CornMuffin Posted February 27, 2011 Posted February 27, 2011 I received an acceptance letter from a school in canada in mathematics, with no support (I still may be offered financial support). But they want me to accept or decline the offer by March 15th. So far, I've only heard from a couple schools, and this one is the only one to accept me. If no better schools accepts me by March 15th, should I accept this offer? But then what if another school gives me a better offer (maybe with financial support?), would I be able to get out of the canadian school so I can go with the better offer? What should I do? Should I call or email the others schools before march 15th, to inquire about the status of my application before the deadline. (who knows, maybe they already sent out an acceptance letter in the mail!). Thanks.
qbtacoma Posted February 27, 2011 Posted February 27, 2011 See if the school takes part in the agreement about the April 15 deadline; if so, then even if you accept their offer you can go back and decline before April 15. They are urging you to tell them early, though, so they can move on to their waitlisted applicants. You should at least let the other schools know and ask when you can expect to hear a decision from them. It doesn't have to be complicated, but something like "I have received an offer from another program but I wanted to know what you think of me before I decide." But make that classier before you send it off. I got the impression that cost isn't an issue for you - that is, that you would be able to go even if this school gave you no funding. If that is the case then it would be best to weigh other aspects of the programs first, cost second. If you can't afford to go without funding, don't accept the offer on the hope they'll give more to you. You don't want to be obligated to go somewhere you can't afford.
newms Posted February 27, 2011 Posted February 27, 2011 Congrats on your acceptance! What I would suggest that you do is that you contact the department at the Canadian school maybe a week before the deadline and ask if you could get an extension in the deadline for when you'd have to decide. You could let them know that you're very interested in attending their school, but you need a little more time in making your decision. All the best!
CornMuffin Posted February 27, 2011 Author Posted February 27, 2011 Thanks And I looked it up, that canadian school does not take part in the agreement about the April 15th deadline
wtncffts Posted February 28, 2011 Posted February 28, 2011 As far as I can tell, no Canadian schools have signed onto that agreement. At first I thought that was because they weren't members of the CGS at all, but it appears that most are.
Count de Monet Posted March 1, 2011 Posted March 1, 2011 why not just ask them if you can extend that deadline?
nervousapplicant Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Yeah, I'm having this issue too. I'm Canadian and only applied to Canadian schools. I've been accepted to one, wait-listed at another and so far have heard nothing from the remaining two (which are my two bottom choices anyway, so it kind of helps, I suppose). The acceptance is a great offer (funding, TAship, excellent for my research interests, good course offerings, etc.) from a small school, and the wait-list is a - well, a wait-list offer from one of the best schools in Canada. No funding, no TAship, a few good potential advisers, great library resources, average course offerings. But it has that reputation factor. I'm 9 on the wait-list but they told me they can't know for sure until April 1. Meanwhile, I have until March 14th to accept the other offer, which is my gut instinct. Of course, that school is literally across the country from where I am. The idea of moving 3000 kilometres plus the reputation factor are both giving me pause. But I'm not going to gamble my future on getting off the wait-list for a school that's a less than perfect fit. AH! These deadlines are so anxiety inducing. I wish Canadian schools had the April 15th agreement. How can I have to decide for one school by March 14 without having heard anything at all from two of my other schools? Edited March 5, 2011 by nervousapplicant
thesnout Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Email or call the school for an extension. They should be able to extend the deadline by a few weeks. Always go with your gut instinct. It would suck to accept then hate the school later.
Poppet Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 For Canadian schools we don't have to submit a deposit as soon as we accept though, right? Can't we accept the offer and then decline it later if we change our minds (without penalty)?
lewin Posted March 8, 2011 Posted March 8, 2011 For Canadian schools we don't have to submit a deposit as soon as we accept though, right? Can't we accept the offer and then decline it later if we change our minds (without penalty)? The only penalty is burnt bridges.
Lymrance Posted March 13, 2011 Posted March 13, 2011 You can definitely accept the offer and then decline it later! This was the suggestion made to me my by own advisor. He anticipated my getting into multiple schools, some of which may pressure me for a reply (so far I am holding them all at bay). He said if worse comes to worse, accept the best offer but then if a better one ends up coming along, you can always write to the school to which you accepted and explain you have changed your mind. You are not signing your name in blood to anything. The school may be annoyed at you for rejecting the offer down the road, but that may be better than missing out on a better offer from another school. Good luck!
illu Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 You can definitely accept the offer and then decline it later! This was the suggestion made to me my by own advisor. He anticipated my getting into multiple schools, some of which may pressure me for a reply (so far I am holding them all at bay). He said if worse comes to worse, accept the best offer but then if a better one ends up coming along, you can always write to the school to which you accepted and explain you have changed your mind. You are not signing your name in blood to anything. The school may be annoyed at you for rejecting the offer down the road, but that may be better than missing out on a better offer from another school. Good luck! I agree with this. Also, depends on which school you got in, funding may not be a big problem as your lucrative wage as a TA can easily make up for it... well, at least if you went to the school I went to.
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