Confirming Acceptances

[blysssful]

After being accepted to a program, how long do you have to confirm the acceptance before you lose your seat? I understand it might be different for different schools, and I saw that SCO gives 8 weeks. Is this about the same length for all the schools?

I'm asking specifically in regards to UCBSO. Since it's not rolling, they won't begin inviting for interviews until January. Since they don't actually interview until early February, and they obviously won't offer acceptances until after that date. I'm going on three interviews within the next month, and hypothetically, if I hear back positively from all three of those schools, would I need to confirm before even hearing back from UCBSO? Or potentially before I even know if I'll be invited for an interview?

On the same line of thought, can you change your mind once you've confirmed somewhere (I assume that means you'd lose whatever money you put down, but legally, can you break this contract)?

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[optometristan]

Wow, I never really thought of this. The schools (at least SCO) that do the 8 week thing or equivalent are really pushing your hand! I understand your delema, because if say SCO would be your back up school as I'm sure it would be for a lot of students (not at all saying that SCO is a bad school, but the tuition is relatively low for out of state students), the 8 week reply forces you to pay the conformation fee whether you plan to go to the school or not! A very smart business move, seeing as though there is a difference of 74 students between accepted and enrolled for SCO in 2007.

I'm sorry all I really did was restate your problem, for I really don't know about any other schools (aside from IU, which has no stated deadline to accept) that have such a constrant. By looking at the profile chart which I am sure you are all quite familiar with at opted.org, I would be interested to find out if the other schools with a big difference between accepted and enrolled (like ICO, PCO, etc) has the same idea. (Although IU has a rather large gap as well.)

 

[fluffinski08]

After being accepted to a program, how long do you have to confirm the acceptance before you lose your seat? I understand it might be different for different schools, and I saw that SCO gives 8 weeks. Is this about the same length for all the schools?

I'm asking specifically in regards to UCBSO. Since it's not rolling, they won't begin inviting for interviews until January. Since they don't actually interview until early February, and they obviously won't offer acceptances until after that date. I'm going on three interviews within the next month, and hypothetically, if I hear back positively from all three of those schools, would I need to confirm before even hearing back from UCBSO? Or potentially before I even know if I'll be invited for an interview?

On the same line of thought, can you change your mind once you've confirmed somewhere (I assume that means you'd lose whatever money you put down, but legally, can you break this contract)?

The schools are aware that most students apply to several schools, so even with an 8-week deadline like SCO or the 30-day deadline like with ICO, the deposit one pays to save a seat is NOT completely non-refundable. I forget the exact amount, but if you put down the $500 deposit with SCO within the 8-week period and later change your mind, they will give a portion of that money back...I think either $350 or $400. The same is true of ICO. I think all the schools with a deadline have a partial refundable deposit. I suggest that to be on safe side you should save your seat with a school you have been accepted to already until you wait for UCBSO.

Good luck!