should you respond to a fully funded admissions offer immediately, even if you are waiting on other schools?

[Lhasa1951]

So, I was given a fully funded admissions offer + TA job at one of my safety schools. I'm very happy about the offer, and at the end of the day will probably end up attending there, but I am still waitlisted at my #1 school and waiting to hear back from them.

 

 

Should I reply to the school stating that I am still waiting, or is it the norm to say nothing until you're 100% that you'll either accept the offer or decline it?

 

Thanks

 

[Lhasa1951]

For that matter, while we're at it, would it also be in bad taste to contact my #1 school and let them know about the other offer I got? @_@

[TakeruK]

In your shoes, I would contact the safety school and say that you are happy to receive their offer and you are currently considering your options and will let them know ASAP. Or you can also say nothing, but I personally like to at least acknowledge receipt. Also it's a good chance to ask any questions you might have.

 

There is no reason to tell the #1 school about your other offer unless the deadline for the safety school offer is getting close and you want to know if they have a decision estimate for you. But if you haven't talked to #1 school in awhile, it might be good to just touch base and see if they have an update for you--if they were actually full now but haven't got around to informing the waitlisted yet, you might find out the bad news earlier and allow you to accept the safety school sooner. Or they might provide other information that can help you determine if it's worth waiting further or not.

 

Finally, you could tell #1 school about your offer if you get an offer from #1 school and would like #1 school to match it or something. But whether this works depends on your field. Also, to be honest, if you are coming in from a waitlist, it might mean you won't have very much negotiating power anyways. 

[Lhasa1951]

Thanks for the advice! Will do so 

[Munashi]

TakeruK gave you some great advice.  I would agree that it would probably be nice to acknowledge receipt of the offer, even if you aren't planning to make a decision immediately.