merlinyx

Aw, thanks for asking!
First: this is a professional decision, and you are not going to hurt anyone's feelings. Admissions committees will indeed be disappointed when we fail to recruit our top choices, but no one will be personally upset or offended. Don't feel awkward or hesitant about informing programs in a prompt and direct way. As others have suggested in the forums, institutions that maintain waitlists often depend on admitted students turning them down before the April 15 deadline in order to admit anyone from the waitlist. So if you know that you won't be attending, you are doing the program (and waitlisted students) a favor by informing them promptly.
Second: you are not obligated to explain your reasons for your choice, especially if that hinges in part on private factors that you would rather not disclose (such as the decision to relocate a partner and/or family to a particular geographic area, for example). That said, if there was anything about the program that gave you pause--the stipend was lower, or the placement seemed weak, or the teaching responsibilities weren't what you hoped, or the graduate students you spoke to were unhappy--and you feel comfortable sharing that information with the DGS, or whoever has been communicating with you about your status: that information will be deeply appreciated by the program (at least if it's a program that knows what's good for it). We are constantly reviewing and refining our recruitment practices as well as our graduate program. If there are issues that are going to make us less appealing to students, we really want to know about that earlier rather than later! (Also: some programs I know of issue an anonymous survey to prospective students who turn them down, giving them an opportunity to express such feedback without having to worry that they are causing offense. But even if you don't get this formal opportunity, please know that your thoughts will be taken seriously and appreciated, so long as they are expressed cordially.) You can express your concerns collegially, along the lines of: "I'm writing, regretfully, to let you know that I won't be matriculating at X University. While I so appreciated the chance to speak with your wonderful faculty and students, the lower stipend combined with the higher cost of living in your city ultimately led me to another decision." And so on. 
Third: I think most programs have online portals where you can record your decision electronically, without requiring any explanation. But if you've corresponded at any length or spent a significant amount of time with specific faculty, you can't go wrong with a brief and professional email thanking them for their time and saying how much you look forward to seeing them and their work at conferences and in print. (In fact, you can't go wrong with a brief thank you to such faculty at the school you do choose to attend! Keep it short and sweet: thanks so much for your time, enjoyed talking to you, look forward to working with you in the coming years.) 

First of all, congratulation!
Your POI pushed you because you are POI first choice. Just be honest with POI that other university is a better fit for you and that you wish him finding a better candidate for his opening.

Not going to UW for grad school, but I've been living in Seattle for 6 years now and have had great luck using Craigslist (most people do).
 
If any of you guys have specific questions on living in different Seattle neighborhoods, prices, public transit, etc., feel free to DM me.

@athan892 In a typical month of 2017, my paycheck at UW CSE was like this:
Graduate Student 50% Appointment: $ 2,749.00
Federal Income Tax withheld:      $   344.76
UAW Local 4121 union due          $    32.72
Workers' compensation insurance   $     8.78
Net income                        $ 2,362.74
Hope it helps!
A few things to keep in mind:
Your base pay will differ depending on your academic department. See this page for a complete list. Your pay is subject to federal income tax (~12.5% effective rate for 30k) but exempt from Medicare and Social Security taxes. The state of Washington is one of 9 states that do not levy any income tax. In its stead, you will be subject to a fairly high sales tax (10.2%) and annual vehicle registration tax ($120 + 1.1% of valuation). UW is one of the few institutions where graduate students are unionized. Thus, you will be required to pay a union membership due (1.44% of pay). See UAW Local 4121. UW will pay 100% of health insurance premium on your behalf. The insurance also includes dental and vision benefits. You may also enroll dependents for a fee. You will be still be responsible for miscellaneous fees, including fees for athletic facilities and monthly bus pass (U-pass). This should run about 300 dollars each quarter.

For those of you that are still waiting to hear back, I was told by a reliable source (POI) that all admits were released on the 4th. I already moved on and decided to go somewhere else. Good luck to everyone in this thread and I hope you end up in a good Ph.D. program 

Oh, and here's another thing I did, though I'm not sure if it has influenced me yet or not. I added both schools/programs on Twitter and I've been watching what they promote.

Yes! I feel so bad saying no to people. I have to remind myself that they know that it could happen, and that people have said no before, and will say no again. Everyone knows that we don't just apply to one program, well most of us anyway. While they will be disappointed, on some level they will know that we are doing what we think is best for ourselves, just as they do for themselves. I tell myself this to gather up the courage to actually do it.

Be gracious! If you know for sure you aren't going to attend program A, let them know. Thank your POI for their interest and explain that after some consideration you will not be attending their program, but you hope to maintain contact for whatever reason you might want them in your back pocket. 

I have sent and I will tell you their response. 

Congrats on your admission!
Maybe you can ask how you can get prepared before you start your study e.g. your experience and your course selection and so on.
Besides, I don't think it is inappropriate to ask about funding unless your funding is clearly specified in your offer letter. I asked every POI I talked with about funding, and most them were happy to answer and gave a clear answer (even I am not admitted yet). For the rest of them, they were being honest with me (I guess) like they can only guarantee 4 years founding and so on.
You mentioned you get admitted so I guess you are still waiting for other decisions? Funding is a quite important factor and you may want to confirm it with your advisor or your department!

You could ask about placement after the program. Do they help their students find work etc. Ask how long it typically takes to complete the program. Do most students finish in four years? Five? Unless these are questions you already asked!!
You could ask if they have a current grad student you can reach out to to discuss the logistics of moving to the city your school is in. 
You'll be great! The hard part is over! 

For those interested: I have been told that last year there were about 220 domestic applicants for the MSc program, of which about 70 received offers. There were slightly less than 900 international applicants for the MSc, receiving about 40 offers. 
Of course, if international applicants aren't being considered for the MSc this year - and given that we received an email stating that there are an unprecedented number of applicants this year, I'm not sure how helpful this is.
 

So, I am applying to my undergraduate institution for a MA program. I was wondering if it would be weird of me to tell them I got my first acceptance (to another school) when I am still under review at their school. Thoughts? I want to share the good news but don't want to complicate my admissions process too much.

I just had my interview with a theory prof. He told me that starting from this year U of T's MSc program no longer accepts international students, so they will consider me for PhD direct entry instead.

graphics, what about you? 
 

computational biology and ml. hope all of us get good news ?

ML and Privacy and Cryptography

I applied for MSc, international

I didn't even notice the change of PI & research interests being changeable until I saw this discussion! thanks
@timkartar I got interviews from profs I listed in the form and my SoP! 

In departmental form, until yesterday my top two research interest was locked and top POI. I.e. unchangeable. Today suddenly they have become changeable again. What does it mean? Has anybody else experienced this? (i know at this point changing them will not matter much)