It’s our first child and her apps are all done, just waiting to hear from them all and figure out the financial piece. We are hopeful to have answers by end of Feb and then visit the top 2 in March or so and then commit in April. What are the downsides? Is it likely to cause a problem with housing because most have already applied for housing?
Any thoughts?
At some schools there could be an issue with housing but not all. You need to check the school and see what their policy is. Many large state schools do not have enough housing for all and give priority based on when you put down a housing deposit. Some schools let you apply for housing without committing. This really can vary.
Congratulations! It’s a nice feeling having those apps in!
I think your plan sounds great. You are correct that the only minor issue is that she might end up lower on the housing list than if she decided and deposited earlier. But, not all schools assign housing based on deposit date. And it’s my opinion that, for the majority, a dorm is a dorm is a dorm and while the choice can seem very important, it’s really not in the whole scheme of things. And anecdotally I know at least two kids (different schools) who didn’t decide until late summer and/or messed up their housing and didn’t apply for housing until summer and still it all worked out just fine!
You can have dorm deposits in to several schools (not registration deposits) without violating the rules. The only downside to waiting is the ‘not being finished’ feeling. I asked my daughter’s coach what was the benefit of signing early (in NOvember( and really that was the only plus - being done. She decided to sign early and it was a BIG plus because she is a kid who was always troubled making a decision and second guessing any decision she made. Not with college. She made it, she was done.
My D19 did not visit the school she is at now until first weekend in Apr that year. It was the last one the list. She didn’t want to apply their and didn’t want to go. After the visit she was sold. Of course it has been rocky with covid but she is overall happy. Nothing is perfect right now.
She declared while on that visit. She didn’t have an issue with housing. I know other schools can be different.
She had to wait on all merit money to make the final decision. Let me tell you Jan-Final decision I think aged me 10 years. So many scholarship competitions and essays and interviews. It was a huge relief when we signed on the dotted line.
Many schools don’t have ED or EA and so the students don’t hear any earlier than March. If one of those schools is high on your kid’s list, they can’t make a reasonable decision sooner. That was the case with my older kid and also my current senior. Some schools allow dorm deposits to secure housing as soon as they get accepted, but many also make it clear that everyone will be in the same pool as long as they get the housing deposit in by the May 1st (or whatever date) deadline. I think the only advantage is the mental one - feeling done and searching for a roommate match, etc. In the winter when so many kids seem to know, it’s hard for those who don’t yet. But in the grand scheme of things these few months don’t make a difference. Of course in the middle of those months it seems like a huge deal! Your plan of waiting and then visiting the top choices is very reasonable and measured and a good plan.
Colleges want those who are admitted to enroll. All colleges have a May 1 deadline for you to choose. Some colleges try to “anchor” you into a decision for their school by having things like housing tied to the date you enroll. Ethically, the student can only have one college they have told they will attend. But you could tell college X that you will attend (because they have housing tied to enrollment date) and then wait to see if you get into College Y and then later change your mind because College Y has no ties to housing like college X.
If your daughter has all acceptances AND financial aid packages, you can commit whenever you want to!
Our kid had her acceptances to her top three schools by December 15, and had aid to all three by February. She could have committed at any point in time after February. However, her accepted student visit days weren’t until April… and she went to all three. Good thing, because number 2 dropped right off the list altogether.
Thank you all for feedback. I figured that it is very likely that none of the schools will likely be open before May 1st so she has to make a decision without seeing in spring. Luckily, we saw Colorado State, Oregon State, Virginia Tech and Cal Poly SLO in person so only applied to 6 others based on what she saw online. Not sure how the admissions will go and there are other options are on the table, too.
I’m hoping once she gets more acceptances (crossing fingers!) then she can spend more time thinking about housing.
A lot of public universities do not have enough dorm space for the undergrad student body, so 1/2 or more of the students might live off campus in private housing. If a student wants to live in a college dorm 1st year, then it is important to read the rules on housing so that a student doesn’t find themself closed out of campus housing. For instance, here in the midwest, a lot of public flagships assign campus housing on a “first come-first served” basis and, therefore, allow an admitted student to sign up for on-campus housing BEFORE they accept the offer of admission. There is usually a deposit required, typically around $100 or so, most of which is refundable if the student does not accept the admissions spot in the spring. Other schools, such as Wisconsin, use a housing lottery so there is no benefit to signing up for housing early. So, check the housing procedures for each school to find out how 1st year dorms are assigned so you can decide whether to sign up for housing to save a spot if that is the school of choice come spring. Take notes on the applicable rules so that you then follow the right procedure to cancel housing and get your refund of deposit in the spring.
There is a lot to be said about being done. The only reason I could see to wait is if your playing one school financially off another’s offer. If your 100% then why not commit and have the pressure off your child. As some said acceptance day might change your mind. But…
just want to add that my kid decided the end of May what school to attend last year. We were all excited - the deadlines had been extended because of Covid.
He chose a very large public OOS U.
Then, reality set in with housing. it was first come, first serve once the portal opened during the summer, based on the the exact time a kid submitted a deposit earlier in October . it was a ZOO. the parents FB group was non-stop with 1000s of posts about it all. Luckily, he got picked as a roommate by some guys who had submitted early deposits; but if that hadn’t have happened, it would have been really harsh on him; no choice of roommates, leftover rooms in the least advantageous dorms.
we were completely unaware of this situation and how it would work at this particular U. So - my thoughts to you are to really look into it all at the schools your child is looking at! look for FB parents groups of those schools and ask questions there as well.
All good points. She has 2 favorite schools and IF she gets in either of them that will be ready to commit to make some decisions. BUT they are her reach schools, she applied early action so that is the issue. She has been accepted to a couple schools already and while she is would be fine going to them, she is holding out to find out about the others and figure out if she gets the WUE scholarship. If it was in between 2 schools I would be ready to put a deposit, but I feel like she is waiting on 4 schools for a decision and the WUE scholarship for 2 of them so not willing to spend that much time on it when she is that spread out. It is frustrating to be in limbo but honestly it just threw us off getting accepted so early with a couple. I had thought we would find out more like January. I will check out the facebook parent pages, hadn’t thought of that!