Declining Offer Thread

[PhDchallenger]

Hey guys, I saw a similar thread for a previous cycle and thought it could be helpful to those being on the wait list to know if one of the fortunate candidates have decided to turn down an offer. It could help give hope to some people since we know its a tough time.

 

[Left Skew]

What factors are people using to make their decisions? (e.g., Funding, Faculty Fit, Cohort Fit, culture, location?) I'm struggling right now.

[jk616]

4 hours ago, Left Skew said:

What factors are people using to make their decisions? (e.g., Funding, Faculty Fit, Cohort Fit, culture, location?) I'm struggling right now.

I'm also struggling with this. I think research/faculty fit is probably the most important thing. I think if you have to sacrifice something, it shouldn't be that. Ultimately it depends on what's most important to you for your quality of life over the next 6 years and beyond. Along with the things you mentioned, I've been told it's important to think about TA workload, overall lab productivity, potential for collaboration, and where your potential PI is in their career (beginning vs end). Its really stressful, but it's a good problem to have! 

[clinical_chicana]

On 2/10/2018 at 7:52 AM, Left Skew said:

What factors are people using to make their decisions? (e.g., Funding, Faculty Fit, Cohort Fit, culture, location?) I'm struggling right now.

I have been focusing mainly on funding and faculty fit. Money will probably be the deciding factor for me

[cashewmilk]

Is it better for your POI to be at the beginning or at the end? 

[Clinapp2017]

12 hours ago, cashewmilk said:

Is it better for your POI to be at the beginning or at the end? 

Pros and cons both to both. Early = more productive and ambitious because they need to secure tenure, but less known in the field. Late = more well known, but may be less intrinsically productive because they’ve been tenured for a while. 

[Left Skew]

How is everyone declining? A nice standardized email? I just don't want to burn any bridges.

Best,

[jk616]

5 hours ago, Left Skew said:

How is everyone declining? A nice standardized email? I just don't want to burn any bridges.

Best,

I've just done a very nice email and mentioned how hard the decision was and how grateful I was for the opportunity. I thought about doing it over the phone but email is a little more concrete. 

[Guest joshw4288]

22 hours ago, cashewmilk said:

Is it better for your POI to be at the beginning or at the end? 

Amassing an impressive record of publication is the most important thing in graduate school. My belief is that you are probably better off with someone at the beginning than at the end (by end I mean on the verge of retiring) when it comes to this. As someone on the job market and knowing many people also currently on the job market, those of us getting tenure track interviews/offers have high numbers of publications in good journals. A bigger name will not make up for lost productivity. You need someone encouraging you to publish, helping you build collaborations, providing good and quick feedback on study designs and on manuscripts, providing funding when needed, and offering opportunities difficult to obtain yourself. With that said, you can still be incredibly productive even with someone who is on the verge of retiring. The key is to build outside collaborations. In short, productivity trumps all else. Go where you perceive that you will be the most productive. 

[cashewmilk]

Thank you for replying! And thanks for your perspective, it's great to hear, and comforting. I'll be my POI's first doc student 

13 hours ago, joshw4288 said:

Amassing an impressive record of publication is the most important thing in graduate school. My belief is that you are probably better off with someone at the beginning than at the end (by end I mean on the verge of retiring) when it comes to this. As someone on the job market and knowing many people also currently on the job market, those of us getting tenure track interviews/offers have high numbers of publications in good journals. A bigger name will not make up for lost productivity. You need someone encouraging you to publish, helping you build collaborations, providing good and quick feedback on study designs and on manuscripts, providing funding when needed, and offering opportunities difficult to obtain yourself. With that said, you can still be incredibly productive even with someone who is on the verge of retiring. The key is to build outside collaborations. In short, productivity trumps all else. Go where you perceive that you will be the most productive. 

 

[anbellin]

Is anyone starting to make decisions yet? I feel bad because I'm holding on to several offers until I hear back from a program that I got wait listed from. 

[PsyDuck90]

10 minutes ago, anbellin said:

Is anyone starting to make decisions yet? I feel bad because I'm holding on to several offers until I hear back from a program that I got wait listed from. 

