I was wondering if anyone has been in a situation where their interviews were so spread out that they received notice of admittance for one program well before they interview for others?
Point being I know some programs require a non-refundable deposit about two weeks following admittance to affirm your status. Is there any leeway to this policy in order to find out results for other programs? If not, can you withdraw from a program (having paid the deposit) to accept admittance to another?
I have an interview for a program before most of the other programs even begin to look at applications. I may be counting my chickens before they hatch, but I'm just wondering if they will be understanding that I hold off accepting (<2 weeks) so I can attend any other interviews I may get.
I interviewed at 2 schools and wanted to attend one more than the other. The one I wasn't as interested in attending I interviewed first at and got accepted. My next interview for my top school was a few months later. I payed the nonrefundable deposit to hold my seat. I got accepted by the school I wanted to attend and withdrew my acceptance from the first school. No problem at all. Most schools have a $500 or $1000 deposit, but once you go to pay for school, worrying about a small deposit like that is a drop in the bucket. Congrats on your interviews and good luck!
First off, congratulations on getting an interview to one of the 12 AA programs.
To answer your first question, I have not heard of a program providing any leeway on paying the deposit to secure your seat for the next cohort. The reason why programs have deposits is so they can be assured, up to a point, that they have a full class and are not scrambling to extend an acceptance at the last minute and to reasonably cover any costs associated with having to pull from a waitlist or interview more candidates.
The answer to your second question is, of course. It is called a non-refundable deposit. You cannot be forced to attend a program if you choose not to. You will just forfeit your non-refundable deposit if you choose to do so. An aside to that, I wouldn't be surprised if some programs have a clause in their acceptance package that asks you to withdraw yourself from consideration to any remaining programs you're waiting to hear from.
All in all, considering how competitive it is to gain acceptance to these programs, I'd consider yourself very lucky if you find yourself in a position where you are waiting to interview at multiple schools with an acceptance in your back pocket. I wish you the best of luck with the interview you do have. I, myself, am still waiting on my applications and hope to get an interview somewhere.