hopefulkid Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hello. First time poster here. I want to ask you people about a concern I have. I have been waitlisted at my dream PhD program. Suppose I am admitted at one of my safeties as well. The safety will probably ask me for a decision before April the 15th, right?. However, I have been told by the priority school they will probably have no news before that date, because they can't make students confirm their admission before that. Here's the question: what if I accept the lower ranked school offer, and then I find a slot has opened at my dream program? What are the consequences of turning down an offer? Help, please! Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonio Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 The safety will probably ask me for a decision before April the 15th, right?. Why??? I can't see this point. You should have time until 15th of April for every school. By the way, which are your safety and dream school ? Maybe some TM fellows could help you by rejecting their offers and you can help one of us by rejecting your safety... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loudandclear Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 By the way, which are your safety and dream school ? Maybe some TM fellows could help you by rejecting their offers and you can help one of us by rejecting your safety... I wouldn't do that; there are no guarantees that you will get a TMers spot if they reject an offer, and there are no guarantees that one will get your spot if you reject the offer. It could work out that you end up with neither. If I were you (take this for what it's worth), I would speak to someone at the school where you're waitlisted. Explain your dilemma, and ask how people usually deal with this problem. I'm guessing it's a fairly common problem, so someone is bound to have some good advise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidolive Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I think even for your safeties, you won't have to tell them until that day. And if, for some reason, you get admitted to your dream school on 4/16 or so, you can still ask the school you accepted on 4/15 to release you from the obligation and you can still enroll into your dream school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fp3690 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Any school is not allowed to ask you to commit yourself before April 15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzSunshine Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I think the OP's question is - he/she has to tell the safety on April 15 at the latest, but might not hear from the dream school until the 16th (when their admits say Yes/No). So what happens then? If you told your safety on April 15 "yes, I'm coming" but your dream school tells you on the 16th or 17th "we have a spot for you now if you're still interested", then what? As far as I understand, and as stupidolive said, I think it's possible to ask for a release from the safety school. But how hard is that to get? Since you will have signed a contract... And what does that entail - how would one go about getting the release? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidolive Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Well I did ask to be released from OSU. I don't think they would cause you any trouble, just that they will be annoyed with you :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquare Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Here's something I posted about the April 15 deadline on the FAQs about funding thread: April 15 is the last day you can turn down an offer of funding at one school in order to accept an offer of funding at another school. You can accept a school and back out later, and schools can offer you funding after April 15. Schools cannot require you to make a decision before April 15. This deadline is the result of an agreement between the many schools that form the Council of Graduate schools, and you can read about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquare Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Also, here's an old thread about waitlists that might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox hero Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I think you have two obligations in this process. The first and most important is to yourself. You've worked hard to get the admits/waitlists that you've earned and you deserve to go to the best school (subjectively defined) that you've been admitted to. The second obligation is to be honest and straightforward with programs. Yes, you need to accept somewhere by April 15th, and if that date rolls around and you haven't heard from the waitlists, then your only option is to tell the school where you've actually been admitted that you're coming. However, if the other school gets back to you the next day, and you think it's better for you, then go there. You've acted in good faith, and you shouldn't feel ashamed backing out. No school is going to force you to attend if your heart is somewhere else. The rules are set up so that the whole process functions with as few hitches as possible. They aren't set up to hold you to some bizarre moral code where the words you say on April 15th are somehow more important than your future. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruDog Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Here's something I posted about the April 15 deadline on the FAQs about funding thread: April 15 is the last day you can turn down an offer of funding at one school in order to accept an offer of funding at another school. You can accept a school and back out later, and schools can offer you funding after April 15. Schools cannot require you to make a decision before April 15. This deadline is the result of an agreement between the many schools that form the Council of Graduate schools, and you can read about it here. The CGS link can now be found here (the website must have updated). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmLogic Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Good advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquare Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks, TruDog :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filroz Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 What about those waitlisted? For example, I am on two waitlists. On April the 15 both departments call that I could get in (I am trying to think positively :D) if I decide instantly... Can I take for example a day to think about it? What if I accept the first one and receive the second offer after 10 minutes... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pevdoki1 Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Where would you rather go, filroz, Rutgers or Georgetown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filroz Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Where would you rather go, filroz, Rutgers or Georgetown? in Georgetown thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopefulkid Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thanks everybody for your kind responses and super help. So what you all say is I should be up-front about it, right? By the way, my question was an hypothetical one. I haven't been admitted anywhere yet. It was an assumption ("What if my safety agrees to admit me?") rather than an actual situation. My situation is all rejects except one top-15 waitlist, one top-25 waitlist (that, funny as it is, didn't subscribe the CGS document), and four institutions I haven't heard from. Of those four, three are ranked very low (around top-30-60), and the other is really hard to get into. So, if I accept an offer after April 15th (let's say May), I will have to ask for a release document from the safety, right? That's what the CGS document says. What if the safety doesn't agree to sign said release document? Am I scr*wed? Thanks for your help and support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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