I am a transfer applicant and need advice about how to handle enrollment deposit deadlines.
March 31, 2012 9:45 AM   Subscribe

CollegeTransferFilter: I have been accepted at two colleges, with deposits due May 1. But I won't hear from the other schools until after May 1. Advice?

Here's my dilemma: I have been accepted at two schools, one with a significant merit scholarship. They are both good schools and I would be very happy to go to either, but neither are my first choice. They both have enrollment deposit deadlines of May 1. Unfortunately, the other eleven schools I applied to list decision notification dates ranging from mid-May to June — after the enrollment deposit deadlines at the other two schools. I have been told that putting down multiple deposits is frowned upon, and possibly even illegal, and may result in the schools revoking my acceptance.

What do I do now? I would be putting down an enrollment deposit on what would essentially be a backup school, before I have any idea about my decisions at eleven other schools. And if I got in at some of these other schools, I think I would probably go to one of those schools over either of the two schools I have already been accepted at.

** If it's relevant: None of my applications or acceptances are "early decision" or "early action" or anything like that, just regular transfer applications.

I have come up with three possible options, none of which are very appealing to me:

(1) Speak with the two schools I have been accepted at and ask for an extension of the enrollment deposit deadline, because I'm waiting to hear back from these other eleven schools.
This feels impolite and awkward.

(2) Speak with the other eleven schools and ask if they could review my application and give me a decision early, because my "backup schools" have enrollment deposit deadlines of May 1. (I would find a better way to phrase it.)
This feels especially impolite and awkward since these other eleven schools are incredibly competitive and definitely in the "reach" category for me. I think it would also hurt my (already very slim) chances of getting in at any of these schools.

(3) Put down multiple deposits, don't talk to any of the schools, and hope for the best.
My mother read something on a high school website about how putting down multiple deposits is frowned upon, even possibly illegal, and could result in the schools revoking my acceptance. I have heard that people frequently do it anyway.
... However, I am virtually sure that nothing I tell my mother will be able to convince her that multiple deposits is not illegal and will not result in the schools revoking my acceptance. I do not think she will pay for multiple deposits. Though if worst comes to worst and multiple deposits are my only option, my boyfriend has made clear that he will pay for the deposit(s). If this happens, I would probably have to hide the multiple deposits from my mother (i.e. lie), because she may call the schools and confess to the multiple deposits out of fear of legal consequences for being an accomplice or something. And aside from the moral aspects of lying, deceiving my mother is especially bad because I am completely reliant on her to pay for my college education.

So my questions are:
Has anybody else struggled with this enrollment-deposit-deadline-prior-to-hearing-back-from-other-schools problem, and if so, how did you handle it and what was the outcome? Also, please tell me what you know about putting down multiple deposits — specifically, if you personally know anybody who has ever had their acceptance(s) revoked for doing it, or suffered legal consequences.

... And if by any chance you happen to work in an admissions department at a college, please offer any and all insights you have.
posted by anonymous to Education (6 answers total)
 
I would start by doing 1 and 2. It is not impolite to let schools that have accepted you know that you're not ready to make a decision. You could even frame it as a financial aid thing; say that you're applying for scholarships and need more time to figure out how to make the finances work. This both saves you from having to admit they're not your first choice and gives them a chance to offer you more aid, which is always nice. As for calling/writing to the schools that have not yet accepted you, they know that you're applying to multiple colleges, and they won't look down on you for having a schedule. If anything, letting them know that lots of other schools want you is a good thing. It absolutely will not hurt your chances for admission. Plus, it gives you a chance to let them know, once again, that you would kill to go there and would definitely attend if accepted. That makes you more likely to be accepted, since schools are always worried about their yield (the number of accepted students who attend, which is a part of the numbers used to rank colleges).

