shavasana Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hey all! I know this thread is a little early, but (much to my surprise) I'm going to have to decline some offers this year. I'm not sure the protocol for this. Obviously, I plan on being gracious and thankful for the opportunity and conveying these sentiments, I'm not sure who is the appropriate person to email/call/send a carrier pigeon when the time comes. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! grrradtime, shavasana, catchermiscount and 5 others 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwnich1 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hey all! I know this thread is a little early, but (much to my surprise) I'm going to have to decline some offers this year. I'm not sure the protocol for this. Obviously, I plan on being gracious and thankful for the opportunity and conveying these sentiments, I'm not sure who is the appropriate person to email/call/send a carrier pigeon when the time comes. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! I've declined one so far this year. I wrote a quick email back to the POI who contacted me, sent in the official form with the little decline box ticked, and emailed the DGS expressing my thanks for the opportunity. It may be a bit of a blow to our self esteem, but grad programs will probably "move on quickly" from our "ending the relationship". They've got other grad students to accept off of wait lists (who are probably nearly, if not just as qualified as we are). Just be polite and kind, and you can't go wrong! Congrats on the great offers! Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 There's a bunch of discussion of this over in the April 15th forum from past years. In general, be polite. If you want, explain your reasons for not choosing that school (funding, fit, etc.) but ensure you're polite since you will see those faculty at conferences and may be in the position of applying for a job there in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmark Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 If u plan to drop the admissions at Georgetown and GWU, I will be grateful. Haha, congratulate on your application this year. I may probably go home.. Hey all! I know this thread is a little early, but (much to my surprise) I'm going to have to decline some offers this year. I'm not sure the protocol for this. Obviously, I plan on being gracious and thankful for the opportunity and conveying these sentiments, I'm not sure who is the appropriate person to email/call/send a carrier pigeon when the time comes. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shavasana Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 I haven't actually heard from Georgetown or GWU, so that's not really an option yet. I was thinking of the fact that I had been granted admission to three wonderful programs and would regretfully have to decline two offers. shavasana 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brent09 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Advice from my advisor this morning: Send an e-mail to your primary contact and/or DGS informing them that (a.) You are declining the offer; (b.) Thanking them for the offer; and (c.) Indicating that, if they need it, you can submit a hard copy by postal service (some might need that for their records). If they want more information (like where you're going or why you're turning them down) or if they want to try to change your mind, they can ask/make their case. edit: effing emoticons. Edited February 20, 2012 by brent09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spying on you Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 even a quick email to the grad secretary or dgs is enough, if they need more they will ask. the biggest thing is to decline those offers you know you do not want as soon as you are sure so that these schools can make offers to others. there is no reason to string folks along and most will really appreciate a quick "no thanks" as opposed to a long letter explaining your reasons on April 14th. if you are holding on to multiple offers you are essentially keeping others from getting on and getting funding. WorldMan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shavasana Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 even a quick email to the grad secretary or dgs is enough, if they need more they will ask. the biggest thing is to decline those offers you know you do not want as soon as you are sure so that these schools can make offers to others. there is no reason to string folks along and most will really appreciate a quick "no thanks" as opposed to a long letter explaining your reasons on April 14th. if you are holding on to multiple offers you are essentially keeping others from getting on and getting funding. I agree that once you know that you will not be going somewhere you should inform them, but I don't think one should feel guilty for holding on to multiple offers. In my case, I have 3 offers and have been corresponding with POIs and grad students, but I couldn't imagine making a decision before visiting (I'm incredibly overwhelmed and grateful to even have an option!) So I would say out of courtesy decline as soon as you have an answer, but I'm trying not to feel pressured into making a decision before I'm ready. shavasana 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssocProf Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 adblanche, You definitely shouldn't feel pressured by anyone to make a decision before you're absolutely ready to do so. There will be many, many pleas on this board by wait listed applicants for people to decline admissions offers quickly so they can get a spot. Feel free to ignore those pleas. Although I agree that people should decline when they are absolutely, positively certain they won't be going to a particular school, I can't imagine that anyone who has multiple offers from schools that they took the time to research ahead of time will be able to make a quick decision. And nobody should feel pressured to do so. I recognize that forums such as this one foster a community in which applicants can compare offers, seek advice, commiserate, and the like. These are all good things. But the negative side is that such forums increase the salience of the (incorrect) belief that any one person's decision is directly linked to the fate of another's. Adblanche, you've earned every great offer that you've received. Take the time to make the best decision you can for your career. If there's ever a time to be self-interested, this is it. Carousel, Megan, Ironheel!! and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmark Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I haven't actually heard from Georgetown or GWU, so that's not really an option yet. I was thinking of the fact that I had been granted admission to three wonderful programs and would regretfully have to decline two offers. My point is that if you decide not to attend Georgetown, GWU or any other pending schools, since you have been accepted into much better schools like Yale and Stanford, you can withdraw from these two schools to make room for other guys struggling for even one offer. If you still want to hear from the pending schools, then what you need is to wait and see, and it's highly possible that you will also be accepted into these two schools. Anyway, you need not be guilty for holding multiple offers. Congratulations on all your wonderful offers! cunninlynguist and WorldMan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shavasana Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Congratulations on all your wonderful offers! Thank you! And I'm so sorry I misunderstood your post. I actually took you up on the advice. I withdrew my applications from a couple of schools that I knew that I wouldn't choose over my existing offers of admission. I hope this helps some people get some good news!! iwouldpreferanonymity, PoliSci27 and balthasar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolja00 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I withdrew my admission from Madison tonight, also hope that helps someone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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