when should I apply if my top 2 schools are rolling and non-rolling admissions?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

optomcats

New Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
8
Reaction score
1
my top choices are berkeley and SCCO.
lets say I apply this month and get accepted into SCCO before the berkeley deadline. How would i save my spot in SCCO until i hear if I got accepted into berkeley?

should i just apply in november so that I'll hear from both schools around the same time? but I'm worried that applying later will lower my chances of getting into SCCO in case thats the school I would get into.
does that make sense?
thanks!

Members don't see this ad.
 
I was in the same position this previous cycle. I applied in late October and had to pay a $750 deposit to secure my seat at SCCO. When I was accepted to Berkeley and withdrew from SCCO, I lost out on the deposit because it's non-refundable.

If you applied in November, you'd probably still hear back from SCCO before Berkeley. Berkeley acceptances go out mid-February. You could push your SCCO interview to February (since they give you 2 weeks to secure your seat after acceptance), but there's a chance the class will be full by then.
 
Some schools will postpone the deposit deadline for you a little, in order to hear back from other schools. This is something you might want to ask beforehand, though. When I applied, SCCO didn't even start interviewing until December.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
The Berkeley interview isn't until late January and you will not hear back until mid to late February so I do not suggest applying at the same time. I applied to SCCO like in October, got an interview in December and heard back within a week or two. So I think to be completely safe, depending on how confident you are in your application, you should just about apply to SCCO early and if you get it, submit your deposit to hold the spot. It is a hefty deposit but if that is a cost to secure a spot, you can't avoid it. Plus if you get into Berkeley and if Berkeley is your number one choice, it would be a bittersweet loss but at least you'll be at your first choice :)
 
Plus SCCO is just a great school in general. Forget Berkeley. (GASP! How could you say that....)
 
Top