- Joined
- Jun 2, 2015
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 217
A few weeks ago, after finishing the interview day, I was chatting with the Manager of Admissions of school xx. Right before I left she mentions, I might get a phone call on 12/2, and then will have 30 days to make a decision. So, I was like great, I hope I do get that call, that would be wonderful, blah blah. But then I kind of put my foot in my mouth by asking her, if I accept the offer and put in the deposit, what is the final date for making the final decision? So, I receive this stern look and she tells me I can’t do that, because it’s not fair to other students. She says, if I accept in December then I need to go there. I was super agreeable, and said yeah, yeah, of course, absolutely, blah blah blah, then we said goodbye.
So, in retrospect, that was stupid for me to ask directly. But it was interesting to think about her answer.
There are perfectly good reason’s why someone would put down multiple deposits in December. In my case, my spouse will be looking for work in the vicinity of my dental school, and some extra flexibility through Dec-Feb means they are more likely to find work near one the schools where I am accepted. If paying multiple deposits allows my spouse to get a job so we are in the same state, that seems reasonable to me. But is it ideal if everyone puts down multiple deposits? No, I get it.
This is a variation of prisoner’s dilemma game theory scenario. The system works “best” if applicants only put down one deposit as early as possible. This makes it easier for schools building classes and easier for second look or wait-listed applicants. But for applicants seeking flexibility it will always be better to put down multiple deposits and hold off on making a final decision until later in the spring. This is not a game theory scenario where you play over and over, until both sides realize it is always better to cooperate. As applicants we only play this game once and it’s over. So, there is no incentive to cooperate.
And you’re not really screwing anyone over directly, you’re just making the admissions committee’s jobs more difficult or take a bit longer. And it’s in their job description to work this stuff out. I can only accept one offer at the end of the day, so I won’t be keeping someone out of school completely. I can envision some scenario where I hold an extra spot, which prevents someone from getting into their in-state school, so they prematurely accept an offer at a more expensive or lower choice school. But that's on them, for not being as competitive an applicant. I could probably come up with some more hypotheticals.
I don’t know, so what do you guys think about accepting multiple offers? I don’t really feel guilty about making multiple deposits if it means there is a significantly higher chance that I can live with my spouse.
Note: I'm not talking about holding multiple spots until the summer, only until whatever that date is in the spring (April?) where the schools notify each other.
So, in retrospect, that was stupid for me to ask directly. But it was interesting to think about her answer.
There are perfectly good reason’s why someone would put down multiple deposits in December. In my case, my spouse will be looking for work in the vicinity of my dental school, and some extra flexibility through Dec-Feb means they are more likely to find work near one the schools where I am accepted. If paying multiple deposits allows my spouse to get a job so we are in the same state, that seems reasonable to me. But is it ideal if everyone puts down multiple deposits? No, I get it.
This is a variation of prisoner’s dilemma game theory scenario. The system works “best” if applicants only put down one deposit as early as possible. This makes it easier for schools building classes and easier for second look or wait-listed applicants. But for applicants seeking flexibility it will always be better to put down multiple deposits and hold off on making a final decision until later in the spring. This is not a game theory scenario where you play over and over, until both sides realize it is always better to cooperate. As applicants we only play this game once and it’s over. So, there is no incentive to cooperate.
And you’re not really screwing anyone over directly, you’re just making the admissions committee’s jobs more difficult or take a bit longer. And it’s in their job description to work this stuff out. I can only accept one offer at the end of the day, so I won’t be keeping someone out of school completely. I can envision some scenario where I hold an extra spot, which prevents someone from getting into their in-state school, so they prematurely accept an offer at a more expensive or lower choice school. But that's on them, for not being as competitive an applicant. I could probably come up with some more hypotheticals.
I don’t know, so what do you guys think about accepting multiple offers? I don’t really feel guilty about making multiple deposits if it means there is a significantly higher chance that I can live with my spouse.
Note: I'm not talking about holding multiple spots until the summer, only until whatever that date is in the spring (April?) where the schools notify each other.
