Accepting an admission offer?

[daysgoby 10]

I was recently offered a spot in a PA program, but I have two interviews at schools that I'm very interested in. Should I still put my deposit in at the first school I got accepted to anyways? Could this hurt my chances of being accepted to my first choice school if they know that I already have a seat in another program?

[GreatChecko 326]

How will they find out?

 

I was in the same boat and ended up going to one of my preferred schools. This can get expensive, so be selective, but you won't be the only one who will do this. Just let the other schools know ASAP so they can offer your spot to someone else.

[EKR007 14]

I was in the same situation, and they asked me in my interview when I had to let the other school know by. It was the very next day, and they told me to call them tomorrow. I did, and they ended up telling me I was accepted. If you're in a situation where your deposit is due after an upcoming interview, being honest could work out in your benefit. I don't think any school will hold your acceptance against you--it shows you're a competitive and attractive applicant, and if they want you, they want you regardless of your acceptances or denials elsewhere.

However, if your deposit is due before your upcoming interviews you could ask the school for an extension, they understand that many students are in this situation and it's a lot of money to throw away. Submitting the deposit will give you a lot of piece of mind, and the only downside is losing a couple hundred dollars, which is a big downside but significantly better than not going to PA school at all this cycle if the other schools don't work out. Good luck!

[SHU-CH 573]

Unless it will cause financial hardship, drop in the deposit. As noted above, it is a great feeling to know you are "safe" with a foot in the door somewhere. Having such a safety net will probably even allow you to relax and come across better in your upcoming interviews. This is a good "problem" to have - there are a few thousand applicants that would like to be in your shoes right now!

Edited August 29, 2013 by SHU-CH

[KangaRu 10]

I'm in that boat now and after talking to my support system, they all suggested I do the same thing: give them the deposit and go from there. My deposit is $600 at the school I was accepted at and one particular person made an interesting point. He told me that there is a 6-8 month difference in program start times (the school that wants me starts in January, the ones I have interviews with start in May or August). Worst comes to worst I will have to throw away $600 which actually isn't too bad because I make far more than $600 in a 6-8 month period.

[UGoLong 2,766]

I was first accepted by a program that had a rolling admission. I made my deposit and it freed my mind. I was going SOMEWHERE! From then on, I kept interviewing and eventually picked another school that better fit what I was looking for. I consider the deposit money well-spent.

 

Good luck.

[t2091 10]

I'm in the same situation since I heard about my acceptance to a program that starts in January. I'm putting down the deposit and going to wait and see what happens with the non-rolling schools. Either way it's a safe investment and luckily I feel the school I was accepted into is a good fit for me and the program.