Received offer but haven't accepted yet - now prof wants to talk on the phone

[graspinghandsandfeet]

Hi everyone,

I received an offer from the Evolutionary Anthropology program at Rutgers recently. The offer is fantastic - full funding, health insurance, etc, more than I could have ever hoped for. I have until April 15th to make my decision, but an email from the admissions office said that they would prefer to hear from me by April 1st, so they can give my funding to someone else. This makes sense, if I was on a waitlist for funding I would prefer to hear sooner rather than later. However, I am still waiting for one school (Duke) and I am on "a short waitlist" in Chicago. I am expecting a rejection from Duke, so if it wasn't for the waitlist, I would have accepted Rutgers' offer already. To be honest, I will most likely accept the offer, but I feel uncomfortable doing it before I know all of my options.

Today I got an email from the professor I would be working with at Rutgers. He asked if I wanted to talk on the phone, so we could discuss the program, my interests, and any questions I have that might help me make my decision. I actually do have a lot of questions, but I was wondering if you guys had any advice.

What are some key questions that I should ask that I might not be thinking of right now? For those of you who are already attending, what things do you wish you had asked before accepting an offer? Should I tell him about the waitlist/which school it is?

Thanks!

[truc]

Hi everyone,

I received an offer from the Evolutionary Anthropology program at Rutgers recently. The offer is fantastic - full funding, health insurance, etc, more than I could have ever hoped for. I have until April 15th to make my decision, but an email from the admissions office said that they would prefer to hear from me by April 1st, so they can give my funding to someone else. This makes sense, if I was on a waitlist for funding I would prefer to hear sooner rather than later. However, I am still waiting for one school (Duke) and I am on "a short waitlist" in Chicago. I am expecting a rejection from Duke, so if it wasn't for the waitlist, I would have accepted Rutgers' offer already. To be honest, I will most likely accept the offer, but I feel uncomfortable doing it before I know all of my options.

Today I got an email from the professor I would be working with at Rutgers. He asked if I wanted to talk on the phone, so we could discuss the program, my interests, and any questions I have that might help me make my decision. I actually do have a lot of questions, but I was wondering if you guys had any advice.

What are some key questions that I should ask that I might not be thinking of right now? For those of you who are already attending, what things do you wish you had asked before accepting an offer? Should I tell him about the waitlist/which school it is?

Thanks!

Have you talked to current/previous students at Rutgers? Particularly students who have worked with your POI? You could ask if he/she has any who would be willing to talk with you about their experiences...that'll buy you 30 seconds.

To be honest, I think letting them know that you are waiting on other decisions yourself and don't want to make an uninformed decision should be fine. You are probably neither the first person nor the last who hasn't instantly accepted their offer. You might also consider contacting Chicago to find out the actual likelihood of your getting in, just so you don't hold on for no good reason.

[runonsentence]

This could potentially be really helpful or not at all–but some key questions that are helping me make my own decision:

- Teaching (all my offers involve TAships). What is the usual teaching load? What kinds of courses do students teach, what kind of variety is it possible to get, and how soon/often?

- Additional funding options from the university and/or department. (Important for professionalization/preparing for the job market!) How competitive is travel money for conferences, and do the grants usually meet students' actual expenses? Are competitive fellowships (that would release you from teaching, if you're also looking at TAships) around?

- Additional Experiences. Are other administrative or research experiences available for students, in addition to teaching?

- Exam process. Are people getting stuck in coursework, or moving on time to exams? What is the exam process like?