<p>D was accepted into her top choice college and wants to withdraw her pending or accepted applications to other colleges. I know there was a thread on this some time ago.</p>
<p>Is there a standard way to withdraw an application? We have been told everything from sending a certified letter to the Dean of Admissions of the college (seems a little too formal) to sending an e-mail to the Admissions department. Any help appreciated</p>
<p>First, congrats!
Our experience: S also got accepted to his SCEA college and sent an email (actually a couple) to the other college to which he had applied. The email was ignored and he was admitted RD to the second college. Only when he filled out the decline card that came with the admission letter was his intention to withdraw accepted.
Maybe other colleges work differently?</p>
<p>My son withdrew an application with just an email. The college sent him back an email acknowledging the withdrawal within a couple days. I would think an email is sufficient. Save it just in case.</p>
<p>My kids sent a short note to each college admissions office, sent by snail mail. That was three years ago, however, so maybe everyone does email now. I wonder.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I assumed an e-mail was sufficient but I have heard a few different things. When I asked the Admissions Counselor at the college she will be attending for advice, I was told “that is a good question, I am not sure”. </p>
<p>I would think that there would be a standard method for withdrawing applications since so many colleges require it. It seems like there is no single standard method. We want to give the colleges that accepted her enough enough notice of her intention so they know that they will have an open space for a pending student.</p>
<p>Some of the colleges where my d was accepted included a response card in the acceptance package. Even with returning those, she keeps getting details about their scholarship weekends. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I asked this question a few weeks ago and while I got some good feedback, I also was told we didn’t need to be angsty. Like you, we wanted to do the right thing but, like thanking LOR writers, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what exactly that is.</p>
<p>And congrats on your d’s acceptance. Have you booked for Parents Weekend yet? :D</p>
<p>The thing is, S did not get the response card until his acceptance April 1. I think he email shortly before or after Xmas, then again a few weeks later.</p>
<p>geek_son was an ED admit. He sent his withdrawals by postal mail, return receipt, and provided copies of the letters to his GC. The other colleges were all safety types, two of which had already admitted him. The third did in fact withdraw his application. The out-of-state safety sent him a nice “if your plans have changed, we still want you” letter in the spring, and the in-state flagship ignored his withdrawal completely. They gave his high school a scholarship award certificate to present to him at graduation, and they still list him as an admitted student with a computer account and an email address.</p>
<p>Others have reported that after withdrawing their applications, they’ve received nice letters from admissions folks offering to honor their admission/merit offers in the following year. Based on those stories, I think it’s good to make the break with a nice (short) gracious letter.</p>
<p>BUT… Bobby, unless your daughter was admitted to her top choice under an ED contract, what’s her rush to withdraw the other applications? It’s still a long way to April; a lot can change in that time. If she’s not required to withdraw them (because of ED), it might be wiser to keep her options open for a while longer. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Last year, my son was accepted ED and immediately notified the other schools via emails. One EA school’s acceptance was already in the mail, but every college seemed to appreciate the notice. Some reps even personalized their letters too.</p>
<p>geek_mom: if Bobby’s D is absolutely convinced she wants to go there, certain she won’t go anywhere else, it’s unethical to not tell the other schools. If she’s only “slightly sure”, then I agree she should wait. A lot can change during senior year. But waiting to see <em>if</em> she gets in, without any intention of actually going there is just wrong and completely self-centered.</p>
<p>geek_mom, D was accepted by her dream college and the only school that she ever really considered. She had applied to other schools as backups but once she got the acceptance letter from her top choice, it was game over. Some of the colleges that accepted her EA were fairly selective and deferred a lot of very qualified students. D wanted to let them know she would not be attending so they have her spot to offer to other students.</p>
<p>I also forgot to mention that during her search process, D met with some very nice Admissions Counselors that really did a lot of work answering her questions, arranging class visits, keeping in touch with her, etc. She felt that she needed to let them know out of courtesy that she had chosen another college and also thank them for their help.</p>
<p>My son was required by his guidence councilor to send written notes requesting his applications be withdrawn to all other colleges withdrawing applications once he decided on his choice. One telephoned him, one said they would keep his application open for a year in case he changed his mind, one sent him a survey and one did not respond. The importance of quickly notifying colleges of your decision is that they can open up a spot for someone who was possibly deferred or waitlisted.</p>
<p>Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be a standard process. My daughter sent “please withdraw my application” e-mails to the other colleges that she had applied to (or partially completed applications to) after receiving her ED acceptance. One of the other colleges (Brown) contacted her months later to point out that some of her application materials were missing. I guess they never read her e-mail.</p>
<p>There is no question that an ED admit and acceptance requires “cancelling” other apps. For regular decision or EA decision I think it really depends on the student. Some kids just know where they want to go and a couple months will not change their minds. For those kids I see no harm in letting the other colleges know and “withdrawing” any unanswered applications. For some kids that have difficulty making up their minds or are not certain it is wise to leave those in tact until the student is ready to make the move and declare. Another scenario might be a public where you need to accept to secure dorm space, even while waiting for a private school decision in March/April. In which case in April when the private is selected the student would need to withdraw the acceptance at the public.</p>
<p>Oldest d had a thorough gc who liked to cross her t’s and dot her i’s. The day after d accepted her college of choice, the gc handed her typed letters to be signed and sent by snail mail, withdrawing her application from her 10 other schools. The letters simply stated that d had accepted an offer of admission to … as a … Scholar. It ended with a simple all the best to … University’s Class of 200_.</p>
<p>D heard back from a couple with a “best of luck” and a couple that told her that her offer of admission remained should she change her mind.</p>
<p>My younger son and daughter had less efficient gcs and muddled through filling out rejection cards and sending emails - neither of which seemed as efficient as the snail mail.</p>
<p>limabeans: It’s unethical to welsh on an ED contract. It’s not unethical to keep one’s options open if one isn’t bound by such a contract. Sure, Bobby’s daughter knows what college she wants to attend right now. But does she have the cash to attend? What if Bobby loses his job and the financial situation changes drastically? What if Bobby gets hit by a truck, or Bobby’s wife is diagnosed with breast cancer, and the daughter decides she’d rather stay close to home with the family? (Yes, I’m assuming Bobby’s a guy. No, I don’t know that for certain. The reader is invited to add gender-unspecified pronouns or circumstances where desired.) What if a natural (or “man-made”) disaster occurs in the vicinity of the dream school?</p>
<p>Any number of unexpected events could happen in the next three months. The point isn’t to collect admission letters like trophies (I agree with you that that’s not a nice thing to do), but to have a hedge against unexpected events. She has to notify colleges of her final decision by the deadline they’ve set. There’s absolutely nothing unethical about waiting until that deadline, provided she isn’t locked into an ED contract.</p>
<p>I think it’s wonderful that she wants to free up spaces for other students where she knows she won’t attend – but I also think she would be perfectly within the boundaries of acceptable behavior if she waited a while longer.</p>