May 1 decision deadline

[Running the race]

So tell me about this deadline. My son still has not made a decision. We're cutting it close. My understanding is we need to put down a deposit by the deadline, correct?

 

Burying my head in the sand until next week. At least both choices are within driving distance if we need to go there for some reason. He attended two classes at one of the choices earlier this week.

 

Calgon, take me away!

[creekland]

Yes, you need to let the school he wishes to desire know he is coming with the deposit to "ensure" it.

 

After May 1st, any college that hasn't heard from any particular student will assume they are not coming.  Whether or not a student could still come will depend upon the school.  Those with spots would likely still allow it, but there's no guarantee.  Those who have high yields likely would not.

 

Best wishes for your decision.  I'm pretty sure we still have a bag of chocolate on the bar in our kitchen if you want a few bars (mini bars) and I know we've a bottle of wine in the fridge if you like chilled wine...  If not, we have flavored and unflavored green tea, apples, and a couple of options for a mile or two of a secluded walk if any of those are helpful.  You just aren't allowed to go out on the walk and STAY until after May 1st.  Well, I guess with a tent and sleeping bag, you could (we'd let you use our campsite), but it's supposed to rain.  ;)

[Gwen in VA]

My dd sent in her acceptance last week, and yesterday she let the other schools know that she was not coming.

 

Last night I heard a VERY panicked shout from my dh -- he wanted to know if dd had actually accepted her merit aid offer, which is different from accepting the college. Yes she had, but we've had no confirmation from the college of that, sodd is going to make a phone call this morning. You can't be too careful, right?

 

Yikes this is stressful -- even after the decision! (Dd's college has an orientation day during the summer -- something we've never done before -- so we're still figuring out how long she has to be there for that....)

 

Chocolate, wine, meditation, and a long walk all sound like good options right now!

 

 

[Sunshine State Sue]

You can't be too careful, right?

Right.  Always best to double check,.  Better safe than sorry.  :thumbup1:

 

[creekland]

 

Chocolate, wine, meditation, and a long walk all sound like good options right now!

 

At 2:30pm I'm out of school... we could have a nice WTM high school senior "parent escape" as long as we don't mind the thunderstorms they are predicting - or there's always tomorrow.  ;)

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Thanks for bringing this up.  I knew we needed to do something for the scholarship but I had forgotten.  Ds is down to two schools and will probably decide after Monday when he visits one of them one more time.  I need to find that thread that talks about how to decide so we can discuss it.  Arrggg. 

[Tokyomarie]

I'm chiming in just to say that I feel your pain. My oldest and youngest children saw their way through to a decision quite easily. But my middle child, the one with musical and visual arts talents, had a very difficult time with the decision and only submitted her deposit days before the May 1 deadline. She had applied for and auditioned for college music programs. She was rejected from the one program (out of 5 applications) that would truly have been a good fit for her non-traditional style (Celtic & improv on violin). That disappointment made it harder for her to make her final choice. Of the three schools left (she didn't complete her audition at one because she already had acceptances at schools she would rather attend), the pros and cons were quite mixed.

 

Once she was down to two schools, she ended up choosing on one particular point.  Looking back, I think it would have been better to choose based on the whole gestalt because while the one particular point indeed was a strong positive and remained so, the overall gestalt was just wrong. When the opportunity to move to be close to her boyfriend (now her husband) arose, there was no love lost for her when she left her first school behind.

 

I'm not sure if the single good point vs. the whole gestalt thought is helpful for you, but I do throw it out there as my contribution to the conversation.

[Laura in CA]

So tell me about this deadline. My son still has not made a decision. We're cutting it close. My understanding is we need to put down a deposit by the deadline, correct?

Yes, you need to let the school he wishes to desire know he is coming with the deposit to "ensure" it.

 

After May 1st, any college that hasn't heard from any particular student will assume they are not coming. Whether or not a student could still come will depend upon the school. Those with spots would likely still allow it, but there's no guarantee. Those who have high yields likely would not.

Creekland et al. are correct -- to be on the safe side, your son needs to decide & submit the deposit.

