Withdrawing applications?

[TheLadyT]

So, a question (of course)...

I have already accepted an offer from my #1 choice (yay!). I received an offer from another school (which I turned down), am on the waitlist for one, and am in this weird in-between place for another. (I was invited to a preview weekend and told that someone had to turn down their offer in order for me to be accepted - I was something like #8 on their list and they are admitting 7 people). Since I've already accepted an offer, should I somehow withdraw my applications to these two other schools? Or should I wait until they actually offer something? I'm not sure how to handle this.

Thank you!

[guttata]

For the schools that have notified you (acceptance or waitlist), just tell them you're declining as you've accepted somewhere else. They'll just strike you from their list altogether. If there are any other schools that you haven't heard from at all, it shouldn't be a big deal to withdraw your application. Just thank them for considering you but tell them you've accepted another offer. On the other hand, you can always wait to hear from them so you don't feel like you wasted your application money.

[fuzzylogician]

On the other hand, you can always wait to hear from them so you don't feel like you wasted your application money.

This is unnecessary. In a small field, it could hurt you if it got out that you already accepted another offer but still had schools waste time and money on your decision. It's much better to withdraw and let the school make offers to students who might accept them. In some cases, spots and/or funding that has been offered to one student can't be reoffered to another student, or at least the process isn't automatic. People might be rejected or put on the waiting list who would have otherwise gotten an offer. You want to be responsible for that outcome just so you can know what some school that is not your top choice and which you are definitely not attending will decide? FWIW I withdrew my app from three schools after I had offers from my top 3 choices, before even making a decision. At that point I knew for a fact that I wouldn't go to those other schools and it would have been a waste to let them go through the decision process only for me to say 'no' at the end. Now I'm attending my top choice and am very happy with my decision, I've never once had a 'what-if' thought of this nature. Who cares?

[cyberwulf]

FWIW I withdrew my app from three schools after I had offers from my top 3 choices, before even making a decision. At that point I knew for a fact that I wouldn't go to those other schools and it would have been a waste to let them go through the decision process only for me to say 'no' at the end.

Schools would be very happy if there were more students as decisive as you.

[fuzzylogician]

Schools would be very happy if there were more students as decisive as you.

It was a very emotional process at the time. Every time you say 'no' you are choosing to close the door on a different future you could have had, and are letting go of an accomplishment that you worked very hard for. Especially with the schools I was seriously considering, but not just, I would wait a day or two after making my decision to make sure I didn't regret it. Hitting that 'send' button on this kind of email was still difficult -- my heard would skip a beat each time, even though I was very sure of what I was doing -- so I'm not trying to make this seem like an easy thing. But if you think about it logically, I think you know it's the right thing to do. Maybe it's naive but I believe in this sort of karma. I got everything I wanted out of my application process and I maybe can help someone else do better in theirs. I like to think that, even if it's wrong.

[MarketingPhD2012]

Withdraw your application and free up the spot for another student.

[TheLadyT]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. Honestly, the thought would never have occurred to me if I hadn't noticed something about this issue on the GradCafe. So, thank you! I've written to all of the programs and let them know to take me off their lists.

...a few people on waitlists will be very happy!