K80laf

I don't know if that short of a deadline is that common anywhere. It certianly caught me by surprise. Anyway, I wouldn't ask them to speed it up. But if you inform them of your situation and ask if they have established a plan for timing of decisions, you could then use that information to negotiate an extension with the school that gave you the short deadline.

I just received an acceptance letter with only 11 days to accept/reject their offer! I haven't even recieved the formal letter in the mail yet... Anyone else ever have an offer with that short of a deadline? It would be great to attend the school that offered me admission, but I want to make an informed decision before I accept anything. A former professor advised that I inform the other schools about the acceptance and ask when they will make a decision. He said it's good to be honest about this process, and he even suggested that I request a decision from the other schools sooner. (I was too afraid to ask for a speedy decision, but I did inform them about the offer and ask if a decision will be made before the other school's deadline.) So far the other schools didn't seem to mind my e-mail. They thanked me for the update and said they will check with the division. Hopefully it all works out.

If you are an anxious person, I do not recommend watching the movie "Admissions" with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd! haha.

I have my MSc. majoring in marketing. If you aren't sure whether or not you want to go academic or commercial, I would get a MSc. (1) I didn't have any trouble finding a job, even though my masters wasn't an MBA. The ppl who interviewed me were just excited to see that I had a masters. (2) my boss loves that I know how to evaluate the success of my marketing campaigns via statistical methods - it was actually one of the main reasons I was hired. (3) it definitely shows you what to expect if you were to pursue a PhD. There will be less of a learning curve because you will already know all the basics. (4) Getting to publish my thesis and go to conferences around the world is the BEST!!

You have a chance at some schools, assuming other parts of your application are strong. But if you don't get in this time, definitely rewrite it before you apply again.

Revising a manuscript, working, running (a lot)... so much that I joined a marathon club haha. I ignore my anxiety all day and then it hits me like a truck each night before bed lol. I think this waiting game is worse than preparing for the GMAT. At least I was in control then!