Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't get why so many people think that just because they don't like the outcome, that no one put any time in to produce it. If you don't like your doctor's advice, does that mean that he didn't spend time seeing you? Or time performing tests and evaluating the results? Do you no longer have to pay for your appointment and the tests?
It's no different with school applications. Just because you didn't get the result you wanted, doesn't mean the school administrators didn't spend time reviewing your application. They aren't volunteers, you know. They have to be paid for that time. You think the other applicants who were accepted should pay for the time it took to review both their applicant and yours? Why? If anything, theirs should be waived because they didn't waste the school's time. They actually submitted a worthwhile application.
Applying for a school and going to the doctors are two completely different things. I don't think that was a good comparison, no offense.
Most of you are stating that college applications fees serve a purpose of filtering out students who had no hope of being admitted and only allowing those who are qualified applicants apply. This is true to some extent, however it is not as efficient of doing that as we might think. What if a college applicant is very well qualified but doesn't have the income to pay such fees? Or what about unqualified candidates who do have the money and apply to a lot of schools anyway? Application fees don't do much in this scenario. What we're also forgetting are the well qualified candidates who barely missed getting accepted? Charging application fees are just that. They're just fees they can charge and you'd be stupid to think they serve any other purpose. Now, what the college does with the money or how it impacts tuition is another story. But you don't think that handing an institution a hefty fee only to get nothing and no services in return is unfair? "You knew the risk when you applied" is your argument? I that case, all women should never go out for a morning jog because those that fell victims to rape "knew the risks of going out for a jog."
.... If a college wants applicants who are serious about attending just limit the application process only to those who meet their criteria and merit-based standards such as GPA, test scores, community involvement etc. Otherwise they just took advantage of those who were "dumb enough" to apply.
Maybe it should be the other way around and those that got accepted get a refund of the fee if they attend .
I was going to say the same thing! Or a credit towards books Of course, I just realized this is also a really old post.
Applying is a choice, and you make that choice knowing what the application requirements are and knowing what your chances are of being accepted. Programs clearly spell out requirements and acceptance statistics. No one is being taken advantage of when they apply to colleges.
.... If a college wants applicants who are serious about attending just limit the application process only to those who meet their criteria and merit-based standards such as GPA, test scores, community involvement etc. Otherwise they just took advantage of those who were "dumb enough" to apply.
They do that. Every school website shows numbers of the previous incoming class so you can weigh your chances. But it’s not always merit based. if you’re the best high school quarterback in the country, a football school like USC would be crazy not to accept you. You should have some type of special talent to offset substandard numbers. That’s why there isn’t a hard cut-off at most school.
Since the internet has taken hold the college application process is very streamlined and really not all that difficult any longer. Fees are really not all that bad, many schools don't charge an application fee for online applications too. Those that do give pause to some students that may be applying just to apply. You know going into the game that there will most likely be a fee-$25-50 usually. Individually they are not all that expensive but collectively they add up. It is somewhat of a deterrent and no, I don't think they should be refunded if a student doesn't get in. There is time and expense on the college's side to process each and every application. That is what the fee is for.
While the initial application process is done online, eventually it does require a human to process each application. They want transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, and other paperwork. That costs money.
The online software component is not free either. Institutions pay a lot of money for software and its IT department to main it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv
When I was a senior in high school, it was typical for a student to apply to four, or perhaps six, schools tops (one reach, one safety, and then two to four matches). These days, at least according to Internet forums and boards, teenagers are applying to 10, 11, 15+ colleges with five or six of those being reaches, "Just because you never know if you don't apply".
I can understand the sentiment of wanting a refund for a dejected admittance decision, I've been there. Then again, I knew full well that I was taking a chance by applying, and basically kissed that money good-bye.
It's just ridiculous to think that a school should give the money back. College is not a birth-right. Everyone applies on their own accord.
Do you think you should receive a refund if you do not win the Lottery? I mean, the Lottery sure does go out of its way "promising" that someone, you, will be a winner if you play.
I agree in part, but many kids just cut/paste information from one app to another, even though they should taylor each application to the specific school.
Besides, who is paying the fee? The 18 year old, or their parents?
As stated, no one is forced to apply to any university in the U.S. And, if the application fee is a burden, many universities offer application-fee waivers.
Yeah, most application fees are nominal. If you cannot afford several application fees, you probably will be going to the local college/university anyway.
Someone also said that many colleges waive the fee for low-income applicants.
What is the highest application fee anyone has ever seen?
I don't see how anyone could successfully defend answering yes to this poll.
I'm inclined to start a sister poll: Should colleges refund tuition if they don't pass you based your coursework?
I recognize this is an old post, but this is something to think about. By that I mean we have all experienced those courses and professors that no one can do anything about. Either don't care, or senile(not making light of it, but it does happen), or some other manner failing to provide quality instruction. Perhaps if the college had to refund tuition, they might just do something about some of those professors.
I recognize this is an old post, but this is something to think about. By that I mean we have all experienced those courses and professors that no one can do anything about. Either don't care, or senile(not making light of it, but it does happen), or some other manner failing to provide quality instruction. Perhaps if the college had to refund tuition, they might just do something about some of those professors.
You choose your professors. It's not like you sign up for a classes without familiarizing yourself with the professor. You put in the effort to find a professor that works for you (by reading their published work, understanding their research, and learning about their past instruction). Sure, every now and then you're going to not get the quality you were expecting but that should be rare if you did your work upfront.
At the good universities, professors that are no longer unable to teach don't get an opportunity to teach. That works out fine because typically, they don't want to teach. The classes are often taught by professors that are great instructors or PhD students.
The shool is going through the trouble of reviewing your application, processing your transcripts, reviewing your SAT/ACT scores, reading your dumb essays and usually pathteic letters of recommendation. If you don't make the cut then perhaps you should have done better research on the admissions requirements at said school and weighed your options of being admitted or not. Like, if I had a 3.3 GPA and an 1100 on the SAT, i wouldn't be applying to Harvard, Princeton, or Yale.
You choose your professors. It's not like you sign up for a classes without familiarizing yourself with the professor. You put in the effort to find a professor that works for you (by reading their published work, understanding their research, and learning about their past instruction). Sure, every now and then you're going to not get the quality you were expecting but that should be rare if you did your work upfront.
At the good universities, professors that are no longer unable to teach don't get an opportunity to teach. That works out fine because typically, they don't want to teach. The classes are often taught by professors that are great instructors or PhD students.
I don't know where you went to school, but that was nothing like where I did or where DD goes today. The only times where you have some choice is in the lower level gen ed courses where there are multiple sections of the same class. Otherwise it's pretty much take it or leave it. There are many classes where there is only one section and/or the class is only offered once every other year. And this is in the major research university.
Curious where you went or where you work at, because most students simply don't have the options you tend to believe they have.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Of course, I just realized this is also a really old post. 
