One program's decision deadline BEFORE offer from other program?

[elsiefrew]

Hey all,

 

I've got a quandary.  I'm applying for Spring admission which I think may be causing me to have weird, mismatched schedules between programs I am applying to.

 

I have been admitted to one program already.  They want my decision by Nov. 15.

 

The second program has an APPLICATION deadline of Dec. 6 and I have not submitted the application yet (because I have to take the GRE in the meantime, not required for the first one).

 

So, I don't even expect an offer from the second program before I supposedly have to decide yes or no on the first program.  Obviously, I want to be able to compare the offers and have been planning on that for the past 6 months of this whole application process.

 

Has anyone experienced anything similar?  My plan at the moment is to explain the situation to the first program and see if there is the possibility of extending their deadline.  Does this seem advisable?  What about accepting the first offer and then switching if the second program has an outlandishly better offer, obviously being very upfront about the possibility with the first program?  Does this ever happen?

 

Any advice navigating this strange situation would be helpful...

[fuzzylogician]

I'd start with just asking for an extension on the decision deadline. You don't need to explain much; you will not be the first person to need more time in order to have all the decisions before making a choice. I'd avoid accepting an offer and then withdrawing because that could burn bridges with the first program. So first just see what they say, then go from there.

[Loric]

You can say yes and change your mind later - that's entirely possible too.

 

Don't tell them and be "upfront" - no guilt on your end kiddo, they pull the same sort of antics with applicants all the time, calling them up last minute after someone else drops out, after having "firmly" rejected them. It's the nature of the beast.

 

In a way it'[s a game, play the game and don't feel guilty for doing so. Do what's best for you, your career, and don't worry about the problems of an admissions office. The extra paperwork they may have to fill out.. the horror! The horror!

 

If they make you a good offer, accept it. Begin planning what you need to do to go there.. if the other school makes a much better offer.. decide from there. Don't burn any bridges until you cross them. You may get nothing from the second school.

[juilletmercredi]

I do not recommend saying yes and changing your mind later, as you can burn bridges this way.  Field can be small.  Of course you need to look out for yourself first, but you want to do this in a way that minimizes harm to everyone else.  A program calling you in June to accept you is far different from an applicant accepting an offer on November 15 and then turning around on January 10 and changing their mind.  The spring semester will begin in just a few weeks and now that department is robbed of the opportunity to find someone to take your place, which may impact their teaching schedule, funding lines, etc.

 

If you HAVE to do it, that's one thing, but it shouldn't be a primary strategy and should definitely not be done with a flippant attitude.

 

Since it's past the decision deadline for the first school, OP, I'd like to hear what happened if you're still around.