Do Schools Ever Rescind An Acceptance??

[quanto]

Here's my situation: of my 7 programs, so far I've gotten one acceptance to  school A, and an interview scheduled at school B. Of the remaining 5, 2 have sent rejections and I strongly expect rejections from the other 3 (just assume their going to be rejections for now). I'm totally happy with school A, and I'm 95% sure I like it more than B, so going to interview at B seems pointless. I said 95% sure because I guess its possible I could go visit B and be blown away and decide its better, but I seriously doubt that will happen. Also, in order to visit B, I'd have to take 3 days off work, so in that sense itd cost me about 300 bucks.

Right now, I really wanna just cancel the interview at B, and get ready to accept admission to A and be done with it (cus again, I really am happy with A). The only reason I'm not doing that is that I have this fear - which may just be paranoia - that A will do something really unusual and like rescind their offer or something. Does that ever happen? Anyone ever heard of that? I have nightmares about that because, if that happens right after I've cancelled B, I'd be totally screwed obviously, and have to redo this all again next year.

Is it worth it to keep my chances at B alive just as a backup in case something really crazy happens with A's offer, even though B is lower in my personal ranking? Are these fears realistic or just paranoid?

[rising_star]

It's highly unlikely that a school would rescind your acceptance. For that to happen, they would probably have to find some type of fraud in your application (so, falsified transcripts, you don't actually graduate before starting, you faked your rec letters, etc.). But, what I have seen happen is that a school's or department's funding situation changes and they're no longer able to fully fund everyone who they thought they could (or more people decide to accept their offer than predicted, putting a strain on the finances). 

That said, if I were in your shoes, I would go visit school B, just to make sure that School A is the right one for you. It's better than potentially wondering what could've been if things take a turn after you enroll at School A.

[reddog]

18 minutes ago, rising_star said:

That said, if I were in your shoes, I would go visit school B, just to make sure that School A is the right one for you. It's better than potentially wondering what could've been if things take a turn after you enroll at School A.

100% Agreed. It is good for the soul to know what you haven't chosen. What if you have a rough start at School A? You will likely start wondering what it would be like if you had chosen school B, you'll start doubting yourself and you'll end up unhappy. Knowing exactly why you make a certain choice, will strenghten your motivation and in the end increase your success in grad school. I'd say that is worth $300.

[Neist]

12 minutes ago, reddog said:

100% Agreed. It is good for the soul to know what you haven't chosen. What if you have a rough start at School A? You will likely start wondering what it would be like if you had chosen school B, you'll start doubting yourself and you'll end up unhappy. Knowing exactly why you make a certain choice, will strenghten your motivation and in the end increase your success in grad school. I'd say that is worth $300.

I must concur with the previous responses.

I'd definitely visit school B, assuming you can afford to do so. If school A fell through for any reason, wouldn't it feel horrible if you hadn't arranged a back-up plan? 

Besides, school B's interview should go over really smooth if you're in no way stressed about absolutely getting into school B.  

[TakeruK]

I also agree with all of the above. I changed my opinion of several schools after visiting and the change was much larger than I had anticipated!

[birchleaf]

The only time I have ever heard on good authority that offers have been rescinded, is if students visit for Accepted Students weekend and are particularly unpleasant, rude, or are a potential harassment case. That being said, I've only heard of it happening twice. I definitely don't think you have anything to worry about!