cluu908

Hi all! Though it may seem like an obvious decision (as most people would say to go to the better school), let me just brief you on my predicament. I applied to a 5-year joint B.S./M.S. program at my undergraduate university (UCSD) and was accepted. They told me that I need to confirm my acceptance into the program by August 1. This is all fine and dandy, except that I really want to go to Carnegie Mellon for their Robotics institute (something that UCSD definitely doesn't have). The joint B.S./M.S. program at UCSD requires that I apply during my junior year, so I have not yet applied to CMU -- that will be happening this fall. However, I also don't want to be left grad-school-less if I turn them down and end up not being accepted into the other school. I might also add that staying here for the B.S./M.S. is my 2nd choice, so I would in most cases be staying here unless I get accepted into CMU. So my main question is, would it reflect badly in some way to accept the B.S./M.S. offer, and then withdraw later in order to go to a different school? Should I still apply to CMU? Thanks!