Decision Timing

[AssocProf]

(I posted this in another thread, but I think it's important enough to start a new thread)

Some advice from an Associate Professor:

*None* of you should turn down *any* admissions offer until you have received the terms of *every* one of your offers *in writing*. I can't emphasize this enough. Even a verbal admissions offer of "full funding for 5 years" means absolutely nothing until you have it in writing. And there will be subtle differences in the written offers that you won't know about until you see them in writing (e.g., how much of the health care cost is the department picking up, or how much are the student fees that all are required to pay out of pocket). I know of cases in which verbal offers have been withdrawn because a department loses funding from the college or university that it was counting on to meet its funding commitments. When this happens, the first priority is to make sure funding commitments can be met to the students who are already in the program. Last people on the totem pole are newly admitted

students who do not yet have a written offer.

Some schools will try to pressure you to make an early decision -- you should firmly resist such pressure, as it violates the AAUP guidelines that virtually all U.S. universities have agreed to abide by. You have until April 16. Period.

Unfortunately, what this means for waitlisted students is that many of them won't get final word until late in the day on the 16th. If you're on a waitlist, you shouldn't expect to hear anything before that time. And if you really want to attend that school, then you need to wait to give a final decision to the schools at which you have been accepted until very late on the 16th (which means that people on that waitlist won't hear until very late in the day). This is, of course, an unfortunate cycle. But one that none of you has any personal incentive to try to break.

There's absolutely no rush to make a decision before the April 16th deadline. This is an incredibly important decision. April 16th is only a month away. Take every second of the allotted time to make the best decision for *you.* You are not being selfish if you do this. You are being thoughtful and rational.

This is all coming from someone who has made multiple phone calls late in the evening on the last day (9pm, 10pm) to waitlisted applicants letting them know that we are finally(!) able to accept them. And on more than one occasion, the student has told me that he/she has regretted not waiting until the last minute to make a decision. Don't let that be you.

*You'll need to confirm for each school whether they interpret "end of the day on the 16th" as close of business, or midnight.*

[AllFiredUp]

As a former waitlister I am a huge proponent of people telling schools their decisions as soon as they make them. I feel like the polite thing to do during decision time is send them out as soon as you know -- it's dragging on enough on its own.

Try to sit down and figure out where you're going after your visits are over. Those accepted off the wait list have only a relatively short time to find places to live (a lot is snapped up before even summer), job searches for significant others, etc. Be thoughtful and rational, indeed, but don't run out the clock for the heck of it.

[Troll]

*None* of you should turn down *any* admissions offer until you have received the terms of *every* one of your offers *in writing*. I can't emphasize this enough. Even a verbal admissions offer of "full funding for 5 years" means absolutely nothing until you have it in writing.

So if an offer is not verbal is it a pictogram or perhaps an interpretive dance? Perhaps you meant oral? That having been said an oral contract can be enforced. Especially if you act in reliance on it. Since we are on the topic of contracts, your first right under a contract is, to breach the contract. Now, if a university breached its contract to admit a student the damages are fairly clear, but the inverse is not likely to be true. Schools have wait lists for that very purpose so, unless you are a Nobel laureate who has been admitted to Podunk University and they have based their development campaignon your being a student there, you are likely going to escape liability for the breach.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Troll

[anxiousapplicant]

So if an offer is not verbal is it a pictogram or perhaps an interpretive dance? Perhaps you meant oral? That having been said an oral contract can be enforced. Especially if you act in reliance on it. Since we are on the topic of contracts, your first right under a contract is, to breach the contract. Now, if a university breached its contract to admit a student the damages are fairly clear, but the inverse is not likely to be true. Schools have wait lists for that very purpose so, unless you are a Nobel laureate who has been admitted to Podunk University and they have based their development campaignon your being a student there, you are likely going to escape liability for the breach.

Your little people's court spiel isn't even amusing nor is your attempt to "troll" interesting or amusing either

[anxiousapplicant]

actually, I'm embarrassed at your lame attempt to be funny.

[AssocProf]

AllFiredUp - Politeness should have nothing to do with this decision. This is a decision about *your* life, and you worked extremely hard to get to the point at which you actually have a decision to make. Sure, once you get all your offers in writing and have visited every school and have carefully deliberated, if you don't think there's any additional information you could learn, you should go ahead and let schools know. I didn't say you should wait until the 16th just for the hell of it. I made two main points: 1) don't make a decision until you have everything in writing, and 2) don't feel pressured by anyone to make a decision prior to the agreed-upon deadline of the 16th.

Troll - Of course I meant oral, but you know that. Sure, contracts law and Judge Judy tell us that oral contracts are binding. But once you get into this profession you'll learn that oral contracts (and even written contracts) to students and to new faculty sometimes have to be broken, with no malicious intent. Are any of you really going to sue a department for breaking an oral contract of admissions?

This is all I'm going to say on this matter. I don't know any of you, and I don't really care whether you take my advice or not. It just bothers me to know that students are being made to feel that they should make a decision sooner than would be in their self-interest to do so (through pleas to common courtesy aimed at making someone feel guilty or through pressure from someone in power).

Edited March 11, 2010 by AssocProf

[WorldMan]

In the civilized world, one has to take consideration quite a few things beyond self-interest when making any decisions.

[TDBank]

But once you get into this profession you'll learn that oral contracts (and even written contracts) to students and to new faculty sometimes have to be broken, with no malicious intent.

This is true. I've never held a non-academic job, so I don't know if breach of contract is a bigger problem for academia than for other professions, but it's true that oral as well as written contracts are sometimes broken in academia. Having said that, it is usually the individual departments that break contracts rather than the GSAS or the university as a whole. So as soon as you receive a letter of admission from the Dean, you can take all details in that letter at face value.

[AssocProf]

CORRECTION: The notification deadline is April 15th, not April 16th (I'm not involved with grad admissions in my department this year, and I incorrectly assumed the deadline was on a Friday). I'm sorry for the confusion!

[The Realist]

AssocProf gives good advice. I have only one small addendum--if there is a program that you know you will not attend, once you receive an offer that you do want to take (again, in writing) then it's a good courtesy to remove yourself from the running from the other department. It's not necessary, but it makes a good impression. You never know when you might be applying to that department for a job six years later. (Happened to me.)