Just be careful with this, as CUDCP rules state you are only supposed to hold 2 offers at a time. Granted, I don't know how they can really enforce these rules, but I was told by a DCT that their program strictly follows that. 

[b_l91]

16 minutes ago, anbellin said:

Is anyone starting to make decisions yet? I feel bad because I'm holding on to several offers until I hear back from a program that I got wait listed from. 

It's totally fine to hang onto an offer until you hear back about a top choice. That actually enables you to contact your top choice about your position on the waitlist and the probability of it moving to an acceptance. However, you are NOT supposed to hold onto multiple offers for more than a couple of days. As the poster above said, it's poor form and really holds everyone else up who are likewise hoping for movement in the waitlist. You should make a decision among the acceptances you do have and decline all but your top choice.

 

See item #5 in this CUDCP document for reference.

Edited March 6, 2018 by b_l91

[anbellin]

22 minutes ago, b_l91 said:

It's totally fine to hang onto an offer until you hear back about a top choice. That actually enables you to contact your top choice about your position on the waitlist and the probability of it moving to an acceptance. However, you are NOT supposed to hold onto multiple offers for more than a couple of days. As the poster above said, it's poor form and really holds everyone else up who are likewise hoping for movement in the waitlist. You should make a decision among the acceptances you do have and decline all but your top choice.

 

See item #5 in this CUDCP document for reference.

That's a useful document. I'm holding on to two offers and one of those two has arranged a visit to the campus. I plan on choosing as soon as possible after that.

Would just love to know from my wait list so I could stop clogging any possible positions.

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by anbellin

[b_l91]

4 minutes ago, anbellin said:

That's a useful document. I'm holding on to two offers and one those two has arranged a visit to the campus. I plan on choosing as soon as possible after that.

Would just love to know from my wait list so I can not block uo any positions.

 

Totally reasonable!! Good luck on your site visit!

I'm sure everyone, myself included, is very anxious to hear back.

[Sherrinford]

Based on my experiences and conversations with others during my application cycle, I think generally it's very poor form to hold on to more than 2 offers at a time (as per CUDCP guidelines as well). 

If people want suggestions on how to narrow their choice down from someone on the other side, I'll say pick based on how much you like the P.I. 

I would prefer spending the next 5 years of my life working with someone I like interpersonally, even if it meant I had to relocate to the base of a dormant volcano. My program/area has its weaknesses, but I never feel hesitant or uncomfortable having to talk to my PI about...anything really. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor and it's been a cushion on days where I feel overwhelmed. Conversely, I've talked to multiple colleagues in top research programs who don't love their PI, and they're pretty miserable. There is a difference between being able to work with someone and actually liking them. I think a lot of people focus more on the former, but I'm here telling you the latter is just as important.

Edited March 6, 2018 by Sherrinford

[Psychoplasmics]

On 3/6/2018 at 12:40 PM, Sherrinford said:

Based on my experiences and conversations with others during my application cycle, I think generally it's very poor form to hold on to more than 2 offers at a time (as per CUDCP guidelines as well). 

If people want suggestions on how to narrow their choice down from someone on the other side, I'll say pick based on how much you like the P.I. 

I would prefer spending the next 5 years of my life working with someone I like interpersonally, even if it meant I had to relocate to the base of a dormant volcano. My program/area has its weaknesses, but I never feel hesitant or uncomfortable having to talk to my PI about...anything really. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor and it's been a cushion on days where I feel overwhelmed. Conversely, I've talked to multiple colleagues in top research programs who don't love their PI, and they're pretty miserable. There is a difference between being able to work with someone and actually liking them. I think a lot of people focus more on the former, but I'm here telling you the latter is just as important.

You raise such a good point. It's very easy to overlook the importance of a positive relationship, but it comes to bear immediately and lasts beyond the time you complete your program. My mentor is still actively involved with her mentees from years past.

[horseshoesandhandgrenades]

Just officially declined an offer to Hartford's PsyD. Good luck wait listers!!!