Are we allowed to put down deposits for more than one school and then decline later?

[nycpolicy]

What the title says.

[rising_star]

You can but you won't get your deposit back.

[nycpolicy]

On 4/5/2018 at 7:59 PM, rising_star said:

You can but you won't get your deposit back.

Hm, that's all right ($1000 is nothing compared to the tuition fees of these colleges :p) but I'm concerned about those forms that ask you to sign your name confirming that you are not paying a deposit elsewhere or deferring. Is it legal to sign your name against this while actually putting down a deposit elsewhere?

[chocolatecheesecake]

It's probably a bad idea to (potentially) lie to two institutions, one of which it sounds like you really want to go to. It also sounds like you might have a complicated situation or some constraints that keep you from making the decision by the deadline. Could you expand on that? Why do you want to put down deposits at two places? Maybe we can give some constructive suggestions on the overall situation. 

[nycpolicy]

7 hours ago, chocolatecheesecake said:

It's probably a bad idea to (potentially) lie to two institutions, one of which it sounds like you really want to go to. It also sounds like you might have a complicated situation or some constraints that keep you from making the decision by the deadline. Could you expand on that? Why do you want to put down deposits at two places? Maybe we can give some constructive suggestions on the overall situation. 

Finances! 

I've applied to a couple of external scholarships, the results of which I'll only know after all the deposit deadlines. Plus I've requested additional funding from my top schools which may come in after the deposit deadline of other schools. I don't want to lose a place at my top school and later receive all this scholarship money that could've been used. Alternatively, I am OK not going there if I do not get aid from any avenue which is also a realistic scenario.

[Oscar21]

I am in a similar situation and find it very frustrating that the deadline for the deposit is before the deadline for scholarship reconsideration. How can I commit when I don't know all the financial information? 

[chocolatecheesecake]

TBH, I think you guys are in a hard spot, and I don't know the right course of action. If it was me, I would in good faith share my situation with my top choice school, and let them know that without the money, I can't commit. I'd call and talk to them about this, and see if they offer any solutions to me first. If they don't seem likely to offer solutions, I'd ask if it's possible to delay my decision until a certain date (and give them that date). If they need the deposit to hold the spot, as you mentioned, I'm also fine with potentially letting go of $500. But I'd concentrate on being able to hold my spot without lying to the school. At the same time, I'd contact all the scholarships/ aid programs I'm waiting on and let them know about my situation. It's possible they would be able to tell me that I'm out of the running or maybe still in consideration before the actual release date. You never know until you ask. 

I'm not sure what to do about the second-favorite schools that you'd want to go to if no aid comes through for your top choice, but the thing to consider is that schools do talk to each other, and may very well try to make sure no students have double-deposited. You don't want to be caught lying by any school you ultimately want to attend. That's why I would be as up front as possible about this situation, but it's awkward to have the conversation with more than one school. Still, see what your top choice says, at least. 

If you have professors whom you trust or who have written you letters of recommendation, they would be probably good resources for this sort of question. Good luck! 

[tristatequeen]

Why don't you all just request an admissions decision extension from the programs that yor considering listing finances - mainly external funding and internal aid consideration? It's rather easy, just ask.