Start by doing 1 and 2. If neither of those work, then you can talk to your mother. Heck, have your college guidance counselor or some other expert talk to her and tell her that this is normal. Just because she read it on the internet, that doesn't make it true. Now is the time for you to start behaving like an adult, and having your mommy call colleges for you will definitely hurt your chances for admission, so you need to let her know that even though you're grateful for her financial support, this has to be your decision and you need her to respect your choices even if she doesn't agree with them.
posted by decathecting at 9:55 AM on March 31, 2012


(1) Speak with the two schools I have been accepted at and ask for an extension of the enrollment deposit deadline, because I'm waiting to hear back from these other eleven schools.

I did something like this, and the scholarship offer was rescinded at one school (more prestigious school) and extended at the other (less prestigious school). With a bit of work, I was able to get the first offer reinstated in order to attend that university. Just providing a bit of anecdata; I have no idea if this would happen to you, if you were to do the same. Good luck!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:57 AM on March 31, 2012


Oh, and you may be able to do 3 without putting down multiple deposits. Decide now which school of the ones you've been accepted to you would rather attend if you don't get into any other schools. After all, if nothing else pans out, you'll have to decide between those schools anyway, so you might as well decide now. Put down a deposit at that one school and notify the other that you will not be attending. Then, if you get into one of your dream schools down the line, you can notify the school that has your deposit that you're withdrawing and put down a deposit at your dream school once all the other acceptances are in. That way, you never have two deposits active at once, and you've never been even the least bit dishonest with anyone.
posted by decathecting at 9:58 AM on March 31, 2012 [5 favorites]


Decide now which school of the ones you've been accepted to you would rather attend if you don't get into any other schools. After all, if nothing else pans out, you'll have to decide between those schools anyway, so you might as well decide now. Put down a deposit at that one school and notify the other that you will not be attending. Then, if you get into one of your dream schools down the line, you can notify the school that has your deposit that you're withdrawing and put down a deposit at your dream school once all the other acceptances are in. That way, you never have two deposits active at once, and you've never been even the least bit dishonest with anyone.

My situation was a bit different, but this is generally what I did for college acceptance out of high school. I applied to four schools, got in outright at two, and was waitlisted at another. I decided which of the schools I was accepted at I would rather go to, and pretty much started acting like I was going there. Then, a couple days after we'd mailed off the deposit, I was accepted at the school that waitlisted me, and decided that I'd rather go there (when I got the acceptance letter, I actually jumped up and down yelling "Shit! Shit! Shit!" at home). Luckily, the deposit check was still in the mail, so we just stopped payment on it and contacted admissions at that school and that was pretty much that. Of course, if they actually get your deposit check by the time you change your mind, you've basically forfeited that money.

So, in your case, I'd decide which of the schools that have already accepted you is your preference, and then also narrow down your list of 11 schools that you're waiting to hear from - I guess it's possible, but they can't all be better than the best of the ones you've already been accepted to? I think it would ruffle the fewest feathers to contact the schools you're waiting to hear from, but first limit the selection to ones that you'd rather attend over one of the ones where you're already accepted.
posted by LionIndex at 10:25 AM on March 31, 2012


Some of the best advice I ever received went something like this:

I was ranting on IRC about some stupidity involving the DMV and my driver's licence and bureaucratic crap and blah, blah and I couldn't find my way out of it.
And someone else on IRC said, "Imagine this has happened to someone before."
And I said indignently, "Of course this has happened to someone before, it's not like I'm special."
And he said, "Exactly".

Large bureaucracies exist to deal with this shit. And deal with this shit they do. Asking the question is not impolite -- I mean, you could ask it in an impolite manner or swear at them or something, but just asking is perfectly fine. They will know the answer. They will know the answer because they have a deposit deadline that is earlier than other schools send out all their acceptances, and thus, they will have been asked the question dozens if not hundreds or thousands of times already this year. And the year before. And the year before that unto time immemorial, such that the answer has to be written down in a manual somewhere so that next year's crop of administrative assistants will also know the answer.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:10 AM on March 31, 2012 [8 favorites]


Colleges know that the decision timeline for transfer students is not universal. Thus, unlike for freshmen admission, you aren't breaking any rules as a transfer student to have multiple deposits.

I transferred colleges a few years back. PM me if you want more details.
posted by oceano at 11:42 AM on March 31, 2012 [1 favorite]


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