What to do if you've already accepted an offer, and then you get another one

[dazedandbemused]

So, I just accepted my offer from Boston College last night. Here I am feeling great about my future when suddenly, an offer from Rochester appears in the mail. I'd basically resigned myself to being super poor and living in Boston, but the thought of not going into quite so much debt is really pulling at me. Boston's offer is completely unfunded, and it's a two-year program, while Rochester's is a one year and has a half tuition scholarship. My advisor has told me repeatedly that doing a one year is a massively horrible idea, but in the back of my head I keep thinking that it can't be THAT bad. And how do you tell a school that you just accepted that you've changed your mind so quickly? I'm at a loss right now...

[desaparecido]

So, I just accepted my offer from Boston College last night. Here I am feeling great about my future when suddenly, an offer from Rochester appears in the mail. I'd basically resigned myself to being super poor and living in Boston, but the thought of not going into quite so much debt is really pulling at me. Boston's offer is completely unfunded, and it's a two-year program, while Rochester's is a one year and has a half tuition scholarship. My advisor has told me repeatedly that doing a one year is a massively horrible idea, but in the back of my head I keep thinking that it can't be THAT bad. And how do you tell a school that you just accepted that you've changed your mind so quickly? I'm at a loss right now...

Protocol aside (I think it's clearly do-able to switch your decision, though I'd personally be wary of burning a bridge with a great school like BC), I completely side with your advisor regarding the one-year MA. I'll probably get jumped on for saying this, but paying for your MA really isn't the worst idea in the world. It's only two years, and I think it's the best possible investment you can make in this case. As has been discussed elsewhere on this forum, doing a one-year MA will likely be a two-year commitment anyway, as I can't see you getting really strong letters of recommendation or a much stronger and/or refined writing sample or SOP while trudging through your first 2-3 months of graduate-level coursework (seeing as your applications will likely be done sometime in November, before any seminar papers are done and before your MA professors will be able to effectively evaluate any of your work). And as much as folks say one's interests will shift during the PhD program, I think there's a more drastic shift during the BA-MA years, seeing as your MA thesis will likely be your first real in-depth, expanded writing project (unless your undergrad institution had serious writing requirements, though; I think my UG thesis was ~28 pages vs. my 80-page MA thesis, which had an unimaginably strong impact on my research focus). I mean, the call is ultimately yours, but I think accepting BC's two-year program, even unfunded, is a much better decision, personal investment-wise, than Rochester's one-year program, even if you had both offers at the same time. Good luck!

[see_bella]

college debt is not an easy and desirable feat. So, think wisely before you decide. Carrying around two years of debt (tuition, fees, books, room and board, etc) or doing a year program. It's up to you.

[butalas]

Readwritenap makes some really good points. If you plan on going for your PhD, then a two year MA program is really the best option. It will give you enough time to really develop as a graduate student (I'm speaking from assumption, not experience). Plus, if you decide to go to BC, then we will meet there!

[lazaria]

Here's my two cents.

I am in the middle of an unfunded two year terminal MA program. Yes, the debt bites. However, with PhD applications approaching, I actually wish I could spend more time building my CV and relationships with my profs. There is no way I could have squeezed in conferences or departmental service if I had a year to graduate.

[ComeBackZinc]

For the specific question of what to do if you decide you do want to switch offers, call BC and be completely upfront. Be apologetic, be polite, and speak specifically about the funding, which is a very legitimate and understandable reason to switch (especially given the reality of the lit job market). Don't burn your bridges.

[dazedandbemused]

Thanks for all the advice. Readwritenap, you speak wisdom into my neurotic brain This process has definitely been hard on my nerves (I feel like Mrs. Bennet when I say that) and the thought that I had made a huge mistake just wouldn't go away. Lazaria, your point in particular is one that I originally made with myself when I first chose Boston, as all of my other offers were also one year. I'm just terrified of owing more money than I already do. However, Boston does have the possibility of a teaching fellowship in the second year, so it is possible that I'll only end up paying for one year. In the lucid light of day, I've returned to a state of certainty about my choice. Boston it is!