College Deposit Pressure

my-3-sons
Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:38:18 +0000

When one of mine was attending an admitted student day program at a private university, someone in the crowd asked about when the school would start going to its waitlist. The reply included the info that the school receives 50% of its enrollment deposits during the last week in April. Please don’t feel pressured to make a decision you’re not ready to make, especially if all the info is not in place. I don’t think the schools are trying to pressure you, they are just presenting the next steps in the process for those ready to commit.

Also, keep in mind that schools that have several times when new students can register for classes often reserve a proportionate amount of freshmen seats for each enrollment period so kids who do not register first, do no get shut out of desired classes/times. It might be worth a phone call to check with the individual schools regarding their policies in regard to housing selection/class registration. They are usually pretty nice about telling you if you would be risking a dorm room if you wait. Housing for some publics is usually the only place where you may need to send in an early deposit or risk losing out, but it’s always best to check with the individual schools.