Got in but it isn't with the supervisor of choice

[Reza2019]

I just got into my second choice PhD in Business. However, the supervisor is not the POI I had in mind. In fact, his research, though interesting, is not very relevant.

1. Does this mean I will have to focus on the research topic of this new supervisor throughout my PhD or will I have the flexibility to pivot to my own area of interest? Any advice?

2. I am still waiting to hear back from my first choice. Should I quickly email them about this offer? At the first choice school, should I email the POI or the admissions team? What do I say?

A prompt response would be appreciated

[ticktick]

For your second choice school, I would reach out to the supervisor you were assigned and ask to talk. Just having the chance to introduce yourself and start a conversation about the program will give you a better idea on if you think you will get along with this person and be able to talk openly about your academic interests that differ. The supervisor you were assigned was matched because the program feels there are enough overlap. How flexible they are to your own area of interest will vary from person to person. There is a good chance they already know your research interests based on your application, so you are not starting from square 1. Them agreeing to supervise you means that at least have some openness to your research.

For the first choice school, I would just wait to hear back from. It often doesn't do any good to reach out to them and let them know you were admitted elsewhere because they already have a set timeline of reviewing application and getting decisions out. They likely won't have too much flexibility. You could email the POI just to reiterate your interest in the program and excitement to hear back. They may give you some unofficial news sooner, but the admission team as a whole probably won't be able to give you more information before their set timeline.

Best of luck!

[Reza2019]

Thanks

On 3/2/2019 at 12:49 AM, ticktick said:

For your second choice school, I would reach out to the supervisor you were assigned and ask to talk. Just having the chance to introduce yourself and start a conversation about the program will give you a better idea on if you think you will get along with this person and be able to talk openly about your academic interests that differ. The supervisor you were assigned was matched because the program feels there are enough overlap. How flexible they are to your own area of interest will vary from person to person. There is a good chance they already know your research interests based on your application, so you are not starting from square 1. Them agreeing to supervise you means that at least have some openness to your research.

For the first choice school, I would just wait to hear back from. It often doesn't do any good to reach out to them and let them know you were admitted elsewhere because they already have a set timeline of reviewing application and getting decisions out. They likely won't have too much flexibility. You could email the POI just to reiterate your interest in the program and excitement to hear back. They may give you some unofficial news sooner, but the admission team as a whole probably won't be able to give you more information before their set timeline.

Best of luck!

 

[MCC778]

On 2/26/2019 at 11:48 PM, Reza2019 said:

I just got into my second choice PhD in Business. However, the supervisor is not the POI I had in mind. In fact, his research, though interesting, is not very relevant.

1. Does this mean I will have to focus on the research topic of this new supervisor throughout my PhD or will I have the flexibility to pivot to my own area of interest? Any advice?

2. I am still waiting to hear back from my first choice. Should I quickly email them about this offer? At the first choice school, should I email the POI or the admissions team? What do I say?

A prompt response would be appreciated

If you've already received an offer, it does not hurt to contact the graduate admissions coordinator to check on your application status. Just make sure to let them know you have received offers and you want to check so that you're able to get back to each program in a reasonable time. I did this and had a very different experience from what Reza2019 mentioned. It will also depend on how the admissions committees are set up (some schools have one committee that reviews everything and some have hierarchical groups, which does allow for a little more flexibility). The program I reached out to was able to give push mine through quicker and give me an update within two days, even though they hadn't reached out to others though. They were able to give me my official acceptance status, but the details of my full offer won't come out until a little later. So, it definitely can't hurt. The worse that can happen is either a) you don't get a response or b) they have no news for you.