A bird in hand or two in the bush? Waiting on HKU...

[urbanaut]

I've been accepted to a number of graduate programs, but I've narrowed it down to two main contenders. A top domestic school for Urban Planning or the a really interesting opportunity abroad for International and Public Affairs.

All main considerations aside, my biggest issue is that, although the school abroad has responded via the program itself and department letting me know that I was chosen for their program, I am yet to get a hard copy of the letter in hand from the faculty of graduate studies.

My deadline for replying to my domestic offer (which I have managed to get extended) is going to expire in the next week, and although I followed up with the school abroad all the said was that they could only do the best they could to get the faculty to hurry with my offer.

To me, this is a question of one in the hand and two in the bush. I’d love to go abroad, but is it worth the risk of something happening (as unlikely as it is) by turning down a pretty good offer that I already have? My most recent email inquiry with the department has gone unanswered…

What would you do?

Edited May 8, 2012 by urbanaut

[aberrant]

If you are referring HKU as The University of Hong Kong, then the problem is that you may not receive the official (hard copy) letter until the end of May or even early June. It seems to be rather risky to wait for a school that has yet to confirm your acceptance, because applications submitted back in early December 2011 should have their results back in March/April. You might be on a waitlist, or there is a funding issue that the school is dealing with.

The worst scenario is if you declined your local offer and then rejected by HKU. If you can risk or take the worst scenario (and reapply next cycle) then you can definitely wait.

[urbanaut]

The worst scenario is if you declined your local offer and then rejected by HKU. If you can risk or take the worst scenario (and reapply next cycle) then you can definitely wait.

That's what concerns me most, obviously. However, in speaking with the program director he said that it was just a matter of the faculty verifying my credentials before the official letter is issued. I was recommended by the program and department. So I'm hesitant to wait, just because if anything did happen I'd have already turned down a very good offer here in Canada.

[aberrant]

And therefore I would

1. decline the offer from Canada and wait for HKU. If HKU, somehow, turned me down, I will reapply this Fall.

2. defer the offer in Canada (for a semester) and wait for HKU. If I am accepted by HKU, then I will decline the offer from Canada (with a brief explanation on (legitimate) personal/funding reasons); if not, then I'll go to the domestic one a semester later (or a year later if that's a year-long deferment.)

3. accept the offer from the domestic school. go to HKU:

3a. after you completed your degree in Canada (get a different degree from HKU. whether it means you'll have to defer your admission offer by HKU or reapply HKU in next applicable cycle), or

3b. by accepting the "late" offer from HKU. tell the domestic school that you decided to leave the program for whatever reasons (worst option of all).