really dont know what to dooooooo :(

[dapper]

Hey guys,

I know that title is very urgent sounding but its just because Im stressed about the decision I need to make. So I applied to several schools for M.Sc. programs, four exactly, one that i did my undergrad at and three others I was interested in. I had already had a supervisor lined up at my home school but the other three were a shot in the dark, I chose each of them for a different reason (like the province, academic reputation etc..) Anyway my supervisor put a time crunch on me to decide if I wanted to stay here or pursue elsewhere back in MARCH and said they needed to know by the end of that month. Obviously I hadnt heard from anywhere then so I had to take the offer my supervisor offered me. And anyway replies came back, rejected from one, and the other two were still in the process of cycling applications to faculty. But just today I received an email from the one school out of all them that I considered a long shot asking me if I had accepted an offer anywhere else............and that they offer me a conditional offer, provided that supervisors need students. And I was recently in touch with the admissions officer and they said theres plenty of faculty who want grad students.

So my problem is, Ive pretty much confirmed I would work with the supervisor at the school im at now, but that conditional offer kind of changed alot of things. I always assumed id pursue grad school elsewhere and I think it would be beneficial for me to go somewhere else too. BUT I cant even begin to think how horrible I would feel if I bailed on my current supervisor at this point. Do you think they would understand or just flat out hate me........

I feel like whatever i decide I need to do it soon because my "current" supervisor is already thinking up a research project for me...............

[aberrant]

There may be some bad feelings between you and your current supervisor (depends on how he/she takes it). I think that you should be honest with him/her about you wanting to change your decision (e.g. funding, location, etc.). academic reputation cannot be a legitimate reason though.

And because you have to choose whichever the best option for you, and therefore you just can't expect the perfect and ideal scenario. Therefore, don't be surprised if he/she "flat out hates you", while you shouldn't dwell into it neither -- you gotta do what you gotta do.

Tell your current supervisor ASAP, and the other school, too (whatever your decision is).

[TakeruK]

The way you worded the description ("MSc" and "province") makes me think you are talking about Canadian graduate programs. So I want to point out one very very important difference in Canadian grad school system vs. the US and why some of the advice (and indeed my own other posts on similar topics) on these forums may not fully apply!

The difference is that in Canada, your supervisor has almost all of the power to decide whether or not to accept you as a student (as long as you meet school and departmental requirements). They generally fund you from the very start and they have already put aside a chunk of money for you. In the US, usually your first year is funded by the school or department, and you are not usually assigned (and paid by) a supervisor right away. So, if you back out of a US grad school now, it's not as much of an impact on any individual prof than if you back out of a Canadian grad school.

When I was finishing my undergrad, my supervisor also asked me the same question (although they did not give a specific deadline, it was implied I should decide ASAP back in March as well). He told me that he would take me as a student if I wanted to stay, but if not, he needs to make a decision on a few other applicants who have applied to him. If something similar is happening in your case, this means that not only you would have screwed someone out of a position, but also your supervisor might not end up with any students at all for the next year, which will affect their research work, grant proposals, etc.

I think backing out of a Canadian grad program at this stage results in much more collateral damage than a US program. It might still be worth it for you to do so, but just keep that in mind.

But have you considered doing your MSc at your current school and then do a PhD elsewhere? You say it's beneficial for you to go somewhere else for grad school -- as long as your PhD and BSc aren't in the same place, it's a good thing. In addition, given the smaller size of Canada, many students end up staying at one place anyways, so it's not as much of a "stigma" to stay in one place.

[Dal PhDer]

TakeruK gives some really great advice. I think this is a common and hard situations that students are put in, but as TakeruK summed up the consequences really well.

My suggestion is to really sit down and think about why you want to go to another university. Is it just experience and change of scenery? It doesn't sound like it's because you want to work with a specific person and/or project, or because of funding being offered. So ask yourself why it's important to go away? And what will you get if you stay?

You already have a working relationship with your current supervisor- and it must be good if they want you to continue on. Will they provide funding and/or experience? Do they have a project you can work on, or a solid foundation for your Masters project?

I would really weigh why you want to go and why you should stay. this is a big decision and could have major consequences for you in the future...however, that doesn't mean that you should do what's best for you. If leaving for another school is financially better (i.e., better stipend/scholarship) or you'll be working with a leader in your field- these are excellent reasons to pursue that opportunity!