Multiple Seat Deposits?

[kill the headlights]

Then the waitlist will be used only when people withdraw after having put down a deposit because they have been taken off the waitlist at another school. Instead of people putting down deposits on two or three schools they have already been admitted to and just taking a long time to decide, it will be only for people who have been taken off the waitlist at other schools. That will reduce the amount of people withdrawing after depositing and it will greatly reduce the size of the waitlist.

That's a win-win for everyone, except for the indecisive that can't make a choice.

And, as I said before, the people who have real-life circumstances that may dictate after deposit deadlines where they can move.

Besides this, the vast majority of school say nothing about cross-depositing in their acceptances and applicants, therefore, have no obligation to not do so.

You're missing the point about waitlists.  Schools waitlist and defer people and then you act as though they can place some kind of moral imperative on us to make our final decision at a certain time, which can be before we've heard from other schools or their financial aid offers.

See that's the thing, with the new policy both the other schools and their financial aid officers will be able to complete everything a little sooner. Of course, it is only the first year of the policy, so schools are going to take a few years, but if it is followed it should produce faster results all around. Like in a couple of years schools should have financial aid and acceptances/rejections figured out a month before seat deposits.

I am not missing the point about waitlists, I am saying the process will speed things up and make more definitive waitlists and entering classes, both of which are true. It is a good new policy, and once schools start really utilizing it all will benefit.

[Matthew]

Then the waitlist will be used only when people withdraw after having put down a deposit because they have been taken off the waitlist at another school. Instead of people putting down deposits on two or three schools they have already been admitted to and just taking a long time to decide, it will be only for people who have been taken off the waitlist at other schools. That will reduce the amount of people withdrawing after depositing and it will greatly reduce the size of the waitlist.

That's a win-win for everyone, except for the indecisive that can't make a choice.

And, as I said before, the people who have real-life circumstances that may dictate after deposit deadlines where they can move.

Besides this, the vast majority of school say nothing about cross-depositing in their acceptances and applicants, therefore, have no obligation to not do so.

You're missing the point about waitlists.  Schools waitlist and defer people and then you act as though they can place some kind of moral imperative on us to make our final decision at a certain time, which can be before we've heard from other schools or their financial aid offers.

See that's the thing, with the new policy both the other schools and their financial aid officers will be able to complete everything a little sooner. Of course, it is only the first year of the policy, so schools are going to take a few years, but if it is followed it should produce faster results all around. Like in a couple of years schools should have financial aid and acceptances/rejections figured out a month before seat deposits.

I am not missing the point about waitlists, I am saying the process will speed things up and make more definitive waitlists and entering classes, both of which are true. It is a good new policy, and once schools start really utilizing it all will benefit.

 
This doesn't make any sense, since the process is going to be the same until June 15 of each year.

[devilishlyblue]

This doesn't make any sense, since the process is going to be the same until June 15 of each year.

By my reading, this isn't correct.  From what I can tell, starting June 15th of this year, schools will be notified.  For next cycle, however, by my reading LSAC will notify schools the moment a student puts down a second deposit.

[Matthew]

This doesn't make any sense, since the process is going to be the same until June 15 of each year.

By my reading, this isn't correct.  From what I can tell, starting June 15th of this year, schools will be notified.  For next cycle, however, by my reading LSAC will notify schools the moment a student puts down a second deposit.

I don't believe you're correct, though I can see that reading.  Their statement says "Beginning on June 15 of each year, law schools that participate in the Commitment Overlap Service will be provided with information concerning all enrollment commitments to any law school made by those applicants who have indicated an intention to enroll in that school’s entering class."  It says elsewhere "Each year, LSAC provides participating law schools with periodic reports detailing the number of applicants who have submitted seat deposits or commitments at other participating schools, along with identification of those other schools. Beginning June 15, 2008, those reports will also include the names and LSAC account numbers for all candidates who have deposits/commitments at multiple participating schools."

I don't think this implies the timeframe of the report is changing, just its content.

[El_Che]

So in the end, is it safe to put down 2 deposits this year, and not next year, due to personal information being provided next year?

[devilishlyblue]

Their statement says "Beginning on June 15 of each year, law schools that participate in the Commitment Overlap Service will be provided with information concerning all enrollment commitments to any law school made by those applicants who have indicated an intention to enroll in that school’s entering class."

This makes it sound like you're right.

"Each year, LSAC provides participating law schools with periodic reports detailing the number of applicants who have submitted seat deposits or commitments at other participating schools, along with identification of those other schools. Beginning June 15, 2008, those reports will also include the names and LSAC account numbers for all candidates who have deposits/commitments at multiple participating schools."

This was the quote I was looking at.  I suppose the question is: how often is periodic?  I had interpreted that to mean every few days.

[Matthew]

So in the end, is it safe to put down 2 deposits this year, and not next year, due to personal information being provided next year?

It was never safe, the schools are told where the other deposit is, and they'll generally share information.

[deedeeleigh]

If schools really withdraw an acceptance anytime earlier than May because a student has another deposit in, that's a really sucky move on the school's part. Unless someone has 4-5 deposits in elsewhere, and even fit hey do, it seems crazy to take away someone's acceptance. 

There's a reason they make deposits non-refundable, or only partially refundable depending on the date it's withdrawn. That's the penalty you get for putting down multiple deposits. Yeah, it sucks that schools have to wait and see who will actually be enrolling, but they do it right back to students. I was let in off a WL in mid-August.

[mpk1516]

So what would the opinions be in this scenario?

School A and B both admit you with plenty of time to make a decision. School A turns out to be your first choice, but it is in a smaller city than School B. Starting in early March, your significant other starts a job search in the city of School A, but as of right now is finding few opportunities in her field and is concerned that there might not be anything for her.

Is it okay to put down a deposit at School A since it's your first choice and you would have already made yoru decision if not for the SO job issue, and to put down a deposit at School B as a safety if your SO still can't find a job 2 months from now?

[JeNeSaisLaw]

I'm not the moral police, nor am I going to try to be, but I personally have no problem with somebody depositing at both school A and school B. If it were me, I'd do the same thing and feel very justified in doing so.