Last visit was: 27 Apr 2026, 22:53 It is currently 27 Apr 2026, 22:53
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Add a Tag
User avatar
BazingAu
Joined: 25 Sep 2014
Last visit: 01 Jul 2015
Posts: 136
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 42
Status:In at Kellogg!
Location: United States (IL)
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
dtse86
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Last visit: 15 May 2023
Posts: 575
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 158
Status:And so it ends...
Concentration: Strategy, Other
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.48
WE:Engineering (Other)
Products:
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
Posts: 575
Kudos: 264
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
Bangarang
Joined: 29 Dec 2014
Last visit: 03 Mar 2015
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
Posts: 3
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Does anyone have any advice on another ED scenario? I applied ED to a school (call it School A) that I was committed to attending if accepted (which I was). However, another school (call it School B) has since offered me admission with a full scholarship. Before the scholarship, I was fully committed to attending School A, and even deposited, but it's difficult for me to ignore a full ride to another school. Should I expect any understanding from the AdCom at School A given the change in financial circumstances?

As an FYI, School A has not offered me any financial assistance, and I will have to take out loans for the entire tuition/living expenses. Also, I was admitted and deposited at School A before being accepted into School B. I chose not to withdraw my application from School B only because I put a lot of effort into the application and wanted to see if I would have gotten in. I wholly did not expect them to offer me a full ride scholarship.

Thanks for any help!
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey Bangarang,

Your situation is similar to mine with a little twist! I got accepted to School A in ED and chose not to withdraw my application from School B since I had put a lot of time and effort as well and wanted to see it through. I put my deposit as well, and found out few weeks ago that I have been admitted to School B (w/o any financial assistance). Both my schools, A and B, are fairly similar in rankings, but one has a higher prestige factor than the other. In short, I can empathize with you.

As for your question, are the two schools significantly apart in rankings / prestige factor? For instance if School B is not a top 15 school, but school A is, then perhaps you need to evaluate the ROI on your educational investment. However, if school B can help you get to your career goals without any debt, then perhaps that is also an option. I posted few threads on different forums, and from what I understand adcoms would like you to keep your promise, however, they are people as well and understand that full scholarship is hard to ignore. Saying that I would be very careful how you phrase your reason for not going to school A. Keep in mind that technically speaking you have already violated the terms of the ED by not withdrawing your application.

If you have any specific question, please feel free to post here or private msg me.

I would love to hear other people's thoughts.
User avatar
BazingAu
Joined: 25 Sep 2014
Last visit: 01 Jul 2015
Posts: 136
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 42
Status:In at Kellogg!
Location: United States (IL)
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Shakandbake
As for your question, are the two schools significantly apart in rankings / prestige factor? For instance if School B is not a top 15 school, but school A is, then perhaps you need to evaluate the ROI on your educational investment.

Good advice here. Shakandbake - what did you end up deciding?
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
@BazigAu......... i have until mid February 2015 to decide what I want to do. I am going crazy thinking about this! I have started an excel sheet to compare the two programs side by side on key factors that are important to me. I hope to make a decision in few weeks, and then sleep on it for few more weeks just to ensure I am 100% comfortable with this life altering decision.
avatar
Bangarang
Joined: 29 Dec 2014
Last visit: 03 Mar 2015
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
Posts: 3
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thanks for the advice ShankandBake. And to answer your question, the schools are very similar in prestige/rankings. They are geographically distant, but that's it. Both schools can get me to where I want to go, so the decision is boiling down to ethics vs. money (as it always seems to).

I hope I'm not being naive, but I'm thinking that honesty might be the best policy. My *highly tentative* plan is to call up school A (ED) and tell them that I agreed to ED in earnest, and only stayed in the running at other schools because I'd poured my heart and soul into the apps and wanted to see how I did (may need to re-phrase this). But when I was offered a full scholarship, it drastically changed my decision process. I mean, to your point about AdCom being people too, it's difficult for me to imagine someone trying to take 120k+ worth of after-tax financial assistance away from someone.

Any additional thoughts? And best of luck Shakeandbake on your upcoming decision as well!

