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Forget C... If you want to save money then go to A otherwise B. Had it been me, I would have gone to B. You only earn the degree once in your life, better it be from a top place. And there is a higher prospect of getting a better job with a higher pay once you graduate.

There are several reasons for this. The POI wants to extend the offer to / consider other student if you dont accept it. Also it could be due to some funding reason

Well it seems like it doesnt matter 'what you do' and the only thing that matters is 'how you do it'...

Thanks. yes that seems like fine. Giving up a PhD admission when the funding is pretty sweet and reapplying next year when I dont have guarantee of either admission or funding in the Master's program does seem a little silly. And two years is a long time. Who knows what happens and how my mindset changes in the next 2 years.

Thanks for the response. That does seem really harsh. Were you funded during your masters ?

Thanks for the response guys. So you guys think that I should decline the PhD offer then and ask them if they want to consider me for a Masters position with funding? The problem is that even if I get full tuition wavier, I would still not be able to afford the living and utilities.

So here is the deal... I come from a relatively unknown place with a mediocre financial background. So in terms of doing a masters, I dont really have money to afford it. Also as the place I am currently at is very unknown, hence I don't really have the opportunity to grow in terms of experience. But I really want to get a faculty position which wont be possible unless I go to a top ranked place. So the option I am left with is to first go to a relatively known place, get a masters and then apply for a PhD at a top ranked place. Now as I dont have money to get a masters hence I will have to join a program as a PhD student and then leave after masters ( they do provide a masters degree on way to PhD ). I know that this is a morally and professionally a grey area, but what other options do I have. If anyone of you has a better alternative than I would love to do that as this is like the last thing I would want to do because its ethically wrong.

Hi. My main goal after completing my PhD is to get a faculty position. I have applied to PhD in CS. The thing to be honest is that I am much more inclined towards the Professor at top 75 univ. Had that PI been in top 30, I wouldnt have even given a single thought to this issue. So my main question is, how much does the university's ranking matter when you apply for a faculty position?

Hi, I need to make a decision for between two PhD programs and want to know how much the ranking matters. I will only mention the PROS. top 75: -Recently joined young tenure-track professor who has a 99.99% match with my work. - He also happens to have a very strong profile with numerous awards in my area of work. - metro city with lots of opportunities - Graduate Fellowship for 5 years, so wont have to do TAsip top 15: -Tenured Professor has an established lab and has around 70% match with my work - The ranking of the university is very high - smaller and less densely populated city meaning I will get to live in a larger apartment at less rent - Raship/ Taship thoughts please

Hi. Thanks a lot for the response. The only reason that I will plan to leave is just that the current place I get in is not that highly ranked. Hence I think that after completing my MS, I will have a better application in terms of experience and GPA and might be able to get a shot at a better place.

Hi, Is it okay to drop out of the PhD admission after getting an MS degree to join a better program for PhD? I know morally we are talking about grey area. Right?