Early Admission

Does anyone know someone who has reneged on binding early admissions? I have a unique situation where I am looking to not attend business school, which gave me a binding early admission, and instead do another masters degree (not MBA) else where.

26 Comments
 

so you applied to an MBA program on an early application, got in, and now you want to another program (non-MBA), and you want to know if this will impact you negatively?

columbia is the only school i know that has an early admit program, so I'm not too knowledgable about this particular issue. however, i'm interested to hear what others have to say as well, considering i may be in a position like this in the near future...

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matayo

so you applied to an MBA program on an early application, got in, and now you want to another program (non-MBA), and you want to know if this will impact you negatively?

columbia is the only school i know that has an early admit program, so I'm not too knowledgable about this particular issue. however, i'm interested to hear what others have to say as well, considering i may be in a position like this in the near future...

was CBS an early action or decision? I dont know much about it

 
BreakingOutOfPWM

The only program I'm familiar with is Columbia, and you'd be out the $6k there but that's it. I'd say it's a bit unethical to break the 'promise' but you only live once and have to do what is right for you. In your shoes I'd probably do the same if I had a strong feeling.

It's not unethical if there are liquidated damages. If the business schools keeps your $6,000 deposit then it is made whole. That's exactly how many real estate and business contracts work. Paying liquidated damages is a contractual, legal, and ethical way for a person to break a contract. Nothing at all unethical with it.

 

Business schools do not socialize with each other the names of students that reneged on early decision offers. That is just ridiculous and is not true.

 

hey, can you elaborate a little bit more on your comment? How do you know this? Is this through a credible source? Also, what exactly would prompt a school to pick up the phone and call the other school? For instance, my perspective is that schools have wait list for a reason and if one person drops out, someone from the wait list will fill that slot, so what would prompt admissions member to use up their precious time to follow up on someone who doesn't want to be there. Thanks in advance for your candid response!

 
Best Response
Mr. Confused

hey, can you elaborate a little bit more on your comment? How do you know this? Is this through a credible source? Also, what exactly would prompt a school to pick up the phone and call the other school? For instance, my perspective is that schools have wait list for a reason and if one person drops out, someone from the wait list will fill that slot, so what would prompt admissions member to use up their precious time to follow up on someone who doesn't want to be there. Thanks in advance for your candid response!

Another schools admission team chatted with the applicant about the situation. The person had gotten off the wait list late, reneged on the EA offer, and then was later confronted about it from the new school. The person explained why they did it and was able to enroll. But, as I said, it was socialized and brought up. As for why or how it was brought up between admissions teams, I have no idea. But, as you said, you are going into a different program. So I don't see how it could be an issue.
 

If you are reneging because you are no longer pursing business school, I think you are fine.

If however you are reneging from Fuqua to attend Tuck as you intimated in your previous thread a few months ago that is pretty unethical and even more so since you are trying to cover it up here on the WSO forums by saying you are no longer pursing b-school.

 

If you are talking about CBS, you should be fine. I know couple of people reneged EA decision for HBS/Wharton. The only damage is $6000 deposit, which is more than enough to cover school's loss.

Agree with @DCDepository" that there is no ethic issue involved here because of liquidated damages.

 

@youayou.... thanks for your comment. Much appreciated

@tOSUbuckeyes.......... thanks for your comment as well. Just for clarity, I did indeed post other threads, as most people on this forum do. People's plan change and opportunities are presented to us that will make us change our prior commitment. Pursuing MBA or do another Masters degree that my company will support is a private decision and since I was confused, I asked for assistance and feedback from others. My two threads are not interlinked. One is a hypothetical question, while second one is reality. 'Ethics' is a matter of opinion, and we post things on forum with some anonymity as we all expect to hold onto our privacy. If you feel posting on forum with anonymity is a sin, I challenge you to come clean as to your name, profession, current MBA status, etc. Cheers!

 

I posted this point on the previous thread, but I'll say it again

Yes, people renege on binding admissions offers, and that's why schools ask for deposits. It isn't a happy reality, but it does happen.

I wouldn't worry about getting busted by admissions officers who talk to each other. Even though they do it, (and everyone talks), I'd call that pretty borderline behavior in the ethics category.

Betsy Massar Come see me at my Q&A thread http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/b-school-qa-w-betsy-massar-of-master-admissions Ask away!
 
The only damage is $6000 deposit, which is more than enough to cover school's loss.

Conveniently forgetting that you are essentially taking somebody else's place who really wanted to go to Columbia through ED.

 

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