PS. On another note, has anyone ever actually heard of someone they know (or heard from a reliable source) of an instance where the AdCom at an ED school has actually contacted another MBA program about a student reneging on their ED commitment? I've only read of people hearing of 'horror stories', but no one's actually said it happened to them or someone they know.
User avatar
dtse86
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Last visit: 15 May 2023
Posts: 575
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 158
Status:And so it ends...
Concentration: Strategy, Other
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.48
WE:Engineering (Other)
Products:
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
Posts: 575
Kudos: 264
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Wow Bangarang (love the name by the way!), that is some ethical conundrum you have...

I personally like your approach with honesty. It aligns with my personal belief that honesty is always the best policy.

Although I guess technically you are still bound to School A and there's probably a 50/50 probability that they'll react negatively, the worst that could happen if you explain to School A your situation is that they say no to offering you scholarship. I don't believe they'll renege on their offer (or if they can) or call School B.

IMHO (I am by no means an expert here), you being honest with them only continues to highlight your character and let's them know that your enrollment isn't a guaranteed thing (I don't think anyone's is even after deposit). The last thing they want is someone enrolling into their program who doesn't really want to be there or someone that enrolls with some sort of resentment towards the program. I have heard that many adcoms don't like it when candidates try to pit schools against each other, however it is going to happen (fact of life) and that is how the real professional world works. If the other school is truly a competitive program, School A should be able to offer you at least some scholarship money to help make them a favorable choice for you.

Disclaimer: Once again I am not an expert and I have no idea what the legal implications are, however I personally have never heard of anyone being penalized for reneging on a binding ED. I do know of someone who was admitted ED, paid the deposit and then chose not to go back to B-school because of an attractive promotion and raise at work.
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
19
 [1]
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey Bangarang,

I think you already know what you want to do, so that is a good start. I, however, am still struggling with my decision. PLEASE keep me posted as to how you phrase your rationale, as I can definitely learn from it.

I was told by a highly reliable source that schools speak with each other constantly in formal and informal settings as the admissions circle is very small (think 100 people or so at top 15 schools). I was also told that it would be unlikely (but not improbable) for an ED school to let your other school know that you have reneged on an ED offer. The word of caution was given to me that I do not really have a very valid reason for not withdrawing application from other schools which is part of any ED application. I believe this to be true for you as well.

Honestly speaking, in my opinion and take this with a grain of salt, 2 years is a long time to be unhappy and short amount of time to be happy. Your full scholarship affords you the flexibility to do whatever you chose to do after graduation w/o pondering upon how you will pay the dreaded loan. Go with you gut. If you decide to call school A, please be careful as to why you decided not to withdraw your application.

I am rooting for you to end up where you will be truly happy. Please post on this forum once you have taken any action to mitigate your situation, I am very curious and interested :)
avatar
DennisTheMenace
Joined: 26 Dec 2014
Last visit: 30 Apr 2015
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 730 Q47 V43
GPA: 3.61
WE:Accounting (Accounting)
GMAT 1: 730 Q47 V43
Posts: 11
Kudos: 5
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Shakandbake
Hey Bangarang,

I think you already know what you want to do, so that is a good start. I, however, am still struggling with my decision. PLEASE keep me posted as to how you phrase your rationale, as I can definitely learn from it.

I was told by a highly reliable source that schools speak with each other constantly in formal and informal settings as the admissions circle is very small (think 100 people or so at top 15 schools). I was also told that it would be unlikely (but not improbable) for an ED school to let your other school know that you have reneged on an ED offer. The word of caution was given to me that I do not really have a very valid reason for not withdrawing application from other schools which is part of any ED application. I believe this to be true for you as well.

Honestly speaking, in my opinion and take this with a grain of salt, 2 years is a long time to be unhappy and short amount of time to be happy. Your full scholarship affords you the flexibility to do whatever you chose to do after graduation w/o pondering upon how you will pay the dreaded loan. Go with you gut. If you decide to call school A, please be careful as to why you decided not to withdraw your application.

