Accepting Scholarship while on a waitlist Forum

[lawscholar20]

I am sure the following scenario is one that happens often:

Accepted at a school with a nice scholarship while hoping to get into a reach school and currently on their wait list. Does accepting that scholarship, come the first week in April and putting down first tuition etc., mean that I can't go to law school X when I get admitted off their wait list in mid-May? If there were no scholarships involved I would think one could easily forfeit their first deposit and go to the better school. Is accepting a scholarship a "binding" agreement that you will go to the first school?

[MrPapagiorgio]

No.

[lawscholar20]

No.

So what do you tell school number one? I know I was so "excited" to come to your school and accepted the 120K you gave me but guess what?? I got into better school so siyanora.??

[MrPapagiorgio]

No.

So what do you tell school number one? I know I was so "excited" to come to your school and accepted the 120K you gave me but guess what?? I got into better school so siyanora.??

Who cares? If you're not going there, what are you worried about?

[lawscholar20]

No.

So what do you tell school number one? I know I was so "excited" to come to your school and accepted the 120K you gave me but guess what?? I got into better school so siyanora.??

Who cares? If you're not going there, what are you worried about?

So according to your logic the whole ED process is worthless. Because who cares you can screw the school anyways. Basically my question is does a school view it as a breach of your word or is it totally understandable and expected?

[MrPapagiorgio]

No.

So what do you tell school number one? I know I was so "excited" to come to your school and accepted the 120K you gave me but guess what?? I got into better school so siyanora.??

Who cares? If you're not going there, what are you worried about?

So according to your logic the whole ED process is worthless. Because who cares you can screw the school anyways. Basically my question is does a school view it as a breach of your word or is it totally understandable and expected?

Ummmm, we aren't talking about ED. That IS a binding contract. What you are discussing is not. And if you "screw" the school and decide to not attend, you cannot go anywhere for that cycle. So ED is nothing like what we are discussing.

Back to what we ARE talking about. Will they be pissed that you are opening up a spot that they may be unable to fill? Yes. Is there anything they can do about it? No.

[fakemoney]

To me it seems most schools have more than enough applicants on their own waitlists for them to be seriously endangered of not filling a spot should someone withdraw

[lawscholar20]

I don't really know much about the ED process but please enlighten me. What happens if I decide not to go to my ED school and I renege on my "binding contract". Who stops me from going to another school? The ED Police? I always thought that schools let each other know who applied ED to their school and therefore another school won't take me because I am an un-ethical person. Perhaps it would be similar in this case.

[SisyphusHappy]

See last year's worst cycle.

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/daninreallife

[fakemoney]

Who stops me from going to another school?

--ImageRemoved--

[EricBerry]

At some schools (Kentucky, for example) the first tuition deposit for scholarship students IS binding. Call your school and ask.

[alistair01]

The pertinent factor is whether you struck a contract with the original school that conditions acceptance of the scholarship on total withdrawal from other schools. In other words, if you applied regular decision, not early decision, you are still legally permitted to attend another school if accepted from a waitlist.

[tinlawman]

Schools know many people are riding out wait lists. After all, they all have a bunch of people on their own wait that they know some of those are planning on going to other schools unless they get picked. IMO, it's perfectly acceptable. Aren't there people who sometimes get pulled off a waitlist a week before classes start?

[kapachino]

LOL, OP. You're not going to hurt the school's feelings. Take it as insurance, and if you get into your reach and decided to attend, let the other school know. They will find someone else to give your seat and money to.

[cowgirl_bebop]

I had a similar question. I guess I will double check with the school, but I got WLed at a super reach and will ride it out to see what happens. If by a miracle they call me up, I'll just have to let the 1st school know.

[buchy2009]

At some schools (Kentucky, for example) the first tuition deposit for scholarship students IS binding. Call your school and ask.

Florida's is binding as well.

[lawscholar20]

At some schools (Kentucky, for example) the first tuition deposit for scholarship students IS binding. Call your school and ask.

Florida's is binding as well.

Are any T14s binding?