grindian Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) Hi all, I needed some advice based on my situation here. Admit situation School A: Offered me a full tuition ride + stipend, but I need to reply by April 15. Also wasn't my top choice; program is good but not great. School B, C: Prestigious schools with little or no financial aid, but excellent program and future prospects. To fund this, I have applied to third party scholarship agencies. There is a possibility I will get an all expenses paid scholarship that will allow me to get into one of the prestigious schools. But that decision will only come a month later and isn't an assured event, obviously, since others compete for the award as well. If I don't get the external award, I cannot afford grad school. Question Should I accept school A, and wait for the external award result? If I do that, I will have to reject School A later. The scholarship letter mentions I cannot accept any other offer without a release letter as per the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution. Has anyone been in this situation? How difficult is it? Do schools frown upon acceptance and rejection of fellowships? I don't think the deadline can be extended. I really don't want to steal anyone else's chances at a scholarship but I can't figure out what to do. If I reject school A (which means someone else gets passed on my scholarship), and don't get the external award, I can't attend the other prestigious schools I risked my fully funded education for. I stand to lose it all in this case. What do you suggest I do? Please help. I'd be really grateful Edited March 26, 2015 by grindian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I would accept School A. If you get the external fellowship, then you can ask for a release from your offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grindian Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Would it be considered really unprofessional to do so? Is it a potential career risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's not unprofessional to ask for a release. But, they also don't have to grant your request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grindian Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 This means they can deny me one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juilletmercredi Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 In theory, yes, it means that they can deny you an offer. In practice, a school has little to no reason to deny a release request from a student. No department wants unhappy students. So while it could happen, I think the likelihood is probably low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grindian Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 So I did the right thing by rejecting the offer instead of stringing them along. Voila, the next day I get an offer of scholarship from my dream school because - guess what - someone else also refused it. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 That's awesome, grindian! Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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