Accepting then declining???? Please someone help

[Choices....Confused]

I am very confused and I'm really hoping some of you will be able to help me especially since April 15th is right around the corner. I was planning to go to grad school this fall 2012, so I started applying, and got into the schools I applied to. The only thing competing is the possibility of a new job. Since grad school is so expensive, if I got a got job I would definitely prefer the job over school. The chances of getting a job before April 15th are slim to none. Is it possible to accept then decline my offer to this school if I get a job? I also would not want to hurt my chances in the future because I really like this school/program and may like to go in the future.

Edited March 30, 2012 by Choices....Confused

[go3187]

Since grad school is so expensive, if I got a got job I would definitely prefer the job over school. The chances of getting a job before April 15th are slim to none. Is it possible to accept then decline my offer to this school if I get a job? I also would not want to hurt my chances in the future because I really like this school/program and may like to go in the future.

If you accept an offer but later decline it, don't expect the school to be happy about it... and definitely don't hold your breath waiting to be accepted again!

[Eigen]

Yeah, I would really doubt that you could do this in a way that wouldn't shoot yourself in the foot for future applications to the same school. If they took a bet on you this time, and it burned them due to a pulled acceptance, why would they take the risk again in the future?

Some of what you say about grad school, however, makes me think that you might be in a non-funded discipline/program, in which case things might be a bit different. It might help if you told us what degree/program this was for.

[Cici Beanz]

I managed to save face after pulling out of a program, and I am incredibly grateful that I did...but I will tell you that I put a LOT of effort into convincing them that I was serious this time. And I don't mean to sound judgy, since after all I don't know ANYTHING about the specifics of your situation, but if you would prefer a job over grad school to such a large degree, maybe you should just keep on holding out for a job just a little longer and see what your situation is for next year? Or if you are sure you want to accept an offer this season, maybe you can defer for a year should you find a job?

[Choices....Confused]

It's the MPH management program at Columbia.....I don't know if that makes any difference. I tried to defer, but they're not accepting deferals this year so that's not even an option.

[ANDS!]

I would take the education over the immediate job; especially since you're going for a Masters which is a professional degree. You're looking at two-years max to bolster the rest of your future. Always take the long bet, not the quick cash-out.