, we can argue again and again about whether it is “Ethical” or “legal” to double deposit, and there will always be folks who feel that their kid deserves different rights than everyone else’s kid. However, I’m sure <em>most</em> folks here have raised their kids with the aim of having them be RESPONSIBLE adults some day. The final decision of where to attend is certainly fraught with anxiety and a lot of unknowns even in the best of circumstances, by it is every student’s RESPONSIBILITY to do the best they can to sort out the information and options they have and make a final choice by May 1.</p>
<p>There’s one more thing to consider if you’re thinking about double depositing: do you REALLY want to draw out the worry, anxiety, and stress of the admissions process into the summer months? Isn’t it time to get this done and over with already? If your child truly can not make a choice between the colleges they picked to apply to last fall, (and hopefully they gave some thought as to why they were applying to these particular colleges back then) within a month, then perhaps they may have difficulties with the types of decisions they’ll be making next year, when they’re on their own in college. </p>
<p>This is a LEARNING experience, folks. A chance to teach your children that sometimes in life, you have to make decisions under less than perfect conditions, but that you KNOW they are capable of making a GREAT choice, no matter which college they decide to send their deposit to on May 1. (The exception, of course, is if you still have not ironed out the need-based aid side by the end of April - if that is the case, call the colleges as soon as it becomes clear that you may not have all of the final FA by the end of April, explain that you are waiting on financial aid, and many will be happy to grant a short extension).</p>