Cryptic Acceptance? What does this mean...

[jeenyus]

Hi fellow gradcafers,

Can you help me decipher this email from the grad chair? I don't understand if I was accepted or if it simply says I *might* be accepted. I e-mailed School A after getting a strong offer from School B. At that point I didn't hear anything from School A. School B asked me to reply within two weeks, so I asked School A about when they would be sending out offers/rejections. Here is the reply:

"In terms of [school A]'s offer, it is pending. You were ranked favorably in our first round. I am not at liberty to tell you the precise funding package, since this still needs to be approved by Graduate Studies....More important is the actual amount of the offer. We are authorized to match and surpass what another institution might give you. So, if you are interested in coming to [school A], you would have to provide me with a copy of [school B]'s offer letter (or email) and I'd take it from there."

Thanks for your help in this matter. I am sorta overwhelmed/emotional right now and my judgement sucks. Would appreciated some objective feedback.

Edited February 14, 2012 by jeenyus

[svh]

You negotiated the stipend with them?

[jeenyus]

You negotiated the stipend with them?

No I didn't negotiate anything. I haven't heard anything from School A. That's why I found it odd. My e-mail said:

"I'm writing to inquire when I can expect a response from [school A]. I received an offer from [school B] this

week and the offer requires that I respond within two weeks. I

think I might be able to negotiated for more time, but I wanted to check

with you to see when I might be hearing back from [school A]."

I mean, why bring up the stipend unless I was going to be accepted, right? On the other hand, it's confusing because they say the offer is "pending" which could mean that they haven't made up their mind, or that administrative delays are to blame.

[ksalt]

I think it means you've been accepted, and that the graduate school just has to verify your transcripts are legitimate and that the things in your application are truthful. They might not be able to tell you that you've been accepted to the department until they're jumped through all of the graduate school's hoops.

[jeenyus]

I think it means you've been accepted, and that the graduate school just has to verify your transcripts are legitimate and that the things in your application are truthful. They might not be able to tell you that you've been accepted to the department until they're jumped through all of the graduate school's hoops.

Thanks for your input guys. I e-mailed the POI and asked for clarification after and they said that the impression they got from that e-mail was that an acceptance was "very very likely." Sorry for freaking out here this entire process is driving me mad. And again, thanks for reading and giving me your thoughts.

[applyingfromtexas]

Sounds like you are definitely in and the overall package is pending. Congrats!