So I guess the application fee is optional

<p>I applied to the University of Maryland because I wanted to apply to one school in the north (I'm from NY and want to go to school in a warmer climate.) However, I didn't pay the application fee when I applied. Feburary rolled around, I had already received 4 acceptances, and then Maryland sent me a letter asking for money. Since I had already gotten into schools I liked more (although are considered to be "worse"), I decided to ignore the letter. In March, I got a second letter asking for the application fee, and I just ignored that. On Thursday, when I got my rejection letter from UNC Chapel Hill, I thought the whole college application game was over. Well, that was until I got the mail yesterday and got my acceptance letter from the University of Maryland. I guess you guys don't really care if you pay the application fee. UMD by far has the best reputation of any of the schools I got into, and now my parents want me to look at it. Anyway, I still doubt I'm going to go. Now everyone will consider me to be crazy when I turn down UMD to go to the University of Arizona. So, if you know anyone applying to UMD in the future, tell them not to pay the application fee, they don't really need to. I'm shocked that I got in, I really thought they would just ignore the application since I never paid.</p>

<p>Although it's not very likely, they can and may turn over your debt (yes, it is debt) over to a collection agency.</p>