Good afternoon,
Would appreciate thoughts on the above? We visited/interviewed/toured 10 schools and have decided to move forward with only 3 schools. One were are not moving forward with, we will definitely let the AO know (there is a history there), but I wondered if we should extend the same courtesy to others, or if schools know that everyone will not go forward…Thanks.
The schools don’t begin to seriously think about a candidate until the application has been submitted, or, commonly until all applications have been submitted from all candidates who are going to submit an application. There is nothing wrong with telling a school that you will not be applying, but there is no expectation that you should do so.
It could lead them to question you as to your reasons, which, unless they are personal and unlikely to be repeated in others, could be helpful to a school that is looking to improve its offerings.
OTOH, if a school offers any kind of rolling admission, you may not want to tell them that you have rejected them. An initially less desirable school can become mighty attractive if the top three all say “thanks, but no thanks” to your application.
Thanks for your reply and thoughts. We are very happy at current school, so if it does not work out, we’re fine with that too. Current school does not have a boarding option.