defer funded position at a uc school?

[dungheap]

is this possible? (no the answer is not present in their online materials) any knowledge of this happening? it'd be in the college of engineering. i guess it's all dependent on many factors but i'm just wondering if people have pulled it off.

 

i got into a nice private school, then got myself a prof who is willing to fund me with an RA there, but i also really want to be on the west coast, the program there is smaller but similarly ranked. and it's close to silicon valley so there would be plenty of good prospects.

 

was thinking of deferring to spend a year at the private school to see how it goes (i know it'll be more academically rigorous), if it sucks, take my admission at uc...

Edited March 30, 2013 by dungheap

[Quantum Buckyball]

I think they'll only let you defer it if you have family emergencies or other medical reasons.

[sansao]

I'd be amazed if they let you defer one offer to accept another. Also, I think this is terrible form. You're trying to hold on to two spots when there are well-qualified applicants who won't get in at the school that you don't attend. Please don't do that. Choose one school and go there.

[Kava]

Deferment is typically for students that are completely putting their graduate studies on hold for personal/medical reasons, not for someone that wants to try out one school first. I'd be shocked if they would allow you to do that. If you don't like the private school, you can reapply the next application cycle - that's usually how it's done.

[zabius]

I agree with what everyone else has said: I'd also be surprised if they let you defer for the reason you described. But I also want to add that it sounds like a risky thing to even try doing, so I wouldn't even ask the schools about this possibility... you could potentially burn some bridges both at the UC school and at the private school. Or if you don't burn bridges, you may at least come off as noncommittal, which will still reflect poorly on you.

 

Another thing to consider is that the funding at the UC school may not carry over even if they do let you defer. It depends on the source of the funding. It's possible that they would allow you defer your enrollment, but tell you that they cannot guarantee funding for you until they meet to discuss the funding packages for all of the 2014 applicants.

 

My advice is to pick one school (either the UC or the private school) and stick to it. Then, if you really want to get the best of both worlds, try setting up a collaboration at the other school (assuming it makes sense for you to do that) or possibly consider doing a postdoc there once you get your PhD. Or, if neither of those things really make sense for the type of work/career that you're interested in, you can at least network with people from the other school at conferences and whatnot. That will allow you to make use of their connections within your field and/or industry.

 

But I really don't think that you should try deferring. If the school you ultimately choose isn't a good fit for you, do what Kava suggested-- reapply to the other program later. If you keep in contact with the POI at the school that you didn't choose, you'd probably have a good shot of being admitted a second time.

 

Good luck with your decision. It sounds like the private school may be a better fit for you. The location of the UC school is nice, but that probably shouldn't outweigh the good fit and funding package at the private school.

Edited March 30, 2013 by zabius