Romanman Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I have a rich man's problem and I really need some advice here: I was accepted (fully funded) to a top 20 university and accepted the offer. Additionally, I was already in contact with the economics department and grad school, sent all of my paper and they began processing my file. Today (15/4), I was offered admission from a top 10 school (also fully funded). What are the consequences of declining after accepting? I understand this is ethically wrong, but this is my life... Can the top 20 school give me any problems? Moreover, I'm an international student and I'm worried they might mess with my visa application. What should I do? how common/understandable is declining an accepted offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Does your top 20 school abide by the CGS resolution that says: "In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15."? You can find the text here: http://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_Resolution.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Since you've been in touch with the top 20 school, I would suggest talking to them about it. Some friends have been in a similar situation and talking with the chair of the program you've already accepted isn't a bad idea. It will also give you an idea of whether or not the school will give you problems in the future. If you're "moving up" in a sense, I don't think they would give you a hard time. But again, this is from a small sample (my friends) in Canada. We might just be friendlier up here, :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanman Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Thank you for the quick answers! my school is on the CGS list, so from what I understand- until the end of the day (15/4) I can withdraw my acceptance without any hard feelings... this is very good news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Does your offer letter mention something similar to that? I.e. that you can withdraw an acceptance prior to 15 April without having to obtain a written release? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanman Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 No. it simply says that I have till the April 15th to accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Hmm. In my opinion, strictly going by to the CGS agreement, you should be able to withdraw your acceptance. But I am not at all familiar with exactly how it is implemented, though, so perhaps someone else who has more knowledge of this can comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pch Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Call them, talk to them. Be honest, explain your situation. See what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsonline Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 sorry Romanman to hijack, but some applicants in this forum, me included are having the same problem. The wording on both my offer letter and CGS resolution is very ambiguous on what's the protocol to withdraw on April 15, and what's causing troubles is that different schools have different time deadline on 4/15. My guess is that we could just decline the initial acceptance very politely and ask for a release. It shouldn't bother them too much if they have a waitlist. But again, experts' opinions are highly appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Python7768 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 For future applicants, these types of problems can be avoided by waiting till you hear back from all of your schools to accept any offers. Accepting March 28th compared to April 14th or 15th won't have any effect on your future. tsonline, I would suggest following the same advice people gave earlier. Call or email the chair and be honest. I doubt they will have any hard feelings since they have invested much in you yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeehouse Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 For future applicants, these types of problems can be avoided by waiting till you hear back from all of your schools to accept any offers. Accepting March 28th compared to April 14th or 15th won't have any effect on your future. tsonline, I would suggest following the same advice people gave earlier. Call or email the chair and be honest. I doubt they will have any hard feelings since they have invested much in you yet. A school is imposing a deadline on me that is so early, the other school would not have let me know by then. An extension is not possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsonline Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I found this answer on Quora by Jeremy Bulow from Stanford. His answer pretty sums up what schools think of students withdrawing their accepted offers. Hope this helps :) In my case, I think I would do as others have suggested: call the chair of the school i already accepted + write them a polite email withdrawing the offer. Graduate School: What happens if I accept a fully funded PhD offer at a grad school in the US, and then want to decline it because of a much better offer after the April 15 deadline? - Quora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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