Someone explain please.

[This-is-not-me]

Okay so I've asked around but am still not 100% sure on the offers system works, so hopefully you guys can clear it all up.  I'm just going to tell my situation and go from there:

So my top preference is Commerce at Melbourne, but my ATAR(93.90) is just below the clearly-in, and my second preference is Civil Engineering/Business Management at RMIT, where the clearly-in is 93.20.

So considering that I have applied for SEAS at RMIT and that the clearly-in hopefully doesn't change dramatically I'm guessing that I will most likely recieve an offer from RMIT for my course, which I will be very happy with. BUT, I still really want to get into commerce at Melbourne.

And so my question is that just say I get an offer from RMIT in the first round, how long do I get to accept or decline the offer? If I accept the offer in the first round do I still get an offer in the second round? i.e Do you get to choose between the offers at all?

[Hancock]

Accept the first round offer. It won't preclude you from getting second-round offers from preferences higher on your list and if you don't get a second round offer you'll still have a uni course.

[This-is-not-me]

Ahh I see so basically I can hold onto my first round offer until the the second one, that's what I was mostly confused about thanks.