 

Maryann -- since you're in California, and *just* for comic relief, I'll share the saga of my "bonus son" (older son's best friend, from Mexico). In early May (after the Calc AP exam) he proudly told me he'd been accepted at UC Santa Cruz (and a few other schools he couldn't afford, even with an EFC of zero). While chatting over lunch, I found out he hadn't visited the campus yet, so we took him to visit the following weekend. During the visit I found out he hadn't actually submitted his SIR (statement of intent to register). What?!?!?! The deadline was May 1st! Now it was May 12th!!! Eeeeek! :willy_nilly: Perhaps it's a result of growing up in Mexico, but he has a more relaxed sense of time and deadlines than I'm used to ... or comfortable with! Then, on the drive back from Santa Cruz, he casually mentioned that he hadn't heard from UC Irvine yet and did I think he should call them ... Yes, I said, call them right away! :willy_nilly:

 

So anyway, the truly funny thing (to me) was that not only was UC Santa Cruz still holding his spot, apparently, as well as his generous financial aid offer, when he finally got around to committing ... but UC Irvine (when he finally called) said he could still come there, too! It's true that both of those UCs have pretty crummy yields; I highly doubt such a casual attitude would have worked at a more-selective school, and he would probably have lost his spot and his financial aid ... I was glad it all worked out, but I really thought he was going to learn a lesson the hard way, haha, and that he would believe me when I told him that here, deadlines do matter! :banghead:

[Running the race]

Thanks for bringing this up.  I knew we needed to do something for the scholarship but I had forgotten.  Ds is down to two schools and will probably decide after Monday when he visits one of them one more time.  I need to find that thread that talks about how to decide so we can discuss it.  Arrggg. 

 

My son was still visiting last week. I know what that is like.

 

I'm chiming in just to say that I feel your pain. My oldest and youngest children saw their way through to a decision quite easily. But my middle child, the one with musical and visual arts talents, had a very difficult time with the decision and only submitted her deposit days before the May 1 deadline. She had applied for and auditioned for college music programs. She was rejected from the one program (out of 5 applications) that would truly have been a good fit for her non-traditional style (Celtic & improv on violin). That disappointment made it harder for her to make her final choice. Of the three schools left (she didn't complete her audition at one because she already had acceptances at schools she would rather attend), the pros and cons were quite mixed.

 

Once she was down to two schools, she ended up choosing on one particular point.  Looking back, I think it would have been better to choose based on the whole gestalt because while the one particular point indeed was a strong positive and remained so, the overall gestalt was just wrong. When the opportunity to move to be close to her boyfriend (now her husband) arose, there was no love lost for her when she left her first school behind.

 

I'm not sure if the single good point vs. the whole gestalt thought is helpful for you, but I do throw it out there as my contribution to the conversation.

 

 

The single point vs whole gestalt it very helpful. It's kind of where we are right now.

 

Creekland et al. are correct -- to be on the safe side, your son needs to decide & submit the deposit.

 

Maryann -- since you're in California, and *just* for comic relief, I'll share the saga of my "bonus son" (older son's best friend, from Mexico).  In early May (after the Calc AP exam) he proudly told me he'd been accepted at UC Santa Cruz (and a few other schools he couldn't afford, even with an EFC of zero). While chatting over lunch,  I found out he hadn't visited the campus yet, so we took him to visit the following weekend. During the visit I found out he hadn't actually submitted his SIR (statement of intent to register). What?!?!?! The deadline was May 1st! Now it was May 12th!!! Eeeeek! :willy_nilly:  Perhaps it's a result of growing up in Mexico, but he has a more relaxed sense of time and deadlines than I'm used to ... or comfortable with! Also, on the drive back from Santa Cruz, he casually mentioned that he hadn't heard from UC Irvine yet and did I think he should call them ... Yes, I said, call them right away!  :willy_nilly:

 

So anyway, the truly funny thing (to me) was that not only was UC Santa Cruz still holding his spot, apparently, as well as his generous financial aid offer, when he finally got around to committing ... but UC Irvine (when he finally called) said he could still come there, too! It's true that both of those UCs have pretty crummy yields; I highly doubt such a casual attitude would have worked at a more-selective school, and he would probably have lost his spot and his financial aid ... I was glad it all worked out, but I really thought he was going to learn a lesson the hard way, haha, and that he would believe me when I told him that here, deadlines do matter!  :banghead:

 

How stressful and funny, in hindsight. I'm glad it all worked out for him.

