leveraging

[brady]

hey y'all,

just wondering if anybody is planning on leveraging packages across depts?? I'm trying to figure out the most diplomatic way to do so...

[Quigley]

Well time is running out for you to bargain, but you can say "I was also accepted by x school, but I prefer your program for these reasons and believe it is the best fit for me.  X school offered me _____, which will be difficult to turn down, but I believe this decision is too important to be made based on three or four thousand dollars per year.  Does your department have any flexibility to come closer to x school's funding offer?"

 

I was accepted by two schools.  They each offered me about the same size academic-year stipend but School A offered me an additional guaranteed summer fellowship for four consecutive summers, beginning after my first full year.  School B offered no such guarantee but said that some summer funding is available, usually in the form of TAships.

 

When I asked school B about matching the guarantee for summer funding, they offered a matching summer fellowship (for the first summer only), increased my first-year stipend (by a significant amount), and waived my first-year TA responsibilities.

 

I still accepted at school A, but I'm glad that the decision was made based on department fit, not $3,000 per year.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Quigley

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

This will work with well endowed schools...if they are not, it may not change...I tried this also

[peternewman89]

As MarketMan said, it really depends on endowment and public vs private.  I'll be going to a private university that has a sizable endowment and is giving funding to the department.  I didn't have any other offers and their stipend is among the top offered anyway, but I heard from other prospectives that they had the authority to match offers to get top students.  So it's really an issue of what schools you're dealing with.

[Cederstacker]

As for how to phrase the request, value clarity over politeness. Nobody will be offended that money factors into your decision -- state your other offer and how much it is, and then simply ask the other school to match. 

[PoliSwede]

In this situation, I think that it only helps you to be as clear as possible.

 

That said, it does seem like you're running short on time and better hurry up!