So have you decided where you are NOT going?

[going crazy]

I was just curious as to whether folks have started officially declining offers, from where, and for what reasons.

I officially declined my offer from Minnesota last week (because of funding, fit, and climate) and after reading this ASR article by Val Burris (http://pages.uoregon...09/asr_2004.pdf) on the academic caste system and the importance of departmental prestige in getting academic jobs I'm seriously reconsidering whether Rice would be the best place for me. The funding is awesome, and the fit is good, but I just don't think it would have the cachet on the job market of my other option(s?). I'm not really interested so much in debating that point. Rather, I'm curious as to how other people are working through their own decisions and what conclusions they've come to.

[going crazy]

Also, if you are simply leaning away from an option or two but haven't decided against anything yet, feel free to talk about the process.

[barilicious]

Speaking of prestige (and I'm going to take a look at this article!), I've been wondering if going to a school ranked 17 over a school ranked 11 is a big deal. Or since they are both in the 11-20 range, it doesn't matter? I'll most likely definitely be turning down FSU, as it is not ranked in the top 20 as my other 3 acceptances are. I haven't officially turned them down yet because I'm curious to see their funding package.

[maximus82]

Speaking of prestige (and I'm going to take a look at this article!), I've been wondering if going to a school ranked 17 over a school ranked 11 is a big deal. Or since they are both in the 11-20 range, it doesn't matter? I'll most likely definitely be turning down FSU, as it is not ranked in the top 20 as my other 3 acceptances are. I haven't officially turned them down yet because I'm curious to see their funding package.

I think this depends a lot on what your areas of interests are, and also where you see yourself when you're done with the PhD. I would suggest looking at(or asking about)each school's recent placements.

[barilicious]

I think this depends a lot on what your areas of interests are, and also where you see yourself when you're done with the PhD. I would suggest looking at(or asking about)each school's recent placements.

Yea, I've been looking at recent placements and CVs of students on the market right now. It is just getting close to April 15th, and this decision is proving WAY harder than I ever anticipated.

[maximus82]

Yea, I've been looking at recent placements and CVs of students on the market right now. It is just getting close to April 15th, and this decision is proving WAY harder than I ever anticipated.

Have you visited any of the programs? The visit made a huge difference when I was in your situation.

one important thing to think about is location. A happy graduate student at program ranked 17 can be much more productive than an unhappy student at a higher ranked program.

[barilicious]

Have you visited any of the programs? The visit made a huge difference when I was in your situation.

one important thing to think about is location. A happy graduate student at program ranked 17 can be much more productive than an unhappy student at a higher ranked program.

I've visited Indiana and Ohio State, and I'm going to be visiting Texas in a couple weeks. I definitely think visiting is important, as I've been able to gauge my relationship with the faculty and current grad students. However, visiting has made the decision all the more complicated as well. I don't think I can make a bad decision; I just hope to make the best.

[going crazy]

I've visited Indiana and Ohio State, and I'm going to be visiting Texas in a couple weeks. I definitely think visiting is important, as I've been able to gauge my relationship with the faculty and current grad students. However, visiting has made the decision all the more complicated as well. I don't think I can make a bad decision; I just hope to make the best.

I'm in your shoes. I'm not thinking in terms of good and bad, but great and best. And Austin is awesome! If it comes down to location, it'll be difficult to beat. Have fun!

[lambspam]

I'm declining the offer from McGill. Hard to do because it's a great school and offered generous funding, but there were a few concerns. International student logistics and job availability for my partner were big issues. Really, though, it came down to the fact that I visited another school and it just felt right.

[davolicious]

However, visiting has made the decision all the more complicated as well. I don't think I can make a bad decision; I just hope to make the best.

I'm in that same boat. There were two schools that I was favoring over Ohio State, but their visit resolved several of the concerns I had. It brought up a few others, but they are minor in comparison. Speaking of Ohio State, funding news should be out in the next couple of days. That could potentially be a huge factor for me (not the dollar amount, so much as the number of years of fellowship support).

On topic, I haven't actually pulled the plug on any schools yet. I told my wait-list school to take me off the list, but I haven't managed to actually send my letter declining acceptance to anyone yet. I plan on doing that this week for at least two schools, possibly three, but I'm hesitant to do so because I feel like I'm burning a bridge. I recognize that it's completely irrational, but I never claimed to be a rational man. Or woman for that matter.

One school (Nebraska) that I know I'm going to turn down is a result of the combination of prestige as well as faculty suggestions. Every faculty member who I've spoken to essentially told me "you can do so much better than here." Another factor for me, especially since I'm married with kids, is years of implicit/explicit support. Arizona has many appealing aspects, and they offered bonus money per year for me, but they only truly guarantee it for one year, and supposedly guarantee it for three years. I was told they've never defunded anyone who was making progress, but I don't know if that's enough for me to go on. Washington State is another one that I'm probably going to turn down, in part because of it's level of prestige, but also because it's extremely far away from family (especially my wife's family). While that may sound like a minor consideration, I would rather finish grad school still married. Also, I assume a happy wife and children would be more conducive to academic productivity, so there's another bonus. Basically, I've pretty much narrowed it down to Penn State and Ohio State.

[barilicious]

I'm in that same boat. There were two schools that I was favoring over Ohio State, but their visit resolved several of the concerns I had. It brought up a few others, but they are minor in comparison. Speaking of Ohio State, funding news should be out in the next couple of days. That could potentially be a huge factor for me (not the dollar amount, so much as the number of years of fellowship support).

On topic, I haven't actually pulled the plug on any schools yet. I told my wait-list school to take me off the list, but I haven't managed to actually send my letter declining acceptance to anyone yet. I plan on doing that this week for at least two schools, possibly three, but I'm hesitant to do so because I feel like I'm burning a bridge. I recognize that it's completely irrational, but I never claimed to be a rational man. Or woman for that matter.