[Susan in TN]

So tell me about this deadline. My son still has not made a decision. We're cutting it close. My understanding is we need to put down a deposit by the deadline, correct?

 

Burying my head in the sand until next week. At least both choices are within driving distance if we need to go there for some reason. He attended two classes at one of the choices earlier this week.

 

Calgon, take me away!

I feel for you - ds hasn't made a definite choice either, though he is leaning heavily to one - looking up class and study abroad opportunities, etc.. He's having to choose between his two bottom choices, neither of which he feels strongly about. We have tried to counsel him as much as possible on the pros and cons - he has a full ride at one but will probably choose the other where he has a "3/4 ride".

 

Ds is an emotional decision maker and there is just not a lot of positive emotion here to draw from. I told dh that our main job today is to show how really pleased we are with his "likely" choice and all it's fantastic attributes and qualities.

[Laura in CA]

How stressful and funny, in hindsight. I'm glad it all worked out for him.

 

Maryann, I meant to add to my post -- I sympathize, and wish you and your son all the best as he decides. I know it must be so stressful!  Please keep us posted!   :)  Oh, and Susan, too!

 

 

[Running the race]

I feel for you - ds hasn't made a definite choice either, though he is leaning heavily to one - looking up class and study abroad opportunities, etc.. He's having to choose between his two bottom choices, neither of which he feels strongly about. We have tried to counsel him as much as possible on the pros and cons - he has a full ride at one but will probably choose the other where he has a "3/4 ride".

 

Ds is an emotional decision maker and there is just not a lot of positive emotion here to draw from. I told dh that our main job today is to show how really pleased we are with his "likely" choice and all it's fantastic attributes and qualities.

 

My son is essentially choosing between bottom choices as well. I like your description of our main job.

[Susan in TN]

Creekland et al. are correct -- to be on the safe side, your son needs to decide & submit the deposit.

 

 

OK - so I've found

1. the university's letter of acceptance and notification of the merit aid scholarship.  We need to sign accompanying form and fax it in.

2. the School of Music acceptance and scholarship letter.  We need to sign the form and fax it in.

3. the housing application form.  We need to fill that out and MAIL in, along with a $300 "prepayment fee".

 

Does that sound like everything?  Is that housing fee the same as the above mentioned deposit?  I can't find any other deposit-sounding fee anywhere. 

 

We do have to register for a 2-day "new student" orientation/advisor/registration session, but there's not a May 1st deadline for that.

 

I noticed that they have a very organized "how to apply" checklist, but nothing in one page listing "this is how you accept our offer of admission, etc. etc." so I feel that I am surely missing something important.

[Laura in CA]

OK - so I've found

1. the university's letter of acceptance and notification of the merit aid scholarship.  We need to sign accompanying form and fax it in.

2. the School of Music acceptance and scholarship letter.  We need to sign the form and fax it in.

3. the housing application form.  We need to fill that out and MAIL in, along with a $300 "prepayment fee".

 

Does that sound like everything?  Is that housing fee the same as the above mentioned deposit?  I can't find any other deposit-sounding fee anywhere. 

 

We do have to register for a 2-day "new student" orientation/advisor/registration session, but there's not a May 1st deadline for that.

 

I noticed that they have a very organized "how to apply" checklist, but nothing in one page listing "this is how you accept our offer of admission, etc. etc." so I feel that I am surely missing something important.

 

Hopefully other, more-experienced folks will chime in! I'm having a similar "did we do everything??? May 1st is this week!!" moment. :) I just double-checked that my son submitted the housing deposit with his housing application (only $20? can that be right??); the official "yes, I'm coming" form (online) and $100 deposit; he still needs to accept his financial aid offer ... he needs to decline the unsubsidized loan but accept the Perkins and subsidized loan; etc.

