Timeline for Acceptances

[PolymeraseIII]

Okay, so I'm just going to throw this question out there, because I'm not really sure how it works. Say that you apply to a pharmacy program with rolling admissions, and hypothetically get accepted in December maybe. You're still waiting for another school though, and they don't start interviews until January, and you probably won't know until February or March. Will you lose your spot at that first school if you don't give them a deposit by a certain date, or can you wait as long as they have spots open in the class still? I know lots of people have probably been through this, and I was just curious how the situation works.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chemguy79]

Okay, so I'm just going to throw this question out there, because I'm not really sure how it works. Say that you apply to a pharmacy program with rolling admissions, and hypothetically get accepted in December maybe. You're still waiting for another school though, and they don't start interviews until January, and you probably won't know until February or March. Will you lose your spot at that first school if you don't give them a deposit by a certain date, or can you wait as long as they have spots open in the class still? I know lots of people have probably been through this, and I was just curious how the situation works.

Yes, you will frequently lose your non-refundable deposit at the first school if you do not give them the required deposit by said date. That's the way that the cookie crumbles with pharmacy school admissions.

 

[PolymeraseIII]

Yes, you will frequently lose your non-refundable deposit at the first school if you do not give them the required deposit by said date. That's the way that the cookie crumbles with pharmacy school admissions.

Hmm, I'm confused by this... you'll lose a deposit if you don't give them a deposit? What if you get accepted to a place, and you don't pay the deposit. Say for example there's a non-refundable $2000 deposit due in two weeks, that's a lot of money, so maybe you don't pay it because you're waiting for other schools. What happens if two weeks goes by and you didn't pay the deposit? Can you just not get into the school anymore? Or can you pay the deposit later and still get in as long as there are class spots?

 

[chemguy79]

Hmm, I'm confused by this... you'll lose a deposit if you don't give them a deposit? What if you get accepted to a place, and you don't pay the deposit. Say for example there's a non-refundable $2000 deposit due in two weeks, that's a lot of money, so maybe you don't pay it because you're waiting for other schools. What happens if two weeks goes by and you didn't pay the deposit? Can you just not get into the school anymore? Or can you pay the deposit later and still get in as long as there are class spots?

Why are you confused? It's quite simple; If you don't pay the deposit in 2 weeks, you lose your spot, period. It's not something which you can negotiate.

Schools don't care if you're waiting for another school'ss decision; You pay the deposit and subsequently lose it if you choose another school. As stated above, that's the way that the cookie crumbles with pharmacy school admissions. I'm sure that SOP's make at least $20K per application cycle on students who forfeit their mandatory deposit when they receive an acceptance letter from a school which they really want to attend.

 

[WiskyPharm]

He's confused because your wording is poor. It sounds like you were saying that you will lose deposit money that is never even sent to a school.

 

[Indypharm]

There is usually some leeway if the timing is close. If you are close to the deadline, call the school you have been accepted to and ask for an extension. Then call the school you are waiting on and tell them you have an acceptance but they are your first choice. Politely ask when you might hear from them. They may tell you early or give you a better idea of when you should hear. They obviously have the right to not say, but in my experience, the staff is willing to give you a bit of information. Good Luck

 

[chemguy79]

He's confused because your wording is poor. It sounds like you were saying that you will lose deposit money that is never even sent to a school.

My apologies. If you expect to have your spot saved, you need to pay your deposit. If you choose to attend another university after paying your deposit, you subsequently lose the deposit.

Is my wording acceptable now?

Indypharm is correct; Some schools are willing to work with you, however, if you apply early in the cycle and receive an acceptance in October, you're will need to pay your deposit to secure a spot if your top choice school doesn't start interviewing until January.

I'm actually curious with regards to the amount of money that applicants on SDN have spent for deposits that they forfeited upon receiving acceptance to another school. I have a friend who lost $2K when he was accepted to his state school instead of a private out-of-state school.

 

[usechopstix]

the first school i got into, the deposit was $1500. at the time i was not sure if i would be accepted into any other program so i really wanted to put down the deposit just to be sure but $1500 is a bit ridiculous so i ended up saying no. the second school was $500 and i ended up paying that as both the school and the deposit was more realistic. my top choice happened to be my last acceptance so i lost $500 but a small price to pay for security in the long run.

some schools are flexible with their interview scheduling. i would say if you have a preference for schools, have the top choice school interview first. that way, if you get in, you pay one deposit and you do not have to worry for the rest of the cycle. however, it is not always this easy and sometimes you just have to gamble a bit

 

[WiskyPharm]

Is my wording acceptable now?

Yessir, you have redeemed yourself

Personally, I paid $500 for a deposit I will never see again. If the deposit was a ridiculous amount like $1500-$2000 that some schools require, I probably would have had to take a gamble and just initially refuse the acceptance.