<p>after research i have noticed the differences in response deadlines between state and public schools....my question is how will applicants be given enough time to respond without being obligated to one school while still waiting on a response from another....here is a likely personal scenario that may occur with me....</p>
<p>i applied to a few UC's and USC and LMU</p>
<p>the response deadline for the UC's are May 30th but i may not recieve a decision from USC until July, so do i respond to the UC i choose without knowing whether i got into USC(my priority)???</p>
<p>so my question is...what do i do if i am presented with this dilemma??</p>
<p>Everyone is under that same situation every year. You should definately respond to a UC before knowing about your acceptance at USC; because if you dont, you will not be able to enroll in your classes on time, get a dorm, or even have a room in the accepted class (due to overenrollment).</p>
<p>You can definately cancel if you later choose another school; all you have to do is email the school and let them know that you would like to cancel.</p>
<p>The only penalty is that you may not get your deposit back. However, I know that the UCs do allow you to defer payment on the deposit if you are of low income. So technically, if you are of low income, there is no penalty because you never paid.</p>