TorrentOfArdentPathos

Of course everyone who is lucky enough to receive multiple offers should take any amount of time they need to adequately inform themselves before making a decision about what program to attend.  The intention of my post was not to pressure anyone into rushing the difficult choices they face, and I fail to understand how this post is any more an example of "showing off" than celebrating acceptances in the cycle thread or listing acceptances in a signature.
 
That being said, I feel like the right thing to do is to tell a program as soon as you definitely know you are not going to accept their offer.  This allows them to adjust their expectations of yield and inform waitlisters sooner rather than later (which can affect their ability to attend visiting weekend, and more importantly, their ability to have the time to fully consider all their options).

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

Yes it is.  I have imagined myself at each program I have applied to, and I wouldn't have applied if I didn't truly want to go there.  It's been harder for me to decline the program I have (or to consider declining programs I am leaning against, but have not entirely ruled out) than I would have ever thought.  
 
When you prepare an application, you identify the unique strengths of a program, you identify who you would work with there, and (at least in my case) you think about what courses you'd take in the first years and what life in that city would be like.  It is hard to give up on any of those "potential futures." 

I really hope it will be useful for someone here:
I have just declined a CU-Boulder offer, Theory subfield. They asked me to inform them of my decision as soon as I know for sure, so hopefully they will be making this offer to someone on the waitlist very soon.
 
I sincerely hope it means exciting news for someone.
I discovered, it is pretty heartbreaking to have to decline a program you are really excited about. 

Fore veryone who is still waiting for MIT: I received my official offer letter today (by fedex, it was sent to my permanent address in Europe), so expect to get your results during the next few days.

By Grabthar's hammer, what a savings...
NO apocalypse before all my decisions are in, dammit.

http://youtu.be/kgv7U3GYlDY

The anxiety about grad school decisions is apparently so insurmountable that no one cared about the impending Ragnarok, the Norse apocalypse. By the gods people, we are talking about the appearance of the World Serpent, the end of the world as we know it! By Odin's beard, what has the world become!
 
No? Anyone?
 
*sigh*

Of course everyone who is lucky enough to receive multiple offers should take any amount of time they need to adequately inform themselves before making a decision about what program to attend.  The intention of my post was not to pressure anyone into rushing the difficult choices they face, and I fail to understand how this post is any more an example of "showing off" than celebrating acceptances in the cycle thread or listing acceptances in a signature.
 
That being said, I feel like the right thing to do is to tell a program as soon as you definitely know you are not going to accept their offer.  This allows them to adjust their expectations of yield and inform waitlisters sooner rather than later (which can affect their ability to attend visiting weekend, and more importantly, their ability to have the time to fully consider all their options).

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

Of course everyone who is lucky enough to receive multiple offers should take any amount of time they need to adequately inform themselves before making a decision about what program to attend.  The intention of my post was not to pressure anyone into rushing the difficult choices they face, and I fail to understand how this post is any more an example of "showing off" than celebrating acceptances in the cycle thread or listing acceptances in a signature.
 
That being said, I feel like the right thing to do is to tell a program as soon as you definitely know you are not going to accept their offer.  This allows them to adjust their expectations of yield and inform waitlisters sooner rather than later (which can affect their ability to attend visiting weekend, and more importantly, their ability to have the time to fully consider all their options).

This thread is nothing new to the Gradcafe crew, and who cares if the only purpose it serves is to "mollify" those on a wait list? If nothing else, it provides more information than is otherwise available. And though you're certainly right, James, that the wait list is a backup to the regular acceptance:yield ratio, this doesn't meant that others won't find the information useful. 

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

My suggestion: If you don't like it, don't read it/post in it. No one is forcing you to, and those who are waitlisted and find it helpful will peruse it for you instead

That is just such a meaningless response.  It's like saying "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion!"  A completely empty statement that totally ignores the substance of what I was arguing.  If you had thought about what I wrote, you might conclude that this thread does a disservice to everyone; I am sorry that you don't care about the collective good of the rest of the users on this forum.

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

Hi.  This thread is for people to post offers that they decline.  This should be useful (and a source of many clicks) for those of us on waitlists.
 
I have declined an offer from Illinois (IR subfield).  
 
Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear back on a waitlist!
 
Edit: If you are willing, please include your subfield.

I'm irrationally devastated every time I hear my phone's email "bing" and its something from work instead of my gmail.
 
Then, whenever my gmail is the cause of the "bing," I'm irrationally angry at whoever/whatever is emailing me because it is never a school.

Perhaps you folks should become more discriminating in choosing which posts to upvote. 

Save it for scope!