<p>After seeing many posts by a cc member who was admitted from multiple top LAC waitlists ( I think 4 so far) after writing to them all that “if admitted I will attend”…I wonder whether it is better to do the right thing and be truthful to the one and only school that is your top choice or play this ridiculous waitlist game.
We were blessed that our S was admitted outright to all of those top LAC’s this cc member was waitlisted at, and has joyfully committed to one.
However I have many friends who have been dealing with this awful waitlist limbo and know of at least 3 who have sent the “if admitted I will attend” letter only to their true dream school.
I guess, there is nothing new here…this is true of life overall, tell the truth or lie for your own benefit?</p>
<p>To the person who still hasn’t decided where they will attend college in four months- how much more time do you need?</p>
<p>Honesty is the best policy.</p>
<p>DougBetsy,
I agree that honesty is the best policy.</p>
<p>That said, I think that the question here is WHY is it the best policy in this specific situation? It seems to me that there is no real consequence for saying to more than one school “if admitted I will attend” but there are real negative consequences for playing by the rules.</p>
<p>
Like what?</p>
<p>It’s important to get into a good college, but it’s even more important to get into Heaven.</p>
<p>Quote:
Like what? </p>
<p>Like you are more likely to get accepted into a school that you tell that ‘if admitted I will attend.’ So, saying this is a way to stack the deck in your favor to gain admittance to college.</p>
<p>
Please let me clarify my question. You refer to negative consequences if one plays by the rules. What are these negative consequences?</p>
<p>There could be consequences for future applicants from that student’s high school. The HS GC often reaches out to schools and advocates for waitlisted students, telling them (only if true) that the student will accept a wait list offer.</p>
<p>I think a student sending a letter of “I will attend” to multiple schools, and a GC making calls on behalf of that student to multiple schools is two different things. </p>
<p>Since I am under the belief that the schools are playing with the kids here, I don’t have any problem with the kids playing back with this one waitlist issue. </p>
<p>I do have issue with kids that have multiple deposits in because they cant decide, and those that ignore single choice rules.</p>
<p>
I’m sorry. But, you lost me. </p>
<p>Assuming the GC advocates to ONE college per student, and the student gets in off the WL, how does that hurt future students at the HS? The GC acted in honest good faith and the student kept his promise. win-win-win for the college, GC, and student.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be snarky here. I sincerely don’t see a downside or negative consequence to telling only one college that you’ll attend if admitted off the WL.</p>
<p>
The question really is, does writing a love letter to the college really increase your chance of getting off the wait list?</p>
<p>If it does, writing only one letter means you have less chance of getting into any school for which you are on the waiting list, vs. writing many letters.</p>
<p>Saying “If admitted I will attend” to four different colleges is not necessarily dishonest. It may well express, to each school taken individually, a sincere intention to enroll.</p>
<p>A conflict arises only in the very unlikely event that the student gets off more than one wait list and gets admitted to multiple schools. Even then it doesn’t turn into a case of dishonesty so much as a case of circumstances having changed.</p>
<p>I suppose if you wanted to go for absolute full disclosure you could say “In my current circumstance, if admitted I will attend,”</p>
<p>These are teenagers, they could honestly say that at that minute they intend to enroll. We all know that can change with a drop or increase in the temperature.</p>
<p>The question I would ask is: “why on earth do the colleges even ask that question?” The only time it should be asked is in Early Decision situations–because otherwise it invites the student to pander. I think a regular admission form that asks students to commit indicates that that college admissions office is staffed by optimistic fools.</p>
<p>^^^^When my D was put on the wait list at two schools, that question was NOT asked. I can’t speak to others’ experiences, but I think people are writing the schools in question and telling them this with the thought that it may affect the schools’ decisions on whom to offer a spot off the wait list.</p>
<p>D1 was WL at 2 schools. Her GC said she would tell only one school “if admitted, will attend.”. She wanted us to be very certain. </p>
<p>I believe in karma, and it doesn’t pay to be dishonest.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There is a negative consequence in your scenario if a person truly believes that his word means something, and then they act in a way which shows the contrary to be true. The consequences may only be internal, but they can be quite distressing, depending on one’s values.</p>
<p>I really do believe honesty is the best policy, and the times I haven’t lived up to that, I had a hard time looking in the mirror. Others have absolutely no problem lying in order to further their best interests. Different strokes.</p>
<p>I have never been one to play the game, sometimes i wonder, but I think integrity is important.</p>
<p>
This suggests the real answer to this question. The schools probably won’t believe you, but they may well believe the GC.</p>