Thoughts and questions about the protocol for turning down offers of admission.
What do you think about the timing? There are a few safety schools that we could take of the list at this point. What’s the consensus about holding onto to them until closer to May 1 vs. closing them out now? My inclination is to hold on at least until April 15-17 when we resolve a school A vs school B matter. But maybe it helps the school and waitlist kids to start turning down offers earlier.
Communication with professors at schools we’re turning down - I don’t like the idea of ghosting them. Some have been very generous with their time; and in some cases the history goes back 2+ years. What are others planning?
This is exactly us!!! Our income increased a bit as well in the last 2 years and any aid given us this year based on 2024 taxes will definitely not be the same next year. Merit is the only safety. It is renewable for 4 years regardless of change of income. We have an investment property in California that is being rented out. The renters have a contract and we can’t just sell the house. That is not liquid money. FAFSA is a joke! Plain and simple.
We plan on getting rid of a few of the safeties soon. We owe an email to a professor for sure because my son told him that we’d get back to him as soon as we heard back from all of the schools.
For some of the others we probably will just let them “expire” on their own come May 1st after the appeals game does its thing.
My son has sent emails to any professors he had lessons with, and a few emails to admissions officers who had been in touch personally. In most cases, he’s received really gracious responses, congratulating him on his choice, and thanking him for letting them know as it does help students on the waitlist. I’d say if you’re sure your kid isn’t going somewhere, there’s no reason to stretch it out, unless you’re using a financial offer to negotiate with another school.
Hi! I’m parent of a student applying for BM performance in strings. DS was admitted to Shepherd School at Rice last week, but we have not heard about financial aid or merit scholarships yet. We are likely not going to qualify for significant need-based aid, but Shepherd requires filling out the financial info to be considered for merit. Unfortunately I was late in submitting one financial form (I submitted it 3/26) so Rice’s financial aid office says they will get to DS’s file “by the end of the month”. Unfortunately, from what I can glean from the music school, this is needed before they can weigh in on merit.
Rice is not mentioned in this thread, but wondering if anyone else is in the same situation?
My son has received acceptance and offers to U Mich, San Francisco, IU, and Oberlin. If Rice doesn’t work out financially he would like to have the opportunity to increase merit aid at one of the above but I’m worried we are behind already…
ohhhhhh well doesn’t that potentially throw a wrench into this entire picture!?!??!?! I know we have until May 1st but why aren’t these schools prepared with this stuff by now lol like we have decisions to make and money heavily influences said decision.
Just a quick note to offer that, even though profs may actively pursue students for their studio, they have no idea of the student’s ability to meet COA AND they usually don’t know what they can offer students in terms of merit. At many large universities, the profs submit requests for merit money through the music department as a whole and sometimes those requests are met, sometimes not. Profs might have an idea of what’s on the table, but it’s typically not up to them…there are like a billion moving parts when it comes to merit. Some profs are more willing to go to bat for students, some aren’t. Smaller universities usually also work the same way, but not always. Private schools and conservatories may be able to have a bit more leeway, but those that I’ve worked with were so very different in how they operated it is difficult for me to generalize them. The financial decisions that each family must make is absolutely the worst part of this whole thing (IMO) and makes you want to run screaming down the street. You’ve jumped through all these hoops to get to this point and now you have to wait just a little longer. It’s maddening and usually illogical.
Completely agree, professors often don’t know the financials at all. Something else we came across is not all studios get the same allotment. So you may see past students get larger merit offers than maybe you received this year for the same instrument and that may be because it isn’t that studios year to get a large sum of money for merit. It has nothing to do with your students talent, but more about how the school distributes their money year to year. We were literally told at one large University it just wasn’t that studios year to get any money.
I’m in Texas. Son has many string friends in Shepherd, both undergrad and grad. My impression is that all (4 or 5) his MM friends have scholarship and/or financial aids and are all doing TA work. COA is rent and food.