I am rooting for you to end up where you will be truly happy. Please post on this forum once you have taken any action to mitigate your situation, I am very curious and interested :)

Wow, I am in a somewhat similar boat. Once I got accepted to Yale I accepted the letter right away and placed a deposit. I was so excited then I got accepted to Tuck with money!

I am tempted to accept Tuck's offer. My line of thinking is - In April my family is selling their home, if we find a buyer they can give me a loan. If I get this loan I will go to Yale. But if not I will go to tuck with money. So I may need to accept 2 offers due to their early deadlines of acceptance.

My worries are 1. this is unethical and 2. If I accept two offers will the schools talk to each other and both drop me?

I know this is unethical but I have worked my ass off for this and before I drop a quarter million over the next two years and forego income I want to make the best decision.
User avatar
dtse86
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Last visit: 15 May 2023
Posts: 575
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 158
Status:And so it ends...
Concentration: Strategy, Other
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.48
WE:Engineering (Other)
Products:
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
Posts: 575
Kudos: 264
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I don't know about what your acceptance are for Yale or Tuck are, but I thought you could pay the deposit and fill out for enrollment but it was all non-binding (regular decisions). You simply won't get your deposit back if you choose not to attend. Also, from what I've heard Tuck EA was non-binding in the first place...

That's my understanding of acceptance for normal decisions (may vary with school). In fact for the school where I've put down a deposit there are 2 deposit deadlines, probably because it's non-binding (was explicitly stated in my case that decisions were non-binding for either party!).

Before putting down the deposits though, I'd verify with both schools the nature of the offer...

:gl interesting dilemma though. Let us know how it goes!
avatar
DennisTheMenace
Joined: 26 Dec 2014
Last visit: 30 Apr 2015
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 730 Q47 V43
GPA: 3.61
WE:Accounting (Accounting)
GMAT 1: 730 Q47 V43
Posts: 11
Kudos: 5
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
dtse86
I don't know about what your acceptance are for Yale or Tuck are, but I thought you could pay the deposit and fill out for enrollment but it was all non-binding (regular decisions). You simply won't get your deposit back if you choose not to attend. Also, from what I've heard Tuck EA was non-binding in the first place...

That's my understanding of acceptance for normal decisions (may vary with school). In fact for the school where I've put down a deposit there are 2 deposit deadlines, probably because it's non-binding (was explicitly stated in my case that decisions were non-binding for either party!).

Before putting down the deposits though, I'd verify with both schools the nature of the offer...

:gl interesting dilemma though. Let us know how it goes!

Thank you for the response! It helps to hear others pov's. I think that is exactly what I will do. I will call the schools (anonymously) and ask about the nature of the acceptance.
avatar
forevertfc
Joined: 19 Nov 2012
Last visit: 08 Jul 2015
Posts: 197
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 44
Concentration: Marketing, Social Entrepreneurship
GMAT 1: 750 Q47 V47
GMAT 1: 750 Q47 V47
Posts: 197
Kudos: 53
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think we may all disagree at where the line should be drawn, but one thing is for certain: If you have an ED offer, and another offer, make your decision quickly and move on. Waiting around is the worst you can do. ED is treated as a filled chair, and for a school that has a 50% yield rate, you are occupying the spot that two other candidates would love to occupy.

By the way, I think ED is a joke.
avatar
gtg732w
Joined: 07 Oct 2014
Last visit: 28 Jan 2015
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Entrepreneurship
GMAT 1: 720 Q47 V42
GPA: 3.2
WE:Consulting (Computer Software)
GMAT 1: 720 Q47 V42
Posts: 2
Kudos: 5
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Shakandbake
Hey Bangarang,

I think you already know what you want to do, so that is a good start. I, however, am still struggling with my decision. PLEASE keep me posted as to how you phrase your rationale, as I can definitely learn from it.

I was told by a highly reliable source that schools speak with each other constantly in formal and informal settings as the admissions circle is very small (think 100 people or so at top 15 schools). I was also told that it would be unlikely (but not improbable) for an ED school to let your other school know that you have reneged on an ED offer. The word of caution was given to me that I do not really have a very valid reason for not withdrawing application from other schools which is part of any ED application. I believe this to be true for you as well.

