Withdrawing and multiple deposits Forum

[zor]

I've seen so much conflicting information on these two things and am really confused.

1. Do you have to formally withdraw from a school, or can you just not send in the deposit?

2. What's the deal with multiple deposits? I seriously am torn among several choices and am thinking of depositing at multiple schools just to give myself more time to think this all out. Is there any formal ban against it? The LSAC page doesn't really help except to say that it may or may not be refundable and that they do alert the schools.

[danielhay11]

I've seen so much conflicting information on these two things and am really confused.

1. Do you have to formally withdraw from a school, or can you just not send in the deposit?

2. What's the deal with multiple deposits? I seriously am torn among several choices and am thinking of depositing at multiple schools just to give myself more time to think this all out. Is there any formal ban against it? The LSAC page doesn't really help except to say that it may or may not be refundable and that they do alert the schools.

1. Not depositing is tantamount to a withdrawal. However, general consensus seems to be if (a) you're 100% sure you won't be attending and (b) their financial aid package won't help you negotiate with another school, go ahead and withdraw. In theory, it gives some poor soul on the waitlist a shot (although, of course, in practice, it's not a zero-sum thing).

2. I'd recommend reading the ABA's "Statement of Good Admission and Financial Aid Practices." You can deposit at multiple schools and, even after signing a letter of intent, you may accept a new offer of admission of scholarship at a later date. At some point in May, LSAC publishes a list of people who are double-depositing, and some law schools may decide to remove you from their list at that point. That's a school-by-school decision, though, as is the decision whether to refund deposits.

[zor]

Thank you so much, danielhay11! I don't expect to see that deposit money back but because financial aid information comes out SO late in the game, I feel I need a bit more time to mull over my offers than one week. (I'm still waiting on fin aid from two schools.) I just want to make sure I'm not going to infuriate any adcomms by depositing at multiple places.

Thanks again.

[danielhay11]

Thank you so much, danielhay11! I don't expect to see that deposit money back but because financial aid information comes out SO late in the game, I feel I need a bit more time to mull over my offers than one week. (I'm still waiting on fin aid from two schools.) I just want to make sure I'm not going to infuriate any adcomms by depositing at multiple places.

Thanks again.

Well, you might still infuriate them, but what are they gonna do, unaccept you?

[bobbyh1919]

Thank you so much, danielhay11! I don't expect to see that deposit money back but because financial aid information comes out SO late in the game, I feel I need a bit more time to mull over my offers than one week. (I'm still waiting on fin aid from two schools.) I just want to make sure I'm not going to infuriate any adcomms by depositing at multiple places.

Thanks again.

Check with the schools. The only school that's actually mentioned this to me has been UVA, which "strongly discourages" people from double depositing before a certain date (I think May 17th?) and prohibits it after and can withdraw your acceptance if they choose to do so.