[Fall 2020 Developmental Psychology PhD]

On 2/10/2020 at 1:35 PM, devpsych2020 said:

How did you guys email the POI/department about rejecting the admission offer?

I am really grateful for every offer and would like to show that whilst rejecting the offer. Now that I have mostly narrowed down my options, I would like to inform those schools soon so that the waitlisted applicants can get the opportunity asap.

Please share how you phrased it or if any other thread has this discussion going on!

It took me a really long time to create an email template for declining an admissions offer or when retracting an interview. I was very honest and noted that I am grateful to have received an interview or offer and that there are recent developments (such as getting an admissions offer from another school that you rank higher) that you anticipate more likely to commit to, while also stating you'd like to decline the offer or withdraw your application. Also, I sent my declines via email and not over the phone and the PIs at the institutions were pretty receptive-- given that in academia, such decisions aren't necessarily personal rejections, but more so that you're choosing what's the best fit for you and your career path and most PIs are understanding of that.

[Fall 2020 Developmental Psychology PhD]

1 hour ago, PsychPhdBound said:

I can't make an interview weekend at a "top" program (had already confirmed another visit) and they won't pay for me to come another time (which is a bit frustrating, since they know we are likely to have conflicts). They said they would "feel bad" making me pay my own way and have offered for me to connect to department faculty and grad students via Skype, but am I totally screwed? Has anyone gotten into a top 5 program doing just virtual interviews? Part of me feels like they are just annoyed that I'm not coming since my PI told me she's never had a candidate miss interview weekend (which I find hard to believe over the course of a 30 year career).

Hi! Totally showing up out of the blue after anonymously following this forum. But I think this is always a tough choice, because invites flurry in so randomly. I think it speaks to the program/PI that they are being inflexible. I think you have to weigh what you value in a program versus the other program you have already committed yourself to going to interview at. From my mentors, I have heard that skype interviewing in place of an in-person interview can be interpreted as lack of interest, lack of commitment, and they feel like they don't get a whole sense for your person. In the same respect, some people quite literally don't have the means to pay to attend all of their in-person interviews. If financial means aren't an issue for you, maybe push on coming an alternate weekend. My experiences so far with various programs has been wonderful in understanding that you may have received other interviews from other schools and that's okay.