Seat deposits and waiting for responses Forum

[knimmz]

seat deposits for schools are due but I haven't received responses from all the schools I've applied to, so I was wondering what does that mean? like they don't expect me to send a deposit before a response right? and what if I'm waitlisted, if I don't know if I'm getting off the waitlist should I still send a deposit?

[1scout23]

1. Unfortunately, they do. To be safe, I would definitely send in a deposit to a school if you think there's a chance you may not get into the school you are still waiting for. If you'd rather just wait another cycle for that target school, I wouldn't bother, but if you really want to go to school in the fall, yes, deposit. If you don't deposit at the deadline, your spot will probably go to a waitlister. I personally wouldn't risk having to write to the school later explaining why I didn't deposit on time.
It's painful, but some schools will partially refund your deposit if you withdraw by a certain point before the semester starts.
2. If you are on the waitlist, don't send in a deposit. The school will give you an exception or prolonged time to deposit, if there's no logistical way you could have known you'd get off the waitlist in the future.

[JHP]

1. Unfortunately, they do. To be safe, I would definitely send in a deposit to a school if you think there's a chance you may not get into the school you are still waiting for. If you'd rather just wait another cycle for that target school, I wouldn't bother, but if you really want to go to school in the fall, yes, deposit. If you don't deposit at the deadline, your spot will probably go to a waitlister. I personally wouldn't risk having to write to the school later explaining why I didn't deposit on time.
It's painful, but some schools will partially refund your deposit if you withdraw by a certain point before the semester starts.
2. If you are on the waitlist, don't send in a deposit. The school will give you an exception or prolonged time to deposit, if there's no logistical way you could have known you'd get off the waitlist in the future.

In response to 1scout23's response to #1, I had actually never heard that! Good to know...But maybe just call and double check? Some schools require the deposit to be submitted a certain number of days after you receive the acceptance rather than by a certain date (though most schools are by a certain date). My instinctual reaction is to think it is odd to submit a deposit before any decision has been made on your application.

[Hand]

ehhh is the question whether you should pay a deposit at schools from which you haven't gotten a decision? because if so the answer is obviously 'no'

ETA: if you're on the waitlist, the answer is also 'no' by the way

[BasilHallward]

I agree. Call and be sure. In my experience, after being accepted after the seat deposits last year, the school gave me a window (usually 7-14 days) to place a deposit. It is quite insane for schools to expect seat deposits ($1000 in the case of GWU) without the applicant having knowledge of their outcome. This would be a cash cow, if schools could get away with this. Instincts and experience tell me a resounding NO. But, it doesn't hurt to call.

[Gray]

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[MarkfromWI]

1. Unfortunately, they do. To be safe, I would definitely send in a deposit to a school if you think there's a chance you may not get into the school you are still waiting for. If you'd rather just wait another cycle for that target school, I wouldn't bother, but if you really want to go to school in the fall, yes, deposit. If you don't deposit at the deadline, your spot will probably go to a waitlister. I personally wouldn't risk having to write to the school later explaining why I didn't deposit on time.
It's painful, but some schools will partially refund your deposit if you withdraw by a certain point before the semester starts.
2. If you are on the waitlist, don't send in a deposit. The school will give you an exception or prolonged time to deposit, if there's no logistical way you could have known you'd get off the waitlist in the future.

In response to 1scout23's response to #1, I had actually never heard that! Good to know...But maybe just call and double check? Some schools require the deposit to be submitted a certain number of days after you receive the acceptance rather than by a certain date (though most schools are by a certain date). My instinctual reaction is to think it is odd to submit a deposit before any decision has been made on your application.

In an attempt to clear up some ambiguity/confusion here, I'm pretty sure scout was saying in part 1 that schools from which you have already received a response from will expect you to deposit by their deadline, regardless of whether or not you are still waiting on responses from other schools.

Hypothetically, assume OP applied to schools A and B, receiving admission to A and waitlist at B. If both schools have the seat-deposit deadline on April 17, school A would expect a deposit from OP, while school B would not. Obviously, you wouldn't send a seat deposit to a school where you are still on the waitlist- there's nothing to "secure;" you have no seat.

ETA: Scooped by Gray

[Username123]

ehhh is the question whether you should pay a deposit at schools from which you haven't gotten a decision? because if so the answer is obviously 'no'