Replying to offer of admission

[Brittany22]

I recieved an offer of admission from the University of Alberta, which is great, but my problem is that they've requested I submit my answer by March 15th! That seems so soon, and I know one of the other programs I've applied to doesn't send out offers until April :S  I'm not sure if I can ask them to extend their deadline, or if I should say yes and then cancel if I get into my first choice. Can I do that? So confused....

[phalanges]

I would recommend asking if you can delay your response. The only worry is that it might affect your funding. A friend of mine was late accepting an offer from the University of Waterloo and they told her that they couldn't guarantee that she would get the funding promised to her in her offer letter since they assumed she was rejecting and had relocated the funds.

edit: typos

Edited February 22, 2013 by phalanges

[lewin]

They're basically trying to cheat the system because an April 15 deadline has been the tradition for decades. It's actually CPA policy too, but not binding or anything. 

 

I would check with a professor you trust first, but also agree that asking for an extension makes the most sense, explaining that you haven't even heard from all of your universities yet. But I'd also wait a few weeks, like maybe until March 8. Might give you a chance to hear back from other places, and give you more leverage if you have more than one acceptance

[Brittany22]

Thanks for the advice! I've read that my top choice school will be sending out offers mid-March, so if I can get the deadline pushed back just a little then it will help a lot.

[Guest |||]

Inform them and they will likely bend things a little for you.