Accepting an offer and waiting for another

[Ziad Ewais]

Hi GradCafe,

 

First of all, I just want to say how awesome this forum has been for me in the last couple of years. Now, after the grueling processing of applying for PhD programs, and going through the misery of waiting for the results, I have finally a Decent offer from McGill University in the Architecture program. Happy, excited, and can't wait to go. I have receive the acceptance early March and the deadline for accepting it was the first of April. On the other hand, I was promised, through contacting the staff for over a year, a good package at the Uni. of Calgary, the Computational Media Design program. The package offer that I will receive from Calgary, if accepted, is much better than McGill's offer. No word from Calgary till now and no replies to my emails anymore, staff and program co-coordinators. as April the first had past, I had to accept McGill's offer, paid the deposit and finished my Visa requirements. I'm holding applying the visa application till I get news from Calgary, but time is running and obtaining the student permit will take a minimum of 2 to 3 months.

 

My Question is, should I just ignore Calgary and apply my visa for studying at McGill? Or should I wait till Calgary gives me a definitive answer?

 

Sorry for the long intro and hope to hear an answer soon.

 

Ziad.

 

 

[zabius]

My advice would be to call the people at U Calgary and ask about the status of your application. Emails can go unanswered for days or even weeks, but a phone call will usually get you a prompt response. If they don't pick up the first time, call them back a little later. Be sure to explain your situation to them-- say that their program is your top choice, but you also have another offer on the table and need to know for sure whether or not you've been accepted because you need to start on your visa paperwork very soon. Hopefully they'll be able to tell you something definite (as opposed to something like "we're still reviewing applications").

 

If you've been rejected from Calgary, proceed to fill out the visa application to study at McGill. If Calgary tells you that you've been waitlisted, I'd say you should probably wait a little while (until ~3 months before the start of the semester). If by that time you still haven't heard anything from Calgary, then proceed with the paperwork for McGill so that you can be sure that there's enough time for your visa application to be approved.

 

If you're accepted into Calgary, then you're in a tricky situation. Since you've accepted McGill's offer and paid their deposit, you'll likely need written permission from McGill before you can be released from their program and free to accept Calgary's offer. It's doable, but it might be a hassle to arrange. You'll also want to approach this tactfully, as there's always the potential that you could burn bridges with the people at McGill if you back out now.

 

Good luck!

Edited April 24, 2013 by zabius

[Ziad Ewais]

If you're accepted into Calgary, then you're in a tricky situation. Since you've accepted McGill's offer and paid their deposit, you'll likely need written permission from McGill before you can be released from their program and free to accept Calgary's offer. It's doable, but it might be a hassle to arrange. You'll also want to approach this tactfully, as there's always the potential that you could burn bridges with the people at McGill if you back out now.

 

Thanks zabius for you answer,

 

I didn't know that I should apply to release myself from a program I've accepted. I though it was a case of telling them (polity) that I've accepted another offer and I will not come. Of course i will lose my deposit, but I think that's insignificant in such a matter. I'm not aiming at all to lose respect of the faculty at McGill due to the small community of the program I'm studying.

 

I will call Calgary and ask, but your advise is giving me a reason to go to McGill anyway.

 

Thanks again.

[zabius]

I didn't know that I should apply to release myself from a program I've accepted. I though it was a case of telling them (polity) that I've accepted another offer and I will not come. Of course i will lose my deposit, but I think that's insignificant in such a matter. I'm not aiming at all to lose respect of the faculty at McGill due to the small community of the program I'm studying.

 

Well, the policy really depends on the school. I'm not familiar with how Canadian schools operate; I only know about schools in the US. Here, if you've accepted a funded offer, you can typically back out of it pretty easily as long as you do so before a certain date (typically April 15th). If you want to withdraw from the program after that date, though, typically you need to contact the school and get written permission before they release you. I don't know what the deadlines or policies are for Calgary and McGill. If you find out that you are accepted to Calgary, you should email the people at McGill and ask them what you would have to do to be released from the program. It might be as simple as just letting them know that you're not interested anymore, for all I know. However, I suspect that you'll probably need some kind of written permission for it, since you've formally committed by paying that deposit. However, nothing is ever truly set in stone... if you want to back out of McGill, you can. That could potentially burn some bridges, but if you handle it tactfully, you'll probably be fine.

 

I didn't mean to persuade you in any one direction with my post. If you need to get written permission to withdraw from McGill, just be polite in your request and explain your situation. Remember that, at the end of the day, this is your education and you need to make the decision that is best for you. If Calgary is the best school for you and they accept you, you shouldn't feel bad about attempting to back out of McGill. The people at McGill might not like that, but if you're polite about it, then they should hopefully at least understand. It really does depend on the people involved. Most will either not really care, or at worst be annoyed but not hold a grudge against you.

 

I hope that clarifies some of the points from my earlier message. Basically, what I meant to say was that there's a possibility of burning bridges at McGill, but that you should be okay if you approach the situation tactfully.

Edited April 25, 2013 by zabius