 

We also weren't supplied with a clear checklist for what to do now, at least in print form; my son's online account *does* have a checklist organized by due date, so I ask to look at it every week :)

The school website has a sample checklist for parents to see what is due and when.

I have also called the school multiple times (I have the admissions office and financial aid office phone numbers programmed into my phone by now!), and they've been very helpful answering minor questions that I just didn't understand.

 

I *believe* that not every school wants both a housing deposit and a registration deposit, but in your shoes I'd call to make sure. Housing is usually a separate department, so that deposit is (I think) usually independent of any enrollment deposit. At my older son's college, he paid a housing deposit and a separate "university deposit" for orientation, which also served as an enrollment deposit.

 

About the orientation -- yes, the deadline isn't May 1, but I encourage you to sign up ASAP ... Some orientation sessions may fill up soon. You can always change the date of your orientation session, but (in our experience) the sooner you attend, the better, since the student registers for classes at orientation, and some classes/sections will start filling up, even if they hold some spots for students who can't attend until the later orientation sessions.

 

A question of my own -- is there any firm deadline for accepting loans? (specifically, Perkins & subsidized student loans) ... Obviously we shouldn't leave it for August, but there's no reason to do it in, say, early May, is there?

[Nan in Mass]

As far as I can remember from last year, we had to:

 

Accept and send acceptance depositDeal with vaccination records and any other health requirements

Send end of year grades

Accept the parts of financial aid offer you want to accept

Accept any scholarships

Let the financial aid office know about any outside scholarships

Deal with health insurance (accept/decline college offering - this may have changed)

Choose dorm and pay housing deposit

Choose meal plan

Fill out the roommate matching form

Deal with any accommodations

Sign up for orientation

Sign up for classes

Buy books

Send a passport photo for the student id (or this might be dealt with at orientation)

Get a passport (if you don't have one)

Deal with proof of state residency

Get plane tickets (if going to school involves a plane ride)

Get laptop (some of our sons' schools offered a laptop deal of some sort which involved fixing the thing if it broke - we found this a good deal) and figure out how to get it hitched to the school systems

Sign up for a student account at the school

Sign up for a payment plan for the rest of the bill (if you are paying monthly)

Pay the bill

Figure out cell phone service

Get a parking sticker if you are bring a car with you

Figure out whether you want your bike and bring a lock

Sometimes there is an option of buying bedding and towels through the school (nice if you are going to school far away)

Contact roommate to coordinate things like ironing boards and waste baskets and fridges

Open a local bank account (if need be) or figure out how to transfer money to student (we opened a joint account)

Send in information for the freshman year book (if your school makes one to give to students at orientation)

 

And I'm sure I'm missing something, since this is just off the top of my head.  This leaves out all the stuff you need to discuss with your student and any packing.

 

Nan

 

 

[creekland]

Those are great lists.  I don't think I have anything to add... I do have some things from those lists that I need to schedule in for my own guy though!

 

It totally depends upon the college as to how much they want for deposits and whether they want tuition & housing separate or not.

 

My motto has always been, "When in doubt, call or e-mail and ask."

[J-rap]

My dd sent in her acceptance last week, and yesterday she let the other schools know that she was not coming.

 

Last night I heard a VERY panicked shout from my dh -- he wanted to know if dd had actually accepted her merit aid offer, which is different from accepting the college. Yes she had, but we've had no confirmation from the college of that, sodd is going to make a phone call this morning. You can't be too careful, right?

 

Yikes this is stressful -- even after the decision! (Dd's college has an orientation day during the summer -- something we've never done before -- so we're still figuring out how long she has to be there for that....)

 

Chocolate, wine, meditation, and a long walk all sound like good options right now!

 

I know what you mean!  We have officially withdrawn from/declined the other four colleges, but I suddenly panicked today because we never really received the final FINAL email from our daughter's choice school saying something like, "Great, we're glad you've accepted and we really do have your deposit and now let's move on to the next step!"  I emailed them today just to make sure they have absolutely everything they need but haven't heard back yet.  My daughter emailed them too.  She is living abroad for the year so that's made communication a little spotty.

