mlv98

Luckily, I received admission offers from my top choices. I asked a lot of questions during my campus visit and via e-mails, and all schools were very responsive and accommodating. It was really difficult for me to pick one school over another, so I feel bad that I have to decline their offers. I wonder if it's a good idea to write a few sentences to express my gratitude for their offer and responses to my questions, or is it not professional to do so? Thank you in advance.

I really appreciate both of you for great advice. My field of study is public health and I got along well with faculty and students from both schools. School A students seem happy with their program, but general comments from others (with a PhD in my field) imply school A is quite tough on their students. With stipend from school A, I can afford a descent housing and run my car, but I won't be able to save up (I might need to use my own savings at times) I don't have any debt and I am trying to save up as much as possible so that I have a bit of emergency funds. (I will quit my job and fully commit to study) In this case, should I go for school A ?

I got admitted to PhD programs and I am having a difficult time making a decision between 2 schools. Both fit my research interests well & offer tuition remission + stipend, and I visited both schools to talk to faculty and current students. School A - Top 3 school - known for tough curriculum and pushing students hard - performance-wise, past graduate outcomes are great School B - Top 15 school - very student-focused program; faculty tries to accommodate students' interests - past graduates did well, but some of the current PhD students seem not as great. School B is offering a lot more stipend than school A and offering me other "perks". (School A offers stipend just enough to survive) Faculty-wise, B is still a great option, but some students gave me a bad vibe about their competitiveness as researchers and I wonder if my observation reflects the overall quality of the program.. School B offers better financial support and moral support. School A is a better program in any outcome measurement. Which school should I go for? Thank you in advance for your thoughts

Thank you, fuzzylogician for your response. I have been checking the results survey but I could not find anyone who posted about the program I applied. I guess I shouldn't have my hopes up.

If official on-campus invitation dates are already set to be the last week of January, when would applicants be notified for invitation? If I don't hear from the school by next week, it would be unlikely that I will be invited to on-campus visit? Thanks in advance