Is it a bad idea to defer admission while vising the school?

[sevyn731]

I've been accepted into my second choice school and am extremely excited about it, unfortunately I can't attend next year due to lack of funding. I'm planning on deferring and using this year to apply to scholarships and work.

My decision to defer was just made recently, now I have to let the school know. Since my school is in Chicago and I am currently interning in St. Louis, I want to take a trip to visit the school next week to meet with the faculty and tour the facilities. Would it be poor taste to inform the dept of my decision to defer while I'm there?

[TakeruK]

From context, it sounds like it is a visit initiated and paid for by you, so I guess it's not like you let them pay for a visit and then decide to wait a year. But if you visit, they will still have to take the time to show you around.

Here's just my personal opinion, no data or anything to back it up. I think if you want to defer, and you want to get on their good side, you should inform them immediately. It's probably not a big deal since you don't have funding from them, so it's not like they need to know whether you are showing up for TA or RA assignments etc. In addition, since you are deferring a year, wouldn't it make more sense to wait until next year to visit? Will you be doing research in your grad program? I would think waiting until next spring to visit and trying to set up a potential project while you're there would be more beneficial since it will be closer to your actual start date!

[sevyn731]

From context, it sounds like it is a visit initiated and paid for by you, so I guess it's not like you let them pay for a visit and then decide to wait a year. But if you visit, they will still have to take the time to show you around.

Here's just my personal opinion, no data or anything to back it up. I think if you want to defer, and you want to get on their good side, you should inform them immediately. It's probably not a big deal since you don't have funding from them, so it's not like they need to know whether you are showing up for TA or RA assignments etc. In addition, since you are deferring a year, wouldn't it make more sense to wait until next year to visit? Will you be doing research in your grad program? I would think waiting until next spring to visit and trying to set up a potential project while you're there would be more beneficial since it will be closer to your actual start date!

I'll be paying for the trip.

As silly as it may sound, you could say my reason for wanting to go is motivational. I've never been to the school or Chicago, and this summer I'm the closest I'll ever be to both due to my internship. I hate that I can't attend next year, but I feel actually visiting the school will give me a goal to work toward for the next year.

[TakeruK]

That's a perfectly fine reason If I was in your shoes, I'd feel bad if a whole bunch of profs took the time to talk to me about their research and show me the facilities/labs/department only for me to say "actually I'm deferring..." right afterwards. I personally would tell them that I'd like to defer now but also mention that I would love to visit this summer. Usually, the admin staff are the best people to contact about visiting because they are very good at scheduling time with profs for you! Of course, you shouldn't assume that they will be able to do this, but if you mention that you will be visiting because you will be nearby, then they might be able to make things work out for you

[lewin]

By the way, I want to point out that you're probably asking to defer, not telling them you'll defer. I don't know anything about your program but at my university if somebody wanted to defer we'd just accept somebody else and they'd have to chance it again next year.

And not to be a jerk, but it doesn't reflect well that your financial situation wasn't in order before applying. I knew I couldn't self-fund my graduate studies so I only applied at places that guaranteed full funding, to avoid situations like this. As TakeruK pointed out, the admissions process is a lot of wasted effort if you already know you're not attending. (If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming.)

[TakeruK]

By the way, I want to point out that you're probably asking to defer, not telling them you'll defer. I don't know anything about your program but at my university if somebody wanted to defer we'd just accept somebody else and they'd have to chance it again next year.

That's a good point -- I assumed that the deferment policy was given with the admission offer and that deferring is probably okay since it's an unfunded offer. (Almost all of my letters said explicitly that deferring is not allowed).

[ANDS!]

And not to be a jerk, but it doesn't reflect well that your financial situation wasn't in order before applying.

That is a pretty presumptive statement to make. "Sh*t happens. . ." isn't just a saying, and for some people attending school is done so on a very precarious tightrope of juggling financial responsibilities. My entire undergrad I was on the razors edge where any financial difficulty could've derailed my progress.

Fingerwagging that they should have had a couple 10K or so socketed away so they could afford (I'm assuming) a masters (even worse for a PhD), on top of everything else, is a bit ridiculous.

[lewin]

That is a pretty presumptive statement to make. "Sh*t happens. . ." isn't just a saying, and for some people attending school is done so on a very precarious tightrope of juggling financial responsibilities. My entire undergrad I was on the razors edge where any financial difficulty could've derailed my progress.

Fingerwagging that they should have had a couple 10K or so socketed away so they could afford (I'm assuming) a masters (even worse for a PhD), on top of everything else, is a bit ridiculous.

Did you stop reading my post halfway through, before I said: "If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming." ?

But if it's a matter of everyday finances then I stand by what I said. Part of being responsible enough to complete a PhD is planning ahead and being conscientious. That doesn't necessarily mean saving money, but it could mean having external scholarships or loans arranged in advance. I would say the same thing about any other foreseeable circumstances (e.g., "I applied to graduate school but my girlfriend/boyfriend has a year of undergraduate left so I decided to defer."). It suggests the candidate is unprepared or disorganized.

ETA: And much of this forum is about informing people about the unanticipated effects of their actions so I thought it worth mentioning in case the OP didn't hadn't fully thought through that asking to defer isn't necessarily a consequence-free decision.

Edited July 29, 2012 by lewin00