Enviable but Awkward Situation. How do I not accept and not turn down admission to a PhD program?

[omgwtfbbq]

My dilemma:

I interviewed for a spot at a well known doctoral program, we'll call it school 1, and this morning I received an email to contact them via Skype for good news. I'm certain this is to tell me I'm accepted.

I'm very excited to be accepted, and it's a great program! But...

I have another interview coming up in February at school 2, which I'm also very excited about (probably a bit more excited than school 1)

When I Skype the adviser at school 1, how can I communicate my excitement and enthusiasm, without accepting or turning down the offer? I need to keep school 1 in limbo, so to speak, for at least another month or so while I wait to hear back from other programs. Perhaps if this communication was via email I could write with enough finesse to accomplish this, but over Skype I'm trying to figure out how to navigate this. 

 

Help!

[fuzzylogician]

You can just say you're excited but still waiting to hear from other schools before you can make a final decision. Any reasonable professor will understand that, they all know that students apply to multiple schools so it's not unreasonable to wait and hear from them all (or at least the few top choices) before choosing where to go.

[Balatro]

Fuzzy hit it - just be open and honest. That you're excited for the offer and the possibilities, but you're still waiting to hear back from other schools.

 

I don't know how it works for PhD programs, but for my MDiv I was told I had until April 15 (or about there, been a while) to make a decision.

[Therewillbeluke]

I'm in a similar, although not as direct, situation: I was accepted to a program that wants to hear by March 1st, however I anticipate that I will not have heard back from everyone by then. Is it okay to ask for an extension if I haven't heard from enough schools to make an informed decision?

[Norman G]

I'm in a similar, although not as direct, situation: I was accepted to a program that wants to hear by March 1st, however I anticipate that I will not have heard back from everyone by then. Is it okay to ask for an extension if I haven't heard from enough schools to make an informed decision?

 

Alternatively, I don't think it would be inappropriate to inform the schools, at some point in February, that you have a acceptance deadline for one or more program on March 1st. Yet, at the same time, you wouldn't want to influence their decision on your application by informing them that you have offers elsewhere. So, maybe your method is the safest.

 

(This thread might help some)

Edited February 1, 2013 by Norman G

[marXian]

I believe just about every well known school (schools who are apart of the Council of Graduate Schools) has agreed to a deadline of April 15 for you to accept/reject offers--if they offer you financial support (which virtually all well-known programs do). The school is well aware of this. If they're making you an offer, they can't demand you accept or decline right then and there (unless they're a school that hasn't agreed to this deadline or they're not offering you a financial package--but you say it's well known, so they probably have and are.)

 

You can see the list of schools here: http://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_Resolution.pdf

 

You can be as enthusiastic as you want to be, and you probably should be enthusiastic just in case everything else falls through. You're under no obligation to accept or decline their offer now, and they know full well that you can change your mind and go somewhere else if you want. Good luck!

[la sarar]

just out of curiosity: you are applying 2013 spring? Do you mean "fall"?

[bondsdw]

First off:  congrats.  You are indeed in an enviable position!

 

Secondly, just to more or less mirror what some others have said, I definitely wouldn't worry about not accepting their offer now.  Schools know that people almost certainly apply multiple places and want to gather their potential options before they make their decision.  Totally standard.  A school who makes an offer in January probably expects to be in limbo for a little bit.  They should not be offended at all if you are excited about and gracious for their offer but nonetheless want to wait until you've heard back from everyone you applied to.

[luciernaga]

I wish I were in your position! Congratulations!

 

There's a thread going on the decisions area of the website which you may find helpful.

 

[Yetanotherdegree]

"Wow! Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear this!" (And that's most likely where the conversation will end. If not, continue as follows.) "So...are you coming?" "Well, I need to look over the offer/financials, but I'm very happy to receive this acceptance. I look forward to receiving the paperwork. Thank you!"