Do I wait to accept the offer?

[Mg1995]

These may be silly questions but I am unfamiliar with this process.  I applied to two masters programs, one in TN and one in NC.  The one is TN is my top pick but only by a little.  I just got an acceptance from the school in NC with a generous funding offer.  I don't expect to hear anything from TN for another month.  So my questions are:

If I wait to hear back from TN, could that effect what NC offered me?  As in, if I wait a month will I lose my funding offer?

Since I got my acceptance offer earlier this week I have been emailed twice with an invitation to a graduate student showcase and prospective student dinner.  Should I attend these events if I haven't accepted yet?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Gatech_ST]

There should be an official deadline to accept your offer, you can also negotiate extending it if you are still waiting for the other. Yeah you can attend the events, they are made to convince people to join! you will also have a chance to interact with other students and faculty  

[EmmaJeanB]

Same as the @Gatech_ST said. I know the absolute deadline to the university you plan to attend is April 15th. 

[GeorgiaTechPhd]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:10 AM, EmmaJeanB said:

Same as the @Gatech_ST said. I know the absolute deadline to the university you plan to attend is April 15th. 

Actually, that's not completely true. The 15th April deadline is for accepting funding offer. And also, it's not a law but something that has been adopted by a group of universities, precisely to help people in situations like this. While most US universities are part of this resolution, it's always good to confirm from them about the same. There is nothing wrong in doing that, and the university understands that most students will have multiple offers and may need some time to consider their options. 

And like Gatech_ST said, you should definitely attend the events as they will help you know more about the program. 

[AP]

On 2/8/2020 at 1:49 PM, Mg1995 said:

These may be silly questions but I am unfamiliar with this process.  I applied to two masters programs, one in TN and one in NC.  The one is TN is my top pick but only by a little.  I just got an acceptance from the school in NC with a generous funding offer.  I don't expect to hear anything from TN for another month.  So my questions are:

If I wait to hear back from TN, could that effect what NC offered me?  As in, if I wait a month will I lose my funding offer?

Since I got my acceptance offer earlier this week I have been emailed twice with an invitation to a graduate student showcase and prospective student dinner.  Should I attend these events if I haven't accepted yet?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

An offer is an offer. Unless you don't respond by the date they tell you, they cannot rescind it. However, you can very much contact TN and let them know you have a funded offer in hand. That might help accelerate discussions, or at least tell you where you stand. 

Eg: When I was applying, a faculty called me saying that I was accepted but funding didn't come through yet. It was my top choice POI. I told them that I had an offer in hand. They asked how much and when I answered they said they could never match it. I'm not saying this will happen to you, but just that the circulation of information sometimes helps.