AThiker

hi there, i saw this post earlier and figured i'd give my two cents if no one else took interest in replying. i was in a similar predicament a few days after april 15th. I committed by the April 15th deadline, had second thoughts as I had another school I was considering, but ultimately decided I was happy with the choice I made and stayed with it. An important factor in all of this is whether you received some sort of funding. I don't think the cgs (what's apa?) resolution is a binding contract, but to renege this late in the process could potentially complicate things for that department. They may lose that funding or they may not find a replacement at this late stage. I understand after making a big decision like this you are met with new waves of doubt and regret, but try to have some resolve. i was definitely critical of myself in the days after thinking what could have been, but after all, we are talking about graduate studies (and paid for at that) which is a privelege rather than a right. Be happy with that, either place you will probably be given opportunities not many others have. But don't make it a big moral question. If you are truly so against where you're currently committed to go to school, then just pull the plug. But act quickly. It may not be too late for someone else to receive your spot. In my personal opinion, I recommend you stick with your original choice to achieve a certain level of integrity. I was motivated to stick with my original choice for many reasons (small, friendly program/good funds/nice environment) but maintaining my professional honesty definitely meant something to me as well. That is not to say you should keep commitments only because of some sort of binding agreement you don't want to break. If you can't see yourself being there for the long haul, then you are really doing yourself a favor as well as the department by backing out before too much money's been spent.

well it's not exactly true that he offered me the spot back. apparently according to that cgs resolution the offer was still mine to decide on either way. well the group I would have been working in has access to isotopes no other lab in the world does; that's more specifically what i mean by cool. i hear you on the unprofessional thing though. i genuinely do like lehigh and what they have to offer. it was a financial consideration that changed the circumstances at this point, but i'm pretty sure i'm going to play by the rules on this one

So I received a funded (TA first year) PhD offer from Lehigh University for physics and a funded M.Sc. offer from University of British Columbia for physics/astronomy. If I went to UBC I'd be working at TRIUMF my second year doing my master's thesis. The April 15th deadline put me in a dilemma as I had not received exact details of the funding from UBC and I was not able to get campus housing. I did not want to run the risk of having no place to stay in Vancouver off campus, which could happen considering I have very little money of my own and I'm sure the funding is not enough to get a place for myself. I had told Lehigh on 4/12 that I'd be going to UBC, and so they made another offer to a student in my field of interest. On the 15th however, I certainly panicked at the thought of finding no place to live in Vancouver and not being able to attend. I had this idea that I was being naive thinking I could find living accomodations in the city as a no credit history American, and my anxieties certainly got the best of me. So I emailed the chair of adm. at Lehigh and asked if a spot was still available, he said there was, and I accepted. I guess I should have asked for an extension instead (never thought about it at the time, Doh!). But now comes along this offer for a bedroom in Vancouver (no apt., just a room) that is quite inexpensive (like 60/70% the cost of most places in the city). I'm sort of kicking myself in the butt now. So I know it's after April 15th, but not far after. Do you think it's a good idea to back out if I do it ASAP? I'm not even sure if I do, because the funding is better at Lehigh and will allow me to actually have some money after Ph.D. But working at TRIUMF and attending UBC would be so cool! Any thoughts?