Indicating final school decision on PTCAS

[Phyline]

One of the admission emails I received says the following:

"If you accept our offer and, after February 15, we are not your only selection in PTCAS, we reserve the right to seek other candidates and may no longer be able to guarantee your slot."

How does this work? Do I have to designate the school I decide to attend on PTCAS?

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[StarryNightSky]

No need to designate anything on PTCAS. It just means that this particular school checks PTCAS to see if admitted students put down deposits at other school(s). If these students put down deposits at this school and other school(s), this school might give their spots to someone else.

 

[Phyline]

How does PTCAS know where I sent deposits?

 

[StarryNightSky]

I think schools notify PTCAS about it. From PTCAS:

Beginning in spring 2016, any designated PTCAS program that offers you admission will know how many offers of admission you have received from and accepted at other PTCAS institutions. Programs will not know how many applications you have submitted or any other admission decisions made by other PT programs at that time. A PT program that has placed an applicant on a wait-list will not have access to that applicant’s admission status at other PTCAS institutions. Wait-listed applicants should contact the appropriate program directly for specific information on that program’s wait-list policy.

 

[Phyline]

any designated PTCAS program that offers you admission will know how many offers of admission you have received from and accepted at other PTCAS institutions.

Aha! So they mean "if we see that you've accepted someplace else after Feb 15, we reserve the right to rescind your offer."

If I submit a deposit to school X right now, and school Y sees that I've already accepted, may this affect the decision of school Y to offer me a seat after the January round of interviews?

 

[StarryNightSky]

Aha! So they mean "if we see that you've accepted someplace else after Feb 15, we reserve the right to rescind your offer."

If I submit a deposit to school X right now, and school Y sees that I've already accepted, may this affect the decision of school Y to offer me a seat after the January round of interviews?

Since School Y did not accept you yet, they do not have access to your acceptances/deposits information (they don't know if you put down a deposit). So it should not affect School Y's decision. School Y can only see it after they accepted you.

 

[Phyline]

OH. "Any program that offers you admission."
Got it, thanks very much!

 

[Tc_DPT]

OH. "Any program that offers you admission."
Got it, thanks very much!

Follow up question to this. Say you are offered admission to only one school and that school has a deposit deadline of Feb 1 but is not your first choice and you have a couple of January interviews. If you leave a deposit with school A, then get accepted to your first choice post-interview and decide to attend there, my guess is that deposits are non-refundable and you would simply call school A to let them know you've decided to decline their offer because you have decided on a different school? Seems like a gamble to pass a deposit deadline on a chance that you may be offered admission later?

 

[Phyline]

Follow up question to this. Say you are offered admission to only one school and that school has a deposit deadline of Feb 1 but is not your first choice and you have a couple of January interviews. If you leave a deposit with school A, then get accepted to your first choice post-interview and decide to attend there, my guess is that deposits are non-refundable and you would simply call school A to let them know you've decided to decline their offer because you have decided on a different school? Seems like a gamble to pass a deposit deadline on a chance that you may be offered admission later?

I think this is how it works. Someone correct if I'm mistaken.

In my case, deposit deadline at school A is 1/17, but I still have interviews 1/29 and 2/6. So I'm submitting a deposit to school A in case the interviews fail. If the interviews succeed and I'm accepted to a first-choice school post-interview, I then let school A know that I will not be attending and lose my deposit. Or I stick with school A, in which case I must decline other offers by February 15, otherwise school A can withdraw their offer. Now THAT's a gamble, because my top choice school B interview is February 6.

Might I be able to get a rush decision from school B in order to meet school A's deadline?

 

[starrsgirl]

Follow up question to this. Say you are offered admission to only one school and that school has a deposit deadline of Feb 1 but is not your first choice and you have a couple of January interviews. If you leave a deposit with school A, then get accepted to your first choice post-interview and decide to attend there, my guess is that deposits are non-refundable and you would simply call school A to let them know you've decided to decline their offer because you have decided on a different school? Seems like a gamble to pass a deposit deadline on a chance that you may be offered admission later?

Yes, this is very common. It's common to pay (and lose) deposits too. You want to keep a slot at the highest school of your preference while you wait for other admission decisions. I think I ended up eating $800 when all was said and done. But in the end, I got into my top choice state school so the overall cost savings was worth it for me to lose those initial admission deposits.

You should NOT have more than 1 accepted slot out there at any time. If you get a better offer, please call the other school and decline quickly so they can offer the slot to someone else.

 

[StarryNightSky]

In my case, deposit deadline at school A is 1/17, but I still have interviews 1/29 and 2/6. So I'm submitting a deposit to school A in case the interviews fail. If the interviews succeed and I'm accepted to a first-choice school post-interview, I then let school A know that I will not be attending and lose my deposit. Or I stick with school A, in which case I must decline other offers by February 15, otherwise school A can withdraw their offer. Now THAT's a gamble, because my top choice school B interview is February 6.

Might I be able to get a rush decision from school B in order to meet school A's deadline?

I think as long as school A sees that you only put down their deposit, you will be fine and can wait for school B's decision. Schools don't see where you interviewed.

 

[John Ly]

Wait, this is scaring me lol. So If i accepted and put down a deposit already and got confirmed that they received it, but now i got accepted to another school and put a deposit for this school because of preference but I am waiting for the confirmation is that ok?

 

[John Ly]

Or is it only in this specific instance, where they school had to have told Phyline first?

 

[Phyline]

I think as long as school A sees that you only put down their deposit, you will be fine and can wait for school B's decision. Schools don't see where you interviewed.

Right, because school B has not issued their decision yet. Okay.

My concern is that if after Feb 15 school A thinks I'm their only choice and school B hasn't issued a decision yet, school A is going to assume I'm matriculating and proceed with all the paperwork and stuff (and charge me tuition or something).

How do I decline a school after having sent in the deposit? Do I just email and be like "Hey just kidding I'd like to withdraw"?

 

[StarryNightSky]

@John Ly , it depends on the school. I think some schools are okay with multiple deposits and some aren't. So to answer your first question, it's okay as long as you tell the first school you are declining your spot. I second starrsgirl's post.

@Phyline , email should be fine. And I'm sure school A would be okay if you decline your spot, even if they started paperwork, etc.

 

[California510]

I'm having a similar predicament. I accepted an invitation into another school's program a couple of months ago, but I just recently got accepted somewhere else but only have two weeks to decide. At this point, are my options only to A) accept this new school and decline my offer to the first school, or B) decline my new offer and stick with my old school? Or can I put down deposits to both schools? The school I recently got accepted into did not require an interview but before I make my decision, I would love to visit the area and tour the school. Being on the west coast and the school on the east coast, it may take more than 2 weeks :/ I'm just scared to make a blind decision in such a short amount of time.

 

[StarryNightSky]

@California510 , I feel you, that is a hard decision to make :/. Perhaps you can get an extension for the new school so you have more time to think about it?

 

[antochí]

I'm having a similar predicament. I accepted an invitation into another school's program a couple of months ago, but I just recently got accepted somewhere else but only have two weeks to decide. At this point, are my options only to A) accept this new school and decline my offer to the first school, or B) decline my new offer and stick with my old school? Or can I put down deposits to both schools? The school I recently got accepted into did not require an interview but before I make my decision, I would love to visit the area and tour the school. Being on the west coast and the school on the east coast, it may take more than 2 weeks :/ I'm just scared to make a blind decision in such a short amount of time.

Have you tried reaching out to the new school's admissions office and explaining your situation? I think if you told them you would like an extra week or two bc you'd like to visit their program in person before making a decision, there is a decent chance they might accommodate you.