dhg12

That has also been my understanding of things as well. It is possible to break your commitment and go to another school, but it is seen as fairly unprofessional after you have previously made a commitment

I agree with this. If there is no deadline looming overhead for the program to which you've already been accepted, then sending an e-mail just to inform them that you got another offer will not come across as helpful. If they have said on their website/correspondence/whatever that they usually hand out decisions after your current acceptance deadline, then it would perhaps be okay to contact them.

110% do not do this

Actually, I am pretty sure writing LOR's is not in any professors job description, they by no means have to write letters for anyone. If anything it is some sort of unwritten expectation, but it's really not technically part of her job. That being said, I was in a similar boat with one of my letter writers, he was sort of perpetually late for each of my deadlines. Thankfully 2 of the programs I applied to send you an e-mail when they receive your references. The other two were by snail mail which was pretty irritating/stressful. I just had to keep reminding myself that this prof (who I am also currently taking a course with) has a lot of letters to write. That being said, seeing him twice a week in class gave me plenty of opportunities to ask him/remind him of deadlines, etc. All in all, I agree that there really is nothing you can do, aside from being as polite as possible. Luckily/hopefully you won't have to deal with this person again in the near future

I don't think it would hurt to ask your relative position!

I don't think it could hurt? I mean, as long as its just a quick polite e-mail asking when you could be expecting results

I've gotten two admits, but am still waiting for my top choice school. Neither of my notifications were super personalized, so I did not bother replying. They were clear that I had until the deadline to accept/decline, so there really was not anything that needed to be said.

I was almost in the same boat, but I met with one of my professors to discuss the process/tips luckily. She is in charge of the Philosophy grad program at my current school, and luckily she was super clear that I actually should mention my low first-year GPA in my SOP. She also told me to make sure I communicate that info to my letter writers, that way it is basically repeated in three separate documents. I do agree that it is sort of out of your hands now though. Worst case scenario you don't get in where you'd like this round and need to reapply. At least then you will know that info and almost automatically have a stronger applciation

I got my official e-mail from Western to check the site, and my offer letter is uploaded! They want a decision by the 21st, so I'm hoping to hear back from Concordia soon. Last year they started sending out decisions around this time, so fingers crossed!

Yeah, it really is something that depends on deadlines more so than titles more often than not.

Yeah... I don't think "wait for a decision" should be taken as "bug people to go out of their way/stick their neck out for you"

Guys... this is actually my favorite thread. I know it wasn't meant to be funny but whenever I read the OP's message all I can think of is the Earl of Lemongrab from Adventure Time yelling "UNACCEPTABLE" Scratch that, OP is probably straight up Lemongrab (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GxnM-0onvs)

Not necessarily, but I don't think there is harm in contacting U of T if you have a deadline for accepting the other offer. If there is no deadline you have to meet then I would say you're better off leaving it be for now

My deadlines were mostly January ones, and most didn't really give a definite timetable to hear back. I would say wait it out for this week, then contact the departments. Like you said, it could just be unforeseen delays!

I knew what kind of program I was interested in, so I started there. I also went to my favorite undergrad professors and asked them for advice on where the best programs were, and what I should be doing to get ready for the application process. They were hands down the best resource!

Perhaps a bit different since I am a Canadian student and applied only to Canadian schools, but I have only officially heard from one school, and that was last Monday. I have been accepted to another via the website, but have no official offer yet. I wasn't really expecting to hear back from anyone until at least mid March, so I am actually surprised. I feel like you should keep in mind that yes it is March... but it is literally the first day of March

Thanks shaketheshock! (Still praying it is not some weird glitch...)

There are a lot of variables, like other people have said! I applied to 4 programs, and it only actually cost me $350. I didn't really apply to any "safety" schools, but applied to schools where I could see myself possibly going. I am also Canadian, and from what I've seen Americans tend to apply to a lot more schools (probably because there are significantly more schools in the US, haha)

So I checked my status on Western's site and it's changed to "Offered Admission". I haven't gotten any actual word from the school itself, and their website says that they send out decisions Mid March-Late April, so I am really hoping this is not some glitch. From the looks of the results page a lot of people have been accepted via Website with no official word, so I'm trying not to worry too much...

Got my second acceptance today! I was curled up in bed about to load up some Netflix after work and decided to check my status

Checked my application status for Western today, saw on the results that someone had been rejected from the PhD program and figured I'd take a look at my MA application. Logged on to see a nice green checkmark and a status changed to "Offered Admission". I haven't actually heard from the school, but from the looks of the results page that seems to be par for the course at Western!

I got an e-mail the other day from one of the schools I applied to... they were letting me know that my final LOR had been submitted... I had the first heart attack because I thought it was a decision e-mail. I then had another smaller heart attack because I had assumed that letter had been submitted at least two weeks beforehand

1) I am pretty certain I know which school you're talking about (irrelevant to my opinion, just wanted to throw it out there) 2) I feel that if you think you have a really good chance at getting into one of those other 7 schools, then it might be worth it to decline C's offer. Yes they have a good program, but just because it is a good program/a well known program does not mean that you would be happy there. You'll probably happier somewhere that better matches your interests. Otherwise, I would weigh out some of the financial aspects. What is the cost of living if you were to go to C vs the other schools? If you can get a good degree from a good program and end up in significantly less debt, then that is definitely something to consider as well (not saying quality should be forsaken for finances, because a lot of the pricy schools also offer great funding, but putting yourself in more debt than you need to is probably something to be avoided)

I feel like you should hold off until next week when it is actually March, then contact them

For me to do a full course load (5 courses) as an undergrad was just over $1500 per term, and that was with the random other fees as well. I am not sure how much Grad tuition differs, but the school is known for having essentially the most affordable tuition in the country (unless you're a Quebec resident attending school in Quebec)