<p>If I take a spot on the priority waitlist and I am accepted, do I have to attend CMU or do I just have to enroll and make the deposit? I have already taken a spot on the waitlist at Columbia, and would chose Columbia over CMU if I was accepted to both, but the priority waitlist seems to offer a much better chance of acceptance. Is it possible to take a priority waitlist spot, enroll, and then go to Columbia if I am accepted off the waitlist there?</p>
<p>It seems kind of dishonest to get on the priority list by promising that CMU is your first choice and then renege on your word.
You should just stay on the regular waitlist if you are not ready to make a commitment. There are a lot of other kids who are also on the list and you are being unfair to them.</p>
<p>So is the priority waitlist a promise that you will attend or a promise that you will enroll? Because I will enroll, but once I enroll I just assumed it would be like any other school that I would enroll in while waiting for a spot on the waitlist at another school. If I got in and then decided to go to Columbia, wouldn’t my spot then go to another student on the waitlist? I don’t see how that is unfair.</p>
<p>… You’d pay a $600 admissions deposit and then just not go? Jeez. Sounds crazy, but if you’ve got the cash, I guess why not.</p>
<p>its an 800 deposit now i believe</p>
<p>another question…will we get any confirmation that the office of admissions has received our waitlist reply paper?</p>
<p>I think it’s better to be honest. There are some other kids need this chance if CMU is not your first choice.</p>
<p>I think you should take the priority waitlist spot if it is offered to you. If it is your best option at the time, you can truthfully say you intend to attend. You are putting in an enrollment deposit. If you do get in later in the summer to Columbia, off their waitlist, (by no means guaranteed) you will be like any other CMU student who enrolled as of May 1 and then had a waitlist spot open up at another school. Of course you’d lose your deposit, but I don’t think you’d be doing anything unethical.</p>
<p>Would waitlist-ees have access to scholarships, or would we be limited to the little fin. aid. offered?</p>
<p>Thank you Westchestermom, that’s what I wanted to know. My chances at Columbia are pretty much unknown, so I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have to turn them down if I did end up getting in. Even though I would rather go there, I would much rather go to CMU than one of my safeties. Even if I somehow did get into Columbia and chose to go there, wouldn’t my spot be filled by another student from the waitlist?</p>
<p>No, let someone who actually has CMU as their first choice take the spot. There are people who want to get in a lot more badly than you apparently do.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about this, but don’t you only have a couple days to accept if you get in via the priority waitlist? So you wouldn’t exactly have a ton of time to compare offers, and if you’re still on Columbia’s waitlist at that point you’d have to either accept CMU’s offer or just give up your waitlist spot entirely. They don’t politely wait around for you to figure out your life.</p>
<p>From an admissions blog: “Carnegie Mellon gives students an option to be on a priority waiting list or the regular one. If priority people get an offer in early May, they have just 24 hours to make their deposit or they’re out. The school does show them a financial-aid package in advance so they can make a quick decision.”</p>
<p>Trust me, you have no idea how badly I want to get in. I am 100% prepared to enroll immediately after being accepted off the priority waitlist, and at that point I would be extremely happy to attend CMU. All I wanted to do was make sure that on the off chance of an acceptance to Columbia, I would still be able to go. Yes, Columbia is my first choice, but if that is just not possible, then CMU is definitely my #1. I would not be waiting to hear from Columbia before enrolling. I would by no means disobey their policies regarding the priority waitlist, which is the reason why I asked this question.</p>