How to request extra time to make an accept/reject decision?

[afaimix]

I just learned that most of the schools I applied to will be notifying students of their decisions sometime between mid to late March, and I got an admittance back in late February for a solid grad program. However, their deadline to notify them is March 25, which I feels is too early for me personally to assess all options thoroughly. I wanted to shoot them an e-mail around 2 weeks before the March 25 deadline asking for more time. Would this message below suffice as an email to send the admissions coordinator?

 

I would like to request an extra week to consider all my options for graduate study before making an admissions decision for ________ program.  While the program is one of my top choices, I am waiting to hear back from schools that will notify me between mid to late March, and I would like to thoroughly assess my options from both a personal and financial standpoint before arriving at a crucial decision. I understand that admission offers run on a tight deadline, so I appreciate your flexibility to accommodate my request.

 

Thanks!

[justinmcummings]

For what it's worth in my opinion your potential letter sounds professional, logical, and friendly.

Edited March 4, 2014 by justinmcummings

[ginagirl]

I think it sounds good but I would change "...I would appreciate your flexibility.." to "...I would appreciate any flexibility...". It's subtle but I think the latter sounds less assuming about them giving you an extension. But if you've already sent, I think either is really fine.

[afaimix]

Thank you for the feedback so far! I haven't sent the email yet, but will likely send it by the end of this week.

 

One last question: would asking for two extra weeks instead of just one be pushing it? Or should I ask for an unspecified amount of time (just saying "I would like to request some more time")?

 

The reason I ask is because I feel that some programs are going to get back to me pretty late in March (and looking at past trends on the Gradcafe Survey, this may certainly be the case), but I still want to respect the school's flexibility while still having some breathing room to look at the options and discuss it with my family and peers.

[ginagirl]

I'm not sure what would be best, to be honest. It seems like you would have some time before the 25th anyway assuming you might hear back from other schools before then, and I'm wondering if you should just wait a bit longer before you ask for more time. I think if you do ask for any time at all, you should just ask for more time in general, and see what they come back with.