Honestly speaking, in my opinion and take this with a grain of salt, 2 years is a long time to be unhappy and short amount of time to be happy. Your full scholarship affords you the flexibility to do whatever you chose to do after graduation w/o pondering upon how you will pay the dreaded loan. Go with you gut. If you decide to call school A, please be careful as to why you decided not to withdraw your application.

I am rooting for you to end up where you will be truly happy. Please post on this forum once you have taken any action to mitigate your situation, I am very curious and interested :)


Shakandbake,

I have a wife as well so I've been empathizing with your situation, and I thought I might be able to provide an alternative perspective.

If you and your partner both apply as a pair, the school should know that despite applying ED, not admitting one of you is basically like not admitting your 'team' so rejecting any part of the team is rejecting the whole team.

The whole reason there is a space in the application to indicate whether you're applying with a partner tells me they understand that you are applying as a pair, and in talking with the admissions folks I would stress that you don't want to be away from your wife (which you would have to if she goes to school somewhere else).

At that point the dilemma is not that you would prefer a different school but that you're not in a position to choose any school over your wife. I probably wouldn't tell them outright where else I applied since that's not really the issue at hand, but just let them know that you applied ED in good faith and without your wife you'll be unable to attend.

In my mind, that's a reasonable decision that any person can understand, and if it were to come up at any point in the future I would feel totally comfortable illustrating the dilemma and why I made that decision. Also, if they come back and tell you they would rather you leave your wife for two years they were probably going to steal your soul at some point so it's better to get out now :)

Hopefully that helps, and good luck! I know it's a tough place to be.
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
gtg732w........ i agree with what you said. I am trying to think of how to properly phrase my situation and then I will let the admissions committee know. Thanks for your input, highly appreciated.
avatar
abdc99
Joined: 29 Oct 2014
Last visit: 12 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 2
Concentration: Strategy, General Management
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V31
GPA: 3.45
WE:Project Management (Energy)
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V31
Posts: 53
Kudos: 64
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bangarang
Thanks for the advice ShankandBake. And to answer your question, the schools are very similar in prestige/rankings. They are geographically distant, but that's it. Both schools can get me to where I want to go, so the decision is boiling down to ethics vs. money (as it always seems to).

I hope I'm not being naive, but I'm thinking that honesty might be the best policy. My *highly tentative* plan is to call up school A (ED) and tell them that I agreed to ED in earnest, and only stayed in the running at other schools because I'd poured my heart and soul into the apps and wanted to see how I did (may need to re-phrase this). But when I was offered a full scholarship, it drastically changed my decision process. I mean, to your point about AdCom being people too, it's difficult for me to imagine someone trying to take 120k+ worth of after-tax financial assistance away from someone.

Any additional thoughts? And best of luck Shakeandbake on your upcoming decision as well!

PS. On another note, has anyone ever actually heard of someone they know (or heard from a reliable source) of an instance where the AdCom at an ED school has actually contacted another MBA program about a student reneging on their ED commitment? I've only read of people hearing of 'horror stories', but no one's actually said it happened to them or someone they know.

All the best man. Just becareful of two things, first, don't tell or even give hints of who you are. Don't call or send email from contacts registered in their databases. In fact, I prefer that you let your wife, gf, or sister do it for you (it'll distract them from even thinking it may be a male). Second, when they ask you why you hadn't withdrawn your other application, do not tell them "I worked hard on it and wanted to see how it goes", don't! This isn't a good excuse and we'll probably get them to question how you respected the ED commitment. Just tell them that school B response was so fast that I couldn't even have enough time to finish your school process, not to mention looking after withdrawing applications from other schools (This is generally considered priority B for schools after finishing their own paper work). Their "ED's dropped offers hunt", if such a thing exists, will not go deep to the level that they would check when you received offers from other schools.
avatar
Shakandbake
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 14 Dec 2015
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
19
 [1]
Given Kudos: 3
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V46
Posts: 39
Kudos: 19
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
@abdc99.........thanks for your advise! I accepted the other schools offer today and will be calling the first school tomorrow! Very nerve wrecking.
   1   2