I have made a decision! ...but I have not heard from all my schools yet

[Bonkers]

I recently made a visit to one of the programs I was accepted into and LOVED IT. It is PERFECT. It is a perfect fit: I love the faculty, students, current research, location... even the tiny department building itself. I LOVE IT. I am ready to say, "yes! yes! I do! I do!" And this is a lot coming from someone who does not want to leave NY and has a grad school option to allow her to stay. Tomorrow, I will contact CUNY and let them know that I will not be attending so they can give my funding to someone else. However, I was advised by my partner not to give my perfect program an official acceptance yet because I have not heard back from a few programs. I am 100% sure Harvard and NYU gave me the boot. However, there is still a chance that I might get into Indiana (WL), Amherst, and Johns Hopkins. Indiana and Johns Hopkins do fit with my research interests, not as well as my perfect school, but compatible enough. I am just SO READY to say YES to the perfect school? But should I wait? Am I just high off of my excitement? Wouldn't it be better to remove oneself off the list so others could bump up in the case that there is an unsaid wait-list?

[juilletmercredi]

I recently made a visit to one of the programs I was accepted into and LOVED IT. It is PERFECT. It is a perfect fit: I love the faculty, students, current research, location... even the tiny department building itself. I LOVE IT. I am ready to say, "yes! yes! I do! I do!" And this is a lot coming from someone who does not want to leave NY and has a grad school option to allow her to stay. Tomorrow, I will contact CUNY and let them know that I will not be attending so they can give my funding to someone else. However, I was advised by my partner not to give my perfect program an official acceptance yet because I have not heard back from a few programs. I am 100% sure Harvard and NYU gave me the boot. However, there is still a chance that I might get into Indiana (WL), Amherst, and Johns Hopkins. Indiana and Johns Hopkins do fit with my research interests, not as well as my perfect school, but compatible enough. I am just SO READY to say YES to the perfect school? But should I wait? Am I just high off of my excitement? Wouldn't it be better to remove oneself off the list so others could bump up in the case that there is an unsaid wait-list?

I think the only good reason to hold out would be looking at funding offers. If your top-choice is the perfect research match for you, you love the department and you enjoyed your time there and the location is good - I would decline/withdraw right now while it's still early enough in the season. The only reason I wouldn't would be 1) if the funding is less than satisfactory or if 2) you are curious to see whether you would prefer the atmospheres of the other schools.

If you are still waiting for Harvard and NYU then you are not 100% sure they rejected you, lol. Would you choose NYU or Harvard over this school? If you say yes to one or either of them I would hold on to them. It seems you are waiting on 5 programs. What I personally would do is decline the programs that are not good research matches for me and/or I know I wouldn't like the location as much as Perfect School. You seemed to indicate that Amherst doesn't really fit well, so I might drop them, for example. I might also drop Indiana because you have been waitlisted there - it's not like you are waiting on an actual decision, so better to bump someone else up on the waitlist assuming there is someone beneath you. I would be left with NYU (which I would retain), Harvard (which I might retain) and Johns Hopkins (which would be a toss-up depending on how close the research match is and depending on how much I was interested in living in Baltimore compared to my other choice).

[Bonkers]

I think the only good reason to hold out would be looking at funding offers. If your top-choice is the perfect research match for you, you love the department and you enjoyed your time there and the location is good - I would decline/withdraw right now while it's still early enough in the season. The only reason I wouldn't would be 1) if the funding is less than satisfactory or if 2) you are curious to see whether you would prefer the atmospheres of the other schools.

If you are still waiting for Harvard and NYU then you are not 100% sure they rejected you, lol. Would you choose NYU or Harvard over this school? If you say yes to one or either of them I would hold on to them. It seems you are waiting on 5 programs. What I personally would do is decline the programs that are not good research matches for me and/or I know I wouldn't like the location as much as Perfect School. You seemed to indicate that Amherst doesn't really fit well, so I might drop them, for example. I might also drop Indiana because you have been waitlisted there - it's not like you are waiting on an actual decision, so better to bump someone else up on the waitlist assuming there is someone beneath you. I would be left with NYU (which I would retain), Harvard (which I might retain) and Johns Hopkins (which would be a toss-up depending on how close the research match is and depending on how much I was interested in living in Baltimore compared to my other choice).

THANK YOU!

[joops]

Please see below post. I tried to edit my original post but my computer wonked out and I had to make two. Sorry.

Edited March 7, 2011 by joops

[joops]

As someone on the exact same waitlist as you, I say accept this other offer

But in all seriousness I want to let you know that I emailed UMass and if you haven't heard yet, it means you aren't in the first round of acceptances.

Also, if your perfect school is the one I am thinking of, then I grew up in the town right next to it so feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the location and the surrounding area. Especially if you like bargain shopping, I know all of the great places to go.

[fall-11]

I think you should wait until you hear from the others. Sometimes it's easy to get hyper-excited, and your emotions take over (like newly falling in love) and later you start realizing all the things you didn't notice because you were so starry-eyed. Just calm down and wait a few more weeks. Your dream school isn't going away anywhere, and they aren't going to rescind your acceptance just because you're taking your time saying "I do." Won't the "I do" be more meaningful when you're actually accepting them despite offers from a bunch of other places? Alternatively, maybe Harvard or some other dream school will scoop you up, and you'll be glad you hadn't committed prematurely. Good luck, and congrats!