Suggestions Needed: Graduate Director Urged Me to Make the Decision before Mar 1

[TheGingerSnap]

Hi guys,

Has anyone of you been urged by the POI/ graduate director to make the final decision before the global deadline (April 15)? 

My POI, who's also the graduate director, has sent out two separate emails so far asking me to decide before March 1, despite the deadline was listed as April 15 in the offer letter. 

I am still waiting for another school's funding decisions, and can't really make  the final decisions before March. 

Do you think I should tell POI the truth and ask them to give me more time? What's gonna happen if I wait until April to make the decisions?

[perpetualalligator]

From my understanding, if there is funding involved your POI cannot urge you to make a decision before April 15th. If anything you should tell them that they are not allowed to make you decide before April 15th. I'm not sure about how the thing works but here's a link to the resolution if you want to check it out: https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution 

 

[juicetin]

The resolution isn't legally binding in any way. Graduate schools are allowed to make their decisions whenever they want, and this resolution doesn't really hold in non-American schools either.

Edited February 27, 2019 by juicetin

[juilletmercredi]

Yes, reach out to the POI and tell them that you are waiting on some decisions, and you are unable to make any commitments before the formal April 15 deadline. If you want, you can ask them what will happen if you don't know until mid-April.

Then reach out to the department admissions contact and let them know this POI has been asking you to decide before March 1, and ask for clarification on the deadline.