Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 15:15     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
People seem to be conflating paying two deposits simultaneously with paying one deposit first and then pivoting to another school if you get off the waitlist later. As far as the ethics of a “double deposit,” what is the language of the contract or agreement when you pay these deposits?
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 15:07     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:With an 8th grader this is helpful info to know that the first time our bank accounts need to be ready is May of senior year.

I haven’t the thought if this detail before (still a long way out)

The deposit is typically somewhere between 200 and 500.

Your bank account needs to be ready to start paying the actual bill around August. Some schools offer a monthly payment plan if you don't want to pay a full semester at a time.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:42     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:School A knows the game. They have their own waitlist....


And there is a literally a term for this: summer “melt”. Colleges factor in losing a certain number of kids in just this situation. And, this is different ethically than applying ED and keeping applications open elsewhere “just to see what happens” (and trying to find an excuse to dump the ED school is a high reach miracle comes through).
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:28     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
With an 8th grader this is helpful info to know that the first time our bank accounts need to be ready is May of senior year.

I haven’t the thought if this detail before (still a long way out)
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:26     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Double depositing is super unethical and completely different from waiting to see if you get off of a waitlist and then backing out of a previous deposit. There was a YCBK episode on how double depositing is unacceptable and an AO agreed with that statement.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:25     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:We know someone who did this.

Kids double deposited by May 1st two years ago at two t30 schools. She was also granted a 1 year deferral (Gap year) at both places. In the meantime, this kid was also accepted to a UK university she wanted to attend. She enrolled in the UK university in the fall. She did not like it as much as she thought she would and dropped out after the 1st semester. But then she decided she was going to come back and attend one of the two t30s. She called one in February to tell them she changed her mind and was not going to attend. And then proceeded to start as a Freshman at the other t30 school in the fall.

Ethical? No. But she took full advantage of the deposits using the deferred entry.


now that is creative!
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:22     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yep. You lose the deposit at A.


I get that. But do you need to notify School A that your are no longer interested after the deposit? What is the procedure?
I’m not worried about the deposit $. I was worried about schools finding out and rescinding your offer. It seems like a big no no to double deposit., although as a PP mentioned, it happens all the time…


That's not a double deposit. One deposit -- get off WL - withdraw from first school and lose deposit -- deposit at school B. Everyone who gets off of a WL will have to do this. It's normal.

Double deposit is "I can't decide between HY or P," so pay deposit at all on the same day, knowing for certain that you will not attend two of them.


That is technically Triple Depositing….

The truth is, people have been double depositing for years. Not ethical, but people have been doing it for a while and there is nothing schools can do about it unless one is an ED acceptance. Until the day the system in the US changes to be like the UK with their UCAS system, this will occur. There is nothing schools other way to stop people from double depositing.


The point is that OP's scenario is not double depositing, and it is fine. Double depositing is unethical and it may deprive someone else of a spot at their dream school.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:19     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yep. You lose the deposit at A.


I get that. But do you need to notify School A that your are no longer interested after the deposit? What is the procedure?
I’m not worried about the deposit $. I was worried about schools finding out and rescinding your offer. It seems like a big no no to double deposit., although as a PP mentioned, it happens all the time…


That's not a double deposit. One deposit -- get off WL - withdraw from first school and lose deposit -- deposit at school B. Everyone who gets off of a WL will have to do this. It's normal.

Double deposit is "I can't decide between HY or P," so pay deposit at all on the same day, knowing for certain that you will not attend two of them.


That is technically Triple Depositing….

The truth is, people have been double depositing for years. Not ethical, but people have been doing it for a while and there is nothing schools can do about it unless one is an ED acceptance. Until the day the system in the US changes to be like the UK with their UCAS system, this will occur. There is nothing schools other way to stop people from double depositing.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:16     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yep. You lose the deposit at A.


I get that. But do you need to notify School A that your are no longer interested after the deposit? What is the procedure?
I’m not worried about the deposit $. I was worried about schools finding out and rescinding your offer. It seems like a big no no to double deposit., although as a PP mentioned, it happens all the time…


That's not a double deposit. One deposit -- get off WL - withdraw from first school and lose deposit -- deposit at school B. Everyone who gets off of a WL will have to do this. It's normal.

Double deposit is "I can't decide between HY or P," so pay deposit at all on the same day, knowing for certain that you will not attend two of them.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 14:04     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
I assume this gets very personal and complicated when roommates are involved. That does seem horrible stiffing a roommate late in the game for all of the schools where you need to find your own roomates.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 13:58     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
We know someone who did this.

Kids double deposited by May 1st two years ago at two t30 schools. She was also granted a 1 year deferral (Gap year) at both places. In the meantime, this kid was also accepted to a UK university she wanted to attend. She enrolled in the UK university in the fall. She did not like it as much as she thought she would and dropped out after the 1st semester. But then she decided she was going to come back and attend one of the two t30s. She called one in February to tell them she changed her mind and was not going to attend. And then proceeded to start as a Freshman at the other t30 school in the fall.

Ethical? No. But she took full advantage of the deposits using the deferred entry.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 13:58     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:1) - yes. That's what we did last year. And lost the deposit of course.


Same…we paid $600 on the deadline for a deposit and that evening got off a waitlist.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 13:54     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yep. You lose the deposit at A.


I get that. But do you need to notify School A that your are no longer interested after the deposit? What is the procedure?
I’m not worried about the deposit $. I was worried about schools finding out and rescinding your offer. It seems like a big no no to double deposit., although as a PP mentioned, it happens all the time…

You would notify (unenroll/withdraw) from School A at the same time that you enroll at School B.


You are technically NOT enrolling in school B. Even with a deposit, there is nothing legally binding you here UNLESS you are an ED admit. If you are not a restricted admit, then nothing is binding. Which is why some explore this loophole and deposit two non ED schools.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 13:47     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People are always talking about ethics here. This is not a big deal. You should see the people who submit 2 deposits to postpone their decision until the summer. Happens all the time. We know of at least a dozen people that have done this in our district in Va.


Same here. Nobody on DCUM is going to admit to doing this. But we also know several people who have double deposited in the past and we know several that double deposited this year already. All in the name of waiting another 30-60 days to decide.



Why would they already have double deposited? You still have a full month to decide!


They might break up with their bf/gf, a new tik tok may make one cooler in June, and similar quality logic I presume.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2025 13:46     Subject: How to deal with Deposits May 1st if you are still on a waitlist elsewhere?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yep. You lose the deposit at A.


I get that. But do you need to notify School A that your are no longer interested after the deposit? What is the procedure?
I’m not worried about the deposit $. I was worried about schools finding out and rescinding your offer. It seems like a big no no to double deposit., although as a PP mentioned, it happens all the time…

You would notify (unenroll/withdraw) from School A at the same time that you enroll at School B.