<p>Please excuse the ignorance, but could some of the more experienced parents tell me what the protocol is to turn down an offer of admission? do you write to school? email? call?</p>
<p>My daughter wants to open up those spots for wait list kids? I appreciate your time!</p>
<p>Today many people send e-mails. My daughter sent a handwritten note withdrawing her applications.</p>
<p>Most of the schools will send a card in the admissions packet that you can mail back indicating that you are declining to enroll. If the card is not there, just send a nice letter to the admissions office saying thank you for your consideration but I am choosing not to enroll. Some schools may want to know where you are enrolling. They do this to gauge the competition. It is fine to share this information if you choose. The most important thing is to let them know you are not coming, however you choose to do it.</p>
<p>I would email each school, thank them for their time and that she appreciates the offer, she is declining the offer. If your daughter feels comfortable, she may want to tell them where she would be attending. Many schools like to keep track of that. When D1 did that few years back she did get some nice response. It may leave some doors open if your daughter should want to transfer later.</p>
<p>The offer letter should direct you. </p>
<p>Most schools have an easy way for this to be done. We have buttons on the status page for accepting and declining offers. Many schools are still sending a form or card to return in the mail. If the offer letter is unclear, just call the admission office and ask about the preferred response method. :)</p>
<p>Thank you Everyone! I appreciate your time. I will heed your advice.</p>
<p>Just remember that your daughter refusing an offer does not automatically open up the waitlist. Schools over admit (admit more students than then have space for) knowing some will not join. If the people refusing admission are more than what they anticipate, then only will the wait list be used. So schools will wait until May 1st before making wait list decisions.</p>
<p>That said, it is best to inform schools the moment you have decided against them. Also, you are obliged to withdraw your admission as soon as you have accepted admission at your first choice.</p>
<p>vicky1: You could say your D feels badly that she’s not using her acceptance and then suggest my son to fill her place. He’s a strong candidate, with terrific ECs, and an overall great kid.</p>
<p>Congratulations your to daughter!</p>
<p>My kids sent in cards but I could see how going green will reduce this tradition…UVA did just request use of a button. Rice was adament that they wanted all electronic…no paper.
For those few schools that went the extra mile, I asked my sons to draft an actual note of thanks to anyone in admissions that had been involved with their final offers and decisions. I realize this is somewhat ridiculous (it is not like my son not coming was a great loss to anyone–I very much believe the next kid in line was just as super) but for schools that gave merit offers or tried to be extra fair, I felt my son should send a note of thanks for the obvious effort put in and for any graciousness in discussing things with him.<br>
College app season is pretty much the last time you can teach these things to your son or daughter. Since starting as a freshman at Vandy, second son has applied for four things I can think off that required essays and interviews, and I can see that he is pulling from the experiences of the previous college search year to face these hurdles. Just two years ago, he had zero practice at going after something and dealing with denial or offers with grace.</p>