Accepting an Offer

[Pretty_Penny]

Today I met with my undergrad advisor and we both agreed that the offer I have on the table is probably the best offer I am going to get. She encouraged me to just go ahead and accept it. I know that I probably will end up accepting it, but I had planned on waiting until I heard back from the 3 schools I'm still waiting on, or at least the one I just interviewed with this past weekend...

 

I know that I am not required to respond by April 15th (and I definitely don't plan on waiting until then), but is it necessary to accept immediately? I just received the official offer with funding info today! She is friends with the POIs I would be working with, and she made it seem like it would be rude and unfavorable for me to not accept immediately. What do you guys think?

[Lisa44201]

Is there a chance you'd take one of the other offers, even if it's not as good an offer? (I assume we're talking about funding).

[psychdork]

In my opinion, it is not necessary to accept immediately, and it would definitely not be rude and unfavorable to wait a little while.  If you are still considering any of your remaining schools then I would wait to accept this offer.  I'm not saying to wait until April 15th (you even said you wouldn't do that) but wait a week or two.  IF you don't hear anything by then, contact the schools and see if someone will tell you your status.  See if you can find out the outcomes of your remaining schools and then decide.  You'll feel much better about your decision once you know how things stand.  POIs understand that applicants have many things to consider before they accept an offer, and should be understanding if you don't accept an offer right away.

 

I might be reading too much into this but it almost sounds like your advisor is pushing you into taking the offer at this school, given that she is friends with your POI.  If I'm wrong, then I'm sorry for my interpretation, but if I'm right then this is ultimately your life and your decision.  Take as much time as you want.  You will be the one attending this school for the next 4-6 years, not your advisor.  If you still want to consider your remaining schools, then take the time and wait.  The reason for the April 15th date is so schools can't make students decide on an offer before they have all the options (although that still doesn't always happen).  You can take as much time between now and April 15th to decide as you want.  Waiting a few weeks to formally accept an offer is so much better than going back on an offer later on (which I do not recommend at all).

[PsychGirl1]

^what psychdork said :-)

[Pretty_Penny]

Thanks for your replies! There is a small chance I might accept one of the other offers, but it is not likely. I just thought I would have a little more time to talk about this with my family before accepting.

 

I've decided to give it at least a week, since I just received the formal offer. I still have to email my POI back though. How does this sound?

 

"Dear ___,

 

Yes, I received the formal offer, and hope to read through the details more thoroughly in the coming days. I would like to reaffirm my interest in the ___ program and assure you that it is my top choice. As of now, I do not believe I have any further questions, but I will not hesitate to contact you if any come up. I will be sure to notify you of my decision as soon as it is finalized.

 

Thanks so much!

 

All the best,

____"

 

Does it make sense to say they are my top choice but not to accept right away? I want to convey my interest, but as I said I am not ready to give them my final word.

[Engali]

I'm no expert, but saying a place is a top choice and then saying you need time to come to a decision about whether or not to go there seems disingenuous. I would re-word it.

[Pretty_Penny]

That's kind of what I thought. It's just hard to balance; they are my top choice, but I want to at least have time to read the contract and talk to my family. Thanks for the suggestion!  I reworded that sentence.

[VAN144]

You might already have solved this with the rewording, but I wouldn't use "top choice" at all. Just saying you're excited is enough I think! They'll understand they're your top choice when/if you accept. I'm not so sure, however, they'll understand why you told them they were your top choice in the off-chance that you ultimately accept somewhere else.

 

(If you already sent this though, don't worry about it!! I'm sure it's not a bit deal )

[Pretty_Penny]

Thanks VAN144! I did actually take the top choice part out and got a really nice response back. Saying you're excited is enough!

[NoMoreActive]

Thanks for your replies! There is a small chance I might accept one of the other offers, but it is not likely. I just thought I would have a little more time to talk about this with my family before accepting.

 

I've decided to give it at least a week, since I just received the formal offer. I still have to email my POI back though. How does this sound?

 

"Dear ___,

 

Yes, I received the formal offer, and hope to read through the details more thoroughly in the coming days. I would like to reaffirm my interest in the ___ program and assure you that it is my top choice. As of now, I do not believe I have any further questions, but I will not hesitate to contact you if any come up. I will be sure to notify you of my decision as soon as it is finalized.

 

Thanks so much!

 

All the best,

____"

 

Does it make sense to say they are my top choice but not to accept right away? I want to convey my interest, but as I said I am not ready to give them my final word.

 

[Graham17]

Sort of related question, maybe. How do you stay on good terms with poi's at schools you won't be attending, but you may want to work with in the future?

[PsychGirl1]

Graham17- I'm going to write one of those awkward emails tomorrow :-).

 

I think I'm just going to stress that the school was one of my top choices, that I really enjoyed the POI's research, and I would have definitely been happy attending and working with them. However, the other school just feels like a better fit in a variety of different ways, and seems like the better option at this time. And then I'll probably follow up with a tidbit or two of personal stuff from the interview, and wish them good luck with their research.

[kaister]

Sort of related question, maybe. How do you stay on good terms with poi's at schools you won't be attending, but you may want to work with in the future?

I sent one of those emails.  I didn't get too specific, just saying that I hope to cross paths again since our research interests are similar and wishing them the best in their research.  Especially since my future advisor knows this POI, I think its very likely we'd cross paths.