One school (Nebraska) that I know I'm going to turn down is a result of the combination of prestige as well as faculty suggestions. Every faculty member who I've spoken to essentially told me "you can do so much better than here." Another factor for me, especially since I'm married with kids, is years of implicit/explicit support. Arizona has many appealing aspects, and they offered bonus money per year for me, but they only truly guarantee it for one year, and supposedly guarantee it for three years. I was told they've never defunded anyone who was making progress, but I don't know if that's enough for me to go on. Washington State is another one that I'm probably going to turn down, in part because of it's level of prestige, but also because it's extremely far away from family (especially my wife's family). While that may sound like a minor consideration, I would rather finish grad school still married. Also, I assume a happy wife and children would be more conducive to academic productivity, so there's another bonus. Basically, I've pretty much narrowed it down to Penn State and Ohio State.

Yea, I'm waiting to see the Ohio State financial aid offer as well. I have a feeling it could potentially mean a lot in my decision making. I never thought I'd go to OSU since I'm from Columbus, but I was quite impressed with their open house and the faculty. Because of their open house, I'm pretty much deciding between them (but waiting to see the money offer) and UT-Austin (which I still have to visit in a couple weeks).

[going crazy]

Yea, I'm waiting to see the Ohio State financial aid offer as well. I have a feeling it could potentially mean a lot in my decision making. I never thought I'd go to OSU since I'm from Columbus, but I was quite impressed with their open house and the faculty. Because of their open house, I'm pretty much deciding between them (but waiting to see the money offer) and UT-Austin (which I still have to visit in a couple weeks).

If you don't mind me asking, why not indiana?

[goodmp]

I accepted the offer from UNC earlier this week.

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be going to Ohio State, Washington State, or University of Georgia after I received the UNC offer. I visited IU and was really impressed by the program and the faculty, but there weren't any faculty that focused on my primary research interests (something that was mentioned upfront, they were banking on me changing my focus). The location also became a concern, since it would make life a lot easier if my wife were able to find a job. There are a lot more jobs in the triangle than there are in Bloomington.

I haven't notified programs yet though, I need to talk with my advisor here and make sure it is safe to notify programs before I eliminate options.

[Doctor Jimmy]

I have already formally declined Iowa and Purdue.

I think you should let schools know if you have decided not to go there. Give another nervous person (maybe someone on this board) a little more time to know their options.

[going crazy]

Give another nervous person (maybe someone on this board) a little more time to know their options.

Thanks for the love, Doctor Jimmy. Appreciate the shout out.

[jamart24]

Is anyone planning to decline their offer to UCSD? Just still crossing my fingers for funding. :/

Edited March 11, 2011 by jamart24

[goodmp]

Finished declining all of my other offers this morning. I did not anticipate how emotionally taxing that was going to be when I applied to the number of programs that I did. I still am having trouble shaking the feeling that something will go wrong with my UNC admission and I'll regret doing it this early. I'm intellectually sure that it isn't the case, but casting off the last bits of my safety net was difficult. Oh well.

I hope that this lets some folks in off the wait-lists!

[lambspam]

Finished declining all of my other offers this morning. I did not anticipate how emotionally taxing that was going to be when I applied to the number of programs that I did. I still am having trouble shaking the feeling that something will go wrong with my UNC admission and I'll regret doing it this early. I'm intellectually sure that it isn't the case, but casting off the last bits of my safety net was difficult. Oh well.

I hope that this lets some folks in off the wait-lists!

UNC is a fantastic program and Chapel Hill is an absolutely awesome place. It would be hard not to love it. Congrats!

[socme123]

So far I've declined Penn, Michigan, Duke, and Columbia in case any of you are waitlisted at those places. These are terrific schools where I met/communicated with terrific people, so I agree with goodmp that it's emotionally taxing. Aside from the concern that my other offers will magically dry up, I'm also concerned that maybe I'm making the wrong decision.

[heathenist]

So far I've declined Penn, Michigan, Duke, and Columbia in case any of you are waitlisted at those places. These are terrific schools where I met/communicated with terrific people, so I agree with goodmp that it's emotionally taxing. Aside from the concern that my other offers will magically dry up, I'm also concerned that maybe I'm making the wrong decision.

Wow.

[joops]

Finished declining all of my other offers this morning. I did not anticipate how emotionally taxing that was going to be when I applied to the number of programs that I did. I still am having trouble shaking the feeling that something will go wrong with my UNC admission and I'll regret doing it this early. I'm intellectually sure that it isn't the case, but casting off the last bits of my safety net was difficult. Oh well.

I hope that this lets some folks in off the wait-lists!

Thanks for doing this. Hope I get off Indiana's WL! Enjoy UNC-CH, it seems like a great school.

[heathenist]

Anyone turning down Albany?

[going crazy]

So far I've declined Penn, Michigan, Duke, and Columbia in case any of you are waitlisted at those places. These are terrific schools where I met/communicated with terrific people, so I agree with goodmp that it's emotionally taxing. Aside from the concern that my other offers will magically dry up, I'm also concerned that maybe I'm making the wrong decision.

I'd say you're pretty safe declining those other schools for Harvard (or Princeton). Still waiting to pull the trigger on Chicago and Yale, eh? Are you going to Yale's recruitment day this Friday?

[socme123]

I'd say you're pretty safe declining those other schools for Harvard (or Princeton). Still waiting to pull the trigger on Chicago and Yale, eh? Are you going to Yale's recruitment day this Friday?

No, I won't be there. I've met a lot of the folks already.

[going crazy]

So have any more decisions been made out there? I'm still waiting out wait-lists and up in the air on my decisions.