Crumpets

Oh. Tricky. Maybe you should just call HBS and ask what the protocol is in situations like yours? (though think long and hard about that, I imagine they could revoke your offer if they think you are trying to hold two places simultaneously). I really don't know what to tell you to do. Good luck!

It's certainly not polite, and you are going to want to tell them you are not coming so they don't start charging you tuition. You'll lose the deposit for sure. Other than that, I don't know, but I can't think of what other ramifications there would be except this: if you are planning on going into academia, you may not be so well looked upon by Harvard for turning down their offer. I think you can mitigate any consequences by giving a legit reason for the change. If you got a big scholarship somewhere else, you can be gracious and tell HKS that ultimately it ended up being a less financially viable option (or whatever the reason is).

I actually got a scholarship at HKS (one of the essay-based ones) I was totally shocked, but that made my decision super easy: Cambridge here I come!

I am so not getting into a prestige argument with you about what a "real university" is. I hope that you are less obnoxious in person than you are online, because your online persona does not bode well for success in real life.

Did either of them give you funding? Also, check the course listings and see which one has more courses in your area of interest ( I also got into both programs, but I ended up deciding to get a Public Policy degree instead). Also, what do you want to do after grad school? Talking to the career offices in both places might really help. I was impressed by CCT when I went there, and NYU was really my back up plan, so I would have chosen CCT over NYU, but that's kind of arbitrary, and was also driven by the amount of funding I got from CCT.. They are both great schools.

OK, Thanks! I just turned down everywhere else, so I was getting nervous!

Right, it just said "thank you for submitting your form," right? Nothing like "thank you for enrolling," or anything that would imply I accepted rather than turned them down??

Siiigh, this probably does not warrant a response, but, I'm sorry that you had such a poor University experience that you found professors gave no added value over text books. All I was trying to say is that no school is going to be perfect all the time, and during all of those less-than perfect times (including outside the classroom), the original poster might not want to be beating herself up about all that debt for something that is not always going to be wonderful.

Did anyone here accept an offer from HKS? Did you get any confirmation other than a generic "form submitted" e-mail?

I'm in a great position in that I got a scholarship for HKS, but before I knew that HKS was going to be financially viable, I wasn't even considering going. There are connections to be made anywhere, and you are right that with an MPP degree, it will take a loooong time to pay off the debt. If you go into all that debt, think about how annoyed you will be every time you have a mediocre professor (which I am sure there are at HKS just like everywhere else) or when you have to miss out on an event.

Check if you can do an online course or something that will be more flexible and allow you to travel!

Does anyone know what time the fellowship applications are due?

I think single. Does anyone know if everyone is asked to submit a scholarship statement?

I sent proof of admission to a university to the relevant regional director at IEE. If your regional director is as helpful as mine, shooting him/her an e-mail would be illuminating, and s/he can forward any info to the Sri Lankan comission.

Found the e-mail address. Do you think he meant there are 600 finalists?? That seems impossible!

Wow. That gets my hopes back up again ( I also have not heard about an interview), though honestly the US-UK website says that people on the shortlist get interviews, so I'm skeptical about what he said. Where did you find his e-mail address?

I just sent you a private message. Check your notifications at the top of the page.

When did you hear about your interview, and what program did you apply to?

Which specialized grant are you applying to? PM me if you want...

Congrats on getting an interview! When did you get the interview request?

Hi! Congrats to you too. The UK Fulbright site is helpful in answering a bunch of questions (though unfortunately not the number of finalists question). http://www.fulbright.co.uk/fulbright-awards/for-us-citizens According to the site, you will be contacted for an interview in early Feb. and the interviews take place over the phone in mid Feb. My experience last year, is I just was not contacted, so I knew I didn't get it long before I got teh rejection letter. I've been racking my brains trying to remember what my adviser said last year about numbers. I think he might have said 100 finalists, and since there are 34 grants total -- including all the special ones-- that is about 3:1. Also, keep in mind that even though 100 seems high, there were 409 applicants in 2009, even more last year , and I suspect even more this year. So getting into this round is still a big accomplishment. Keep me updated!

I am a UK finalist, but I'm not getting my hopes up since I was a finalist last year but did not get an interview with the UK Fulbright commission. You are right. It is one of the most competitive, if not THE most competitive Fulbright. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

You have to go by that estimate I think. It is not, however, a true figure for all programs. I know that for the UK they took A LOT more finalists than that last year, but that may be because they have another round of cuts --- only some of the UK finalists are offered interviews.

I'm a retread, I guess, though this is the first time I've heard the term. I'm a finalist for the UK for the second year in a row. I hope this year I make it to the next round of cuts (UK has an extra round-- they interview some but not all finalists and then select from the people they interview). Last year, I didn't get an interview. I'll know in February, I think, about whether or not I am selected for an interview.

I got into LSE Media and Communications MsC, but I was reinstating my app so I got it in really early. It's rolling, so you likely still have time. I also just got an e-mail from them saying they were really backlogged with everything, so I wouldn't worry.