 

[Teachin'Mine]

The declining part seems scarier than the acceptance.   

[Susan in TN]

The declining part seems scarier than the acceptance.

That is how we feel - for 2 of the schools in particular that gave ds an enormous amount of personal attention, encouragement, and support.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'm glad to know I"m not alone.  lol   

[FaithManor]

The declining part seems scarier than the acceptance.   

DD cried when she declined her first choice school. The thing is, second choice was great...wonderful...I mean...U of Michigan is not a slouch school. But, she really loved the fit of that first school. They just didn't offer enough money, and were quite rude to us actually when we tried to discuss this politely with financial aid and admissions.

 

Once we got the declining part done, then she started getting excited about registering for classes, getting supplies together, etc.

[FaithManor]

OH, and I only recently found out about the crying. DD has always been a pretty practical, pragmatic kid so I thought she took it completely in stride. She told me the other day when we were reminiscing about those days that she sneaked off to her room and really had a good sob. Now I feel terrible in retrospect which is just silly because it ended up working out so well for her. Sigh...the mamma job is not an easy gig for certain.

[creekland]

Sigh...the mamma job is not an easy gig for certain.

 

This very well could be the #1 understatement of life...

[Teachin'Mine]

I think this whole process is much harder on us moms, especially as we also wear the guidance counselor hat.  Dd approached all of this without having fallen in love with any one school and made her choice based on logic and weighing the pros and cons of each.  She chose well!   It's my nature to second guess it all.   :tongue_smilie:

[Elisabet1]

For me, she has declined every place but 3. She put down the deposit at one of the 3. Of the other 2, I have my doubts. I have completely bit my tongue. I probably would have picked one of the other two. But, I don't want to sway her. But then I worry I am making a mistake by not telling her how I feel. But, if I told her how I felt, and she suddenly changed, I would worry it would be because I told her my opinions, rather than because she prefers those.

 

Of the other two...1) full merit aid..won't have to worry about financial aid for four years as long as she keeps up her GPA. Plus, all dorm rooms are single room suites. And she is allowed to move off campus if she wants. And the other 2) can move off campus if she wants, is a bigger and more well known school so it might carry more weight when she graduates and is looking for a job. In fact, both 1) and 2) are bigger and more well known schools. And both probably have stronger programs in some of the areas of study she is looking at. The college she chose is a fine school, not a bad choice at all. But, I have really been thinking about the other 2 and have my doubts. But I will be sitting here on the quiet couch. 

[Susan in TN]

In honor of Today, we went to the websites/student accounts of the 3 schools that need to be declined and only one had anything clearly marked "decline". We can't find anything on any of the paperwork for the others that allows for a decline, so we're going to call it a day.

[dirty ethel rackham]

In honor of Today, we went to the websites/student accounts of the 3 schools that need to be declined and only one had anything clearly marked "decline". We can't find anything on any of the paperwork for the others that allows for a decline, so we're going to call it a day.

 

Funny.  Ds is in the process of doing this now.  Some had a form so he faxed those in.  At other schools, he had an admissions counselor's name so he replied to the person.  Others did have a decline option online.  I told him to do this a month ago to the schools he had eliminated, but he didn't listen.  I'm being a big ole meanie by making him work this hard to just say no.

 

[J-rap]

In honor of Today, we went to the websites/student accounts of the 3 schools that need to be declined and only one had anything clearly marked "decline". We can't find anything on any of the paperwork for the others that allows for a decline, so we're going to call it a day.

 

For my daughter, the four colleges she was declining required a signed letter in the U.S. mail postmarked by May 1.  In her case it was more important though because she had put down a deposit on some, and that was the only way to get it back.

 

[Elisabet1]

Something else to add, for delayed vaccinators. If your state (or the college's state) does not have a personal or medical exemption, you need to check to see if some vaxs are required. Since you don't want to hammer a kid all at once, it behooves you to get going on these, if you need/desire them.

This is something we paid attention to in the application process. We crossed off any schools that would require shots that we won't do, and won't give exemptions for.