AuntyOwl

Thank you both for your input. It was helpful. I will write them tomorrow. I need to move on.

I agree with MathCat. It seems that there are no academic reasons for you not to go to Davis. You are close enough to San Francisco to go there frequently, if you can afford it. And besides, people also make the places. If you are working there now and like the people, you will probably be fine. But, as MathCat said, that is a very personal decision. Good luck.

I understand. It is tricky, indeed. With whom do you feel you would work better: supervisor A or B? Empathy is very important for a long term commitment such as this. Also, you probably want to consider which city/town fits better your personality and budget. These things are usually not taken seriously, but they make all the difference. If you do not feel comfortable at the place you live in or with you working environment, your work will certainly reflect that. Do you feel you could benefit from more experience before the Ph.D.? The answer to this question might also help you decide between doing the master's or going to the Ph.D. right away.

Well, although I am not a lawyer, I was told by my supervisor and by faculty at other institutions were I was accepted, that they cannot force anyone to decide before the legal date. If April 15 is a "word in paper" legal date, I don't know, but forcing a decision before that it seems to be ethically questionable.

I far as I know, you are allowed to wait until April 15 to give your final decision. It is natural that institutions pressure candidates to decide (I am on the same boat), but I do not believe is legal to revoke the terms of an acceptance to pressure a decision prior to the legal date.

Hi, I was admitted into two Ph.D. programs (still waiting for hearing from one university), one of them in the institution where I am currently in. I decided that a change would benefit my growth as a scholar, which means that I will have to reject the people who believe in me when nobody else did. I am feeling bad about have to tell them no, specially when they went to great lengths to offer me a very generous fellowship. I would like to write them soon, because I know there are people on the waiting list that will benefit from my rejection. Any advice on how to phrase this rejection? Thank you!

I checked few minutes ago and I saw that someone posted an acceptance on the results list on Feb. 27. The person received the notification by phone on Feb, 24.

Congratulations!!!

It is still early, depending on the institution, I guess. Of the 6 school to which I applied, I still have to hear from 4. I know that I am out of two of them because acceptance results were posted here, two weeks ago. The other two I have no news, but according to previous years, it should not take much longer until they contact the accepted students. In my mind, if we do not hear from grad schools until mid-March, it is better to assume we will receive a rejection notification. Sometimes it happens that some schools notify accepted students very late (late March, early April) either because it is their policy or because it takes time to figure out the budget. This particular aspect is particularly pertinent for state universities.

Congratulations!!

I agree with MathCat. You should be open and honest with your POI and explain that, even though you would love to work with him/her, you are having a hard time finding a way of meeting your budget responsibilities with the offer the department made. I would not close the door just yet. I do not know your field of research, but in the sciences, if you are joining a particular project, the PI might have a way of taking an extra money from the grant for that project to complement the department fellowship.