I had wondered if you are considered to be holding a spot at a school before you accept, and I found the answer here if anyone is interested...something to be careful of...
May 15 Multiple Acceptance Deadline
The key phrase is, "....to which he or she has been accepted."Applicants often misunderstand this "traffic rule" to mean that they must decide where to enroll by May 15. That is not the case.
*The Nightmare Scenario You Should Take Precautions To Avoid*
You are holding a position in our entering class. You are also holding one or more wait list positions. You decide to go on a fishing trip to the South Pole, or backpacking in Siberia, or someplace where you are inaccessible. While you are gone, one of the schools where you are wait-listed makes you an offer. You don't know that has happened because you're not getting your mail. The school that just made you the offer reports the action to AMCAS, and now you appear as holding at Tufts and holding at the other school (even though you have not responded to their offer, see above).
We send you a request to decline all but one of your acceptances, but you don't receive it and reply because you're inaccessible. So we rescind your position in our class. The other school does not receive your reply before their offer expires, so they rescind you too. You come home from the South Pole to find you have lost your place at both schools.
If you will be inaccessible during portions of the summer, you can avoid this scenario by either withdrawing all of your wait list positions (so that no new offers can possibly arise) or by designating someone (like a parent) to act on your behalf while you are inaccessible.
May 15 Multiple Acceptance Deadline
The key phrase is, "....to which he or she has been accepted."Applicants often misunderstand this "traffic rule" to mean that they must decide where to enroll by May 15. That is not the case.
*The Nightmare Scenario You Should Take Precautions To Avoid*
You are holding a position in our entering class. You are also holding one or more wait list positions. You decide to go on a fishing trip to the South Pole, or backpacking in Siberia, or someplace where you are inaccessible. While you are gone, one of the schools where you are wait-listed makes you an offer. You don't know that has happened because you're not getting your mail. The school that just made you the offer reports the action to AMCAS, and now you appear as holding at Tufts and holding at the other school (even though you have not responded to their offer, see above).
We send you a request to decline all but one of your acceptances, but you don't receive it and reply because you're inaccessible. So we rescind your position in our class. The other school does not receive your reply before their offer expires, so they rescind you too. You come home from the South Pole to find you have lost your place at both schools.
If you will be inaccessible during portions of the summer, you can avoid this scenario by either withdrawing all of your wait list positions (so that no new offers can possibly arise) or by designating someone (like a parent) to act on your behalf while you are inaccessible.
