Backing out of an accepted offer to go to another school

[StartingoverVet]

I was curious whether people have thought about what they would do if they accept an offer from one school and then later hear back from their first choice.

Do you back out or not?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NittanyKitty]

This actually happened to me last year! I got acceptances from Penn (IS), Missouri, and Wisconsin and was wait-listed at my first choice, NC State along with fifty other unranked OOS students. After writing NC State a letter of intent regarding my status on the waitlist, I narrowed my choice down to Missouri and Wisconsin and was able to visit Wisconsin for an open house for accepted students. After being offered some scholarship money and having a great experience there, I accepted the offer and began searching for housing, thinking about moving, etc. I got a call from NC State about two weeks after this telling me I was off the waitlist and would have the weekend to decide - eek! The boy and I rushed down for a 36 hour visit to tour the school and have a look at the area before making the choice I really wanted to make since turning in my VMCAS. I accepted at NC State that Monday and wrote a detailed letter to Wisconsin outlining my regret and my reasons for withdrawing my acceptance offer (tuition cost, significant other's grad school plans, family proximity) and followed it up with a phone call in a few days. No hard feelings and they were very understanding - plus some other lucky student got to attend an awesome vet school in my place! 👍

 

[New Foundland]

I don't see how anybody elses interests come into play here

Why should an applicant be discouraged out of the opportunity to choose their top school simply because other schools have different deadlines?

Do whatever you want for whatever reasons you are motivated by.

 

[NittanyKitty]

I don't see how anybody elses interests come into play here

Why should an applicant be discouraged out of the opportunity to choose their top school simply because other schools have different deadlines?

Do whatever you want for whatever reasons you are motivated by.

👍

Someone else will fill your seat. Guaranteed.

 

[BeagleOne]

I don't see any problem with backing out in favor of your top choice school, so long as you let the other school know asap so they can offer your spot to another applicant.

 

[kaydubs]

Agree with BeagleOne. That's more or less what I'm thinking now.

 

[hunterjumper12]

I don't see any problem with backing out in favor of your top choice school, so long as you let the other school know asap so they can offer your spot to another applicant.

Agreed

 

[Minnerbelle]

I don't see a prob. I don't think many people actually send in their deposits before THE deadline for the AVMA schools, if they hadn't heard from their first choice. If they did, then they're stupid enough to deserve losing their deposits. If you're talking about people who get called off the waitlist for their 1st choice school after the deadline, or people who send in deposits for schools with deadlines that fall before THE deadline, I really don't see a prob with that at all, and I doubt schools do either.

 

[GellaBella]

I don't see a problem with it either. Schools want students who WANT to be there. I think they know that this sort of situation will happen sometimes. That's why they ask for the $500 deposit...at least they get something from you if you decide to go somewhere else, otherwise I feel like they'd just be like "ok, you're in, show up in Aug!" 😛

I think as long as you let the schools know as soon as you have decided to go to the other school then there is no hard feelings and they can offer your spot to the next lucky candidate on the list.

why SOV? Did you decide to leave us PennWes?! Did you re-apply to vet schools this year in secret and are choosing a warmer, less snowy, more Athena and Zephyr-conducive climate?!?!?! Why would you do that to us?!?!?!?! :cry:

😉

 

[sumstorm]

A couple of folks in my class came off the waitlist post-acceptance (and deposit) at other schools. Even losing the deposit didn't compare to the cost differential.

 

[Chinola]

If people never say no to one school after accepting a spot at another then no one would ever get called off the alternate list!

 

[StartingoverVet]

If people never say no to one school after accepting a spot at another then no one would ever get called off the alternate list!

Not really true, as most spots open on waiting list because people get multiple offers, and then send out a "no" after they make their final decision.

Your statement would be mostly true AFTER April 15th (but not completely, Penn had a bunch of spots open up in the summer due to people deferring, etc during the summer).

 

[SilverSpyderGT]

I really think the only case in which a school is going to think unfavorably of your declined acceptance is if they see your application in the pile again next year.

Otherwise, go where you want to go! Schools understand that people apply several places, and someone who is accepted into one school may very well be accepted into one or more others.

 

[lareinesoleil]

It's really not a big deal at all. You'll lose your deposit, but that's worth it especially if the school you ultimately accept is cheaper. (Even if not, just a drop in the bucket compared to all the debt we'll have when we're done! What a cheerful thought...)

Just let the school know as soon as possible, and then don't worry about it.

And think of the student on the waitlist that you'll be making oh-so-happy!

 

[natalieises]

This happened to me last year and I lost a huge deposit at the school I accepted originally. You shouldn't feel bad at all, but feel good that you opened up a seat for someone else!

 

[flyhi]

Was just thinking about the options here. ...if your first choice is your first choice, then you've made it that based on ALL of the other considerations...including cost. So, you wouldn't back out of your first choice to attend a cheaper school. If you were going to pick school B (cheaper) over school A (first choice), then B would BE your first choice. Make sense?

 

[LSU SVM]

As it has been stated several times, the vast majority of the schools are understanding in applicant's decision to withdraw in favor of accepting a late offer of admissions from the applicant's high-ranked school. The key is in the timeliness of the applicant's notification to the schools.

Speaking from past experiences, we regularly contact our applicants with outstanding offers of admisions as well as those that have accepted our offer. While we certainly understand that different decisions can be made once more information and an offer is received from a school that may be a better fit, I believe I can speak for most admissions offices in saying that the frustration comes from receiving no notification of the decision to withdraw an acceptance until several weeks after that decision was made. This delay creates a great deal more difficulty for both the admissions offices but also (and more importantly) for applicants on the alternate lists. The longer it takes for schools' admission offices to contact alternates, the less time these applicants have to make final decision and, more importantly, to complete the admittance process (including admittance paperwork, financial aid, securing hours, etc) once/if they choose to accept the schools' new offers.

This is just a few thoughts from an admissions office's point of view. ;-)