<p>Does anyone have experience with switching schools after accepting admission to one program, only to decide that the other offer is ultimately what they should have accepted in the first place? If so, what is the best way to handle this dilemma? My son turned down a very good offer from a smaller, private conservatory program only because he never got a chance to have a lesson with the teacher(s) there. Otherwise, he loved the school, etc. So he ultimately accepted a great offer with a wonderful teacher at a larger, state university music school, because he met with her and had a lesson and loved working with her. Is it too late to reconsider his decision?</p>
<p>The only way to know for sure is to ask the smaller school. If your son has had that lesson with the teacher in question and there was a mutual feeling of a good fit, he might start there. Otherwise, have him call the admissions office directly and state his case as plainly as you have here. He must do the talking, otherwise the school will get the idea that he doesn’t care enough to speak up for himself.</p>
<p>If he does switch schools, you will almost certainly lose any deposit that you sent to the larger school, and all bets may be off on any aid offered by the smaller school.</p>
<p>Call the small school up first and see if they’re OK with it. Then call up the large school and cancel that. You sure want to know if the boat has already left the dock before you start the wheels in motion.</p>
<p>You’ll lose any deposits at the large school and you MAY lose any chance of going to grad school there, so you may want to weigh that factor in. </p>
<p>You could also be a bit less than honest and claim son was on wait list at the small school and just found out 
That may change their demeanor in the situation…</p>
<p>I did it successfully, with some begging and pleading. It’s not always possible. Some things that worked in my favor: May 1 was a Saturday; I realized I had made a big mistake that very day, and accepted the financial aid offer online from the school I had declined; the violin teacher I wanted to study with at the school I had declined, and the music school’s admissions officer both called main admissions on my behalf. Even so, the whole process took about 6 days.
One absolutely essential thing is to let no mention of this out to the school he accepted until he’s entirely squared away at the other school. Otherwise, he could end up with nowhere to go to school in the fall. If he does want to switch, try to get the violin faculty to help you out. Since it’s a small school, the switch should be possible.
But your question, “is it too late to reconsider” gives me pause. You’ve got to act quickly and decisively at this point. The time for consideration is past. If he wants to switch, give it a go, but only if he’s really sure.
I sympathize with your situation. My decision was extremely difficult, and yours sounds it, too.
Good luck</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. Son probably can’t even get to a lesson for a few more weeks due to commitments here at home. So I am wondering if it’s worth pursuing… both are excellent programs and I am sure he would do well at either school. He may just have to go with his initial decision.</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand why your son suddenly wants to change when he had a great lesson with the teacher at the school he chose and hasn’t even had a lesson at the other school? Is it just the overall atmosphere at the college? What if he changes his choice, begs his way into the conservatory program, and then finds out he just doesn’t click with the teacher at that school?</p>
<p>Yes, my original reponse assumed that he finally got a lesson in and clicked at the conservatory. The longer you delay things post May 1, the higher the probability that there will be no spots at the small school and why would your son consider going with an unknown as opposed to a seemingly very good situation? </p>
<p>I’m from the school of thought that says the most important part of a music school is the interaction with the primary instructor. I’d be very leery here…</p>
<p>It mainly comes down to having made the final decision without having had a lesson with teacher at the other (smaller) school. That is why he turned down their offer initially. He would not accept their generous offer without having a lesson. So May 1st came along and he had to decide, so he went with the known teacher, rather than the unknown. Both are excellent music schools, so I think it is best that he go with his original decision. He can always transfer if, for some reason, it isn’t a fit for him. The entire application, audition, trial lesson experience was new to us and we learned lessons the hard way, and way too late! It’s kind of like picking a spouse or buying a new house or something… a gigantic, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime decision, and if you don’t approach it methodically and cover all the bases, you can end up wondering if you made the right decision. But I need to say that son’s choice is an excellent one, and he’s lucky to have been accepted where he was. When he went to audition at smaller school, he did not push for a trial lesson, and that was the BIGGEST mistake he made. I really do appreciate all of your input. I am feeling better about his choice now. And I like the saying, “Bloom where you are planted!”</p>
<p>If he has had no contact at all with the teacher at the smaller school and is unable to get a sample lesson in the next few days, then I agree that he should stick with the larger school. The “he can always transfer” argument is true, but realize that he would have to go through the application and audition process all over again, while attending college elsewhere.</p>
<p>Better to have a year with a great teacher in a less appealing school, and then transfer, than a year in a nice school with a not-so-good teacher, which is a risk you’d be taking.</p>