<p>NASM schools cannot require it.</p>
<p>Colleges are supposed to abide by the National Reply Date of May 1. I think if you have a college or even a program requiring you to commit sooner than May 1, you need to bring up the National Reply Date and if not satisfied, contact the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. No program should make you commit sooner given the rules. Please visit the NACAC site and when you get to this page, click on the link for: "Statement of Students' Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admissions Process": <a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/AboutNACAC/Policies/default.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/AboutNACAC/Policies/default.htm</a>. There, you will find the following rule: "You have the right to wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admissions and/or financial aid. Collegs that request commitments to offers of admissions and/or financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity to request (in writing) an extension until May1. They must grant you this extension and your requrest may not jeopardize your status for admission and/or financial aid."</p>
<p>While we are seeing many decisions already out (and even posters fretting that they are not "in" yet), frankly, soooooooooooo many colleges notify applicants of decisions on April 1 (one of my kids heard from just about all of her schools around then and another heard from many of her schools then) and applicants need a month to weigh their offers, attend events for admitted students on campus, etc. Requiring students to commit sooner than May 1 is simply wrong. They need to have all their cards on the table to make that decision. I recall when my D was accepted to the BFA in MT at Penn State, they gave her a very short period of time as to whether to accept or decline the scholarship (which by the way was way smaller than all her other BFA merit scholarships) which in essence was akin to deciding whether or not she wanted to attend (because if she were to attend, naturally she'd want the scholarship). At that point in time, she had not even heard from some of her schools which send out decisions on April 1. This was still the latter half of March. I called and asked if she could at least wait until she heard from all of her schools and they gave an extension. I realize this was simply with regard to accepting a scholarship offer but to me, it was the same idea as the admissions offer. I would have had the right to ask for an extension until May 1.</p>
<p>Obviously if you know where you want to go before May 1, accept an offer and notify all of your other schools that you will not be attending to free up slots in case they need to go to the waitlist (though many schools accept more than they intend to yield and so a freed up slot doesn't nearly mean going to the waitlist in many cases, but it may in some cases). But you have the RIGHT to wait until May 1 to make your decision. Afterall, many applicants will not even have heard from some of their schools until April 1. Make sure to bring up your rights when making the request for the extension if a school is demanding you commit sooner (which they should not).</p>
<p>WMonMTDad, I really would appreciate it if your son does make a decision that he notify the school ASAP. May 1 IS the national deadline, but waiting until May 1 will very likely mean that someone else will not get a slot that they may really want. May 1 will be too late for those kids. There are 6-800 or kids auditioning for about 200 slots. It would be very kind of your son to act sooner than later. The other thing is that it's a load off your mind! Once you turn it in, you can relax and enjoy the rest of the school year!</p>
<p>Do you know if the MT schools accept more than their goal, allowing for their numbers to decrease as students make their final choices.? I think this is how regular admissions works but it doesn't seem as feasible for MT programs</p>
<p>What do most people do about the "deposit" to insure your spot in the freshman class which is refundable until 5/1 - is it wise to go ahead and pay those and then ask for the refund later if you decide on another program? We are still waiting to hear from schools and also waiting on financial aid packages. How can you make a decision until you receive the whole picture?<br>
I want to respond to programs ASAP to free up spots for those waiting (but hate to do that without weighing the financial aid package).</p>
<p>I received another rejection letter today from Elon. It looks like I'll be moving to NYC this summer! :)</p>
<p>I hope you are not discouraged, BroadwayBelle. NY is amazing!</p>
<p>jacksdad - From what I understand, each school does it differently. At Syracuse, they said they "accept" around 50 students to yield a targeted class size of around 30. At NYU, I believe they accept around 80 to yield around 60.</p>
<p>At other schools, like Baldwin-Wallace, they accept 12, and use a wait list. When one of the 12 chooses not to attend, they offer that spot to someone on the wait list.</p>
<p>I'm sure someone else will chime in. Best of luck to you in your search!!</p>
<p>NotMamaRose, I'm not discouraged at all. It seems to me that God has a spefic school in mind for me, and he's making that really clear by each rejection letter that comes in. I'm okay with it, because I know I have the determination and work ethic that will get me where I need to be :-) Thanks for the support!</p>
<p>BroadwayBelle~</p>
<p>that's really a sweet and inspiring thing you said. good luck to you. :)</p>
<p>That is really inspiring...you have a great spirit! :-)</p>
<p>BroadwayBelle, my daughter received her first BFA MT rejection letter from CCM today. She was OK with it because she also got her official acceptance from AMDA with the top scholarship. She's still waiting on several more schools but has always liked the idea of AMDA. Even though she already has one BFA acceptance, she really isn't sure that she wants to go the BFA route. It's a hard decision for her given that she has already been approached about professional work through the end of the year which she'd have to forgo. She just has such a difficult time thinking about putting off her career for four years. I've told her all along, when the time comes for her to make a decision, we'll know what's right for her. Your path is already much clearer for you. Will you be starting at AMDA in the summer session or the fall session? Best of luck to you on your journey!</p>
<p>Congrats BroadwayBelle!! Just imagine how great NYC will be - that's where it all happens! And it must feel great to have a set decision already... No more sprints to the mailbox.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you! I hear AMDA has many successful alum!</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone for the support and kind wishes! I'm starting in the summer semester. I just have such a strong feeling about this. Thanks again! Best of luck to those still waiting! :)</p>
<p>Congrats to all! Where do students live when they go to AMDA?</p>
<p>LesMis - I would strongly encourage you to put in a deposit somewhere ASAP. They are usually refundable before 5/1.</p>
<p>This often determines your housing preference, and you want to get that in as early as possible. Often, people who wait until late get stuck with the worst housing choices.</p>
<p>Les Mis,
Ericsmom is totally right! Don't wait! Most schools refund your deposit in full, some keep a small fee, but you don't want to risk it. Some schools in Boston have terrible housing shortages and kids end up all over the place every fall. Even though they "guarentee housing", they don't say where.;) Good luck and wait til you hear from all your schools, before you make a decision. No one expects anyone to make a decision before they've seen all of the cards, but if people have heard, it would be great if they could let schools know prior to May 1!</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p>Les Mis,</p>
<p>Absolutely, send your deposit as soon as possible, just to get the wheels turning. As everyone said, most are completely refundable before a certain date, when you will most likely have made a decision. I know of 2 schools in North Jersey who "housed" students in hotels three miles off campus! Good Luck!</p>
<p>abparent, Ericsmom and Sarahsmom42
Thanks so much for the good advice regarding the deposits. My other d went to collge locally, so this out of state stuff is new to me!<br>
Sarahsmom - I'm so glad you received good news! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you both. My heart pound in anticipation for everyone - they have exciting futures ahead.</p>
<p>There are usually 2 different deposits - enrollment and housing. Enrollment deposits secure your spot but can not be mandated before May 1. They are almost always refundable before May 1. Housing deposits very often are NOT refundable regardless of when you send them in. The sooner you get the housing deposit in, the better your shot at getting a desired dorm but if you cancel before May 1, you get out of the housing contract but lose the deposit. Check each school's policy carefully.</p>