robinsparkles

I think it's fine to mention other places you have applied to if the interviewer asks about it. At one group interview I attended, a candidate flat-out asked the interviewer why his program was better than the program of the school's main competitor. The interviewer gave her a pretty well thought out answer about the strengths of his program compared to some of the weak areas of the competitor's program. While some interviewers might not be comfortable speaking so bluntly, it is no secret that candidates routinely apply to multiple programs. I think that if they are truly interested in you, knowing the other schools you applied to kind of gives them an idea about how to persuade you more effectively, and what points would interest you most.

Here's an update in case anyone else is in the same position. I called school #1 today and explained my situation, and the admissions counselor was completely understanding. It was no problem at all, and I am not liable for any tuition or fees whatsoever. I did lose my tuition deposit, but I expected to as they made it clear from the beginning that the deposit is non-refundable.

ETA: The school I originally accepted is not a member of the Council of Graduate Schools, but the second school I want to attend is a member. (Not sure if that makes a difference.)

I didn't get funding at any programs I applied to (which is basically status quo for my field), so as my decisions came in I realized I had to go with the most affordable program. I accepted admissions to an almost affordable but still expensive program around May 10th (a generous extension after the final deadline). I was still waiting to hear back from several schools but I couldn't take the chance that I wouldn't be accepted anywhere else and thus left with nowhere to go in the end. I JUST heard back from a school that is basically the same academics-wise but half the price. Going to this second school would make my life so much easier in terms of finances, so I am 99% sure that I am going there. My question is: How do I let the original school know that I do not plan on attending anymore? Again, I did not receive funding from any school, so the only thing I signed was an admissions deposit. I am not doing this to screw any schools or applicants over, I'm doing this so I can attend a school that I can actually afford. Thank you!

I just graduated from Binghamton, so I can also answer any extra questions you might have!

Just got an acceptance call from Queens today... I am so relieved, I've been waiting since January and I graduate in 2 days!

Updated: Just got a rejection from Hunter this afternoon. I had a rather awkward interview so I kind of saw this coming.

Updated: Just got a rejection from Hunter this afternoon. I had a rather awkward interview so I kind of saw this coming.

I finally broke down and called Queens today, and they said that my department just got the applications from the Office of Admissions last week. The deadline was in February. I can see this is going to be a long wait...

I applied to Hunter, Queens College, and Brooklyn College, all CUNY schools, and haven't heard a word from any of them. I did have an interview at Hunter, and they said not to expect a decision until at least late April, but Brooklyn and Queens have been pretty much silent. Is this usual for these schools? I have a couple programs with an April 15 deadline, and I feel like I have at least another month before I hear from any of the CUNYs. Does this happen with most of the CUNY programs? (I applied before the application deadline for all 3.)

I hate hearing about schools that treat their applicants poorly-- what's the point of being rude to your future students? I am just as frustrated as you are, after I recently attended The Worst Interview Ever. I was really excited to go because it was my top choice school and (what I thought was) a great fit for me. The interviewers were incredibly condescending and aggressive, and kept pressuring me to change my answers. It was a group interview, and they didn't ask any questions directly relevent to the program-- only very personal questions about each person. There was SO much tension in the room, and a general feeling of competition between the interviewees to give a better and more impressive answer than the last person. After I sent a polite followup email, the interviewer replied by simply stating he wished me luck at [name of competitor's school]. I doubt I will get in now, but I could never imagine going to a school that treated me so poorly.

If you're rejected from a program, then you are not accepted into their school at all. But if you are still interested in taking a class or two, you could register for a class or two as a non-matriculated student. I took a class as a non-matriculated student once, and from my understand it's not competitive at all, it's just a matter of filling out a few forms. This might be beneficial for you if you re-apply next year, because it could show that you understand the commitment of graduate level work.

I completely understand why this frustrates you, but applicants don't have to make a commitment to anyone else but themselves. Yes, it's very courteous to respond to offers as soon as possible to accommodate people on the waitlist, but I think it's a little ridiculous to make all of your decisions with the people on the waitlist in mind. While I wouldn't personally accept all of my offers on April 15th just to decide later, (what the OP is talking about), I just disagree with the fact that anyone has a duty to any other applicant. As someone who is waitlisted at one school myself, I can say I wouldn't want to force anyone else into making a decision they didn't want to make just because they felt bad for me. I'm happy that your situation worked out, and it was really great that you got a spot at SMU. I just think that when we all get into this whole application process, we have to accept the fact that we might get accepted/rejected/waitlisted/whatever. Although I'm sure situations like this can affect other applicants once in a while, I don't like the insinuation that anyone's acceptance or rejection can be blamed on another applicant... we all get accepted or rejected on our own merit. (But to be clear, If this involved funding, my opinion on the situation would be quite different, because then he actually would be taking something tangible from others.)

I'm not sure what program/school you're applying to at Columbia, but I know Teacher's College is having an admitted student weekend on April 9th, so I'm assuming non-waitlisted acceptances would hear back by then. If it's another school at Columbia, you could always Google when their admitted students weekend was in the past to give you a better idea of when first-round acceptances are sent by.

To clarify the first post, #1 is Columbia Teacher's College, #2 is C.W. Post, and